Blackhawks who will reach their 100 NHL games milestone in 2026-27

It’s records, milestones and awards week here at Blackhawk Up, which got me thinking once again about the Chicago Blackhawk’s youth movement. General manager Kyle Davidson has leaned heavily on the draft to build a contending team in this current rebuild. Many of these recent draftees have now graduated to the NHL level.

We’ve discussed this youth movement at length, covering exciting young forwards in the mix to make an impact, as well as newbie defensemen to watch. The fun part is they’re all coming into the league together, learning and growing and finding their way as a group.

Blackhawks 100 Game Milestone Tracker

It’s an exciting time for these young Blackhawks. Here’s a list of players who should reach their 100-game milestone in the 2026-27 campaign, including with how many games they’ve played so far.

1. Artyom Levshunov, 86 games played

2. Ryan Greene, 83 games played

3. Sam Rinzel, 63 games played

4. Oliver Moore, 60 games played

5. Ethan Del Mastro, 45 games played

6. Nick Lardis, 41 games played

Assuming he’s part of the everyday lineup, and barring injury, it looks like defenseman Artyom Levshunov will be the first to reach 100 games. He only has 14 games to get to 100. If he suits up for every game, this would put him at his milestone on Oct. 31 against the Boston Bruins. Forward Ryan Greene would be just three games later, in early November.

D-man Sam Rinzel and center Oliver Moore would come next. Incidentally, these two played at the University of Minnesota together and signed their entry-level contracts with the Blackhawks on the same day. With 37 and 40 games to go, the two Minnesota natives should hit 100 games closer to the middle of the season, likely at some point in late December or early January.

Ethan Del Mastro is on a slightly different path than the others. The defenseman has been with the Blackhawk’s organization for three full seasons, but he’s spent more time with the AHL Rockford IceHogs than the Blackhawks. He also has yet to sign his second contract with the Blackhawks, and might not be an everyday defenseman if he does sign. Which is why it would be quite the accomplishment if makes 100 games this season. 55 games to go!

Finally, winger Nick Lardis split time pretty evenly with the Blackhawks and the IceHogs last season. But all signs point towards him playing with the big club this campaign, perhaps even as a member of the top-six forwards. He would be the last to celebrate 100 games. With 59 games left, that puts his milestone some time in February.  

Other young Blackhawks have led the way in the youth movement

Six players reaching 100 NHL games in one season is quite remarkable, and further reiterates what a young and inexperienced group the Blackhawks are. But these six players aren’t alone. Last season, Spencer Knight, Wyatt Kaiser, Louis Crevier, Frank Nazar, Arvid Soderblom, Kevin Korchinski and Landon Slaggert all celebrated 100 NHL games. Geez, that’s seven players!

As a matter of fact, Kaiser only has to play in 25 more games to get to 200. If Knight suits up for 50 starts in net (he played in 55 contests last season), he’ll reach the 200 mark as well. Nazar would have to play in 78 games to hit 200.

For the “old” youth movement, Connor Bedard has played in 219 games and Alex Vlasic in 260. Due to his injury and being out the start of the season, Bedard likely won’t get to 300 games this year (he has 81 to go). But it’s very likely Vlasic will play in 40 matchups and reach that 300-game benchmark.

Blackhawks rookies look to follow their peers

Finally, let’s touch on the Blackhawks that are also gunning for 100 games, but not until the 2027-28 campaign. These are the youngest and most inexperienced of this group in Chicago, which includes Anton Frondell, Sacha Boisvert and Roman Kantserov.

Frondell joined the Blackhawks for 12 games last season, and looked like the real deal. Look for him to be an integral member of the top-six, maybe even the top-line center while Bedard is out. Even if he plays in all 84 games this campaign, he still falls four games short of 100.

Boisvert suited up for seven games last season. But unlike Frondell, I have a hunch he’ll start the 2026-27 campaign as a member of the IceHogs. Time will tell when he reaches 100 games!

And finally, Kantserov has yet to play a game with the Blackhawks. That will change this season, as he’s set to bolster the forward group. There’s lots of excitement surrounding this 21-year-old Russian prospect.

The youth movement is in full swing in Chicago. Look for the above six players to reach their 100-NHL games milestone this season, with many before them and many coming soon after. Hopefully their milestones will also come with positive individual growth and more team success!

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