Kevin Korchinski's call-up provides a showcase of the Blackhawks' future defensive core

The Chicago Blackhawks has shifted their focus to playing the young players as the 2024-25 NHL season winds down.

After starting the season as one of the older teams in the NHL based on average age of their lineup, they have turned into one of the youngest due to the amount of prospects who have been given a chance at the NHL level.

The injection of youth into the current roster has featured the likes of Frank Nazar, Colton Dach, Landon Slaggert, Ethan Del Mastro, Wyatt Kaiser, and Artyom Levshunov, who have all joined the core of more experienced young players such as Connor Bedard, Alex Vlasic, and the newly acquired Spencer Knight.

Kevin Korchinski is the most recent player who will be getting some games in before the season is over.

He was recalled from the Rockford IceHogs (AHL) on Thursday morning. The former seventh-overall pick has spent most of this season developing in Rockford and is getting an opportunity with the Blackhawks once again.

He was with the NHL club last season after impressing during a nine-game window at the start of the season where the team could decide to keep him or send him back to the juniors due age restrictions at the AHL.

The Hawks chose to keep him, and he did enough to keep his head above water, but it was clear he needed time in the AHL to develop his game.

The 21-year old defenseman currently has 27 points in 54 AHL games, but the focus of his development was targeted toward his defensive play and becoming an all-situations player.

His puck moving ability and skating have always been his trademark skills, but some fine tuning of his overall game is what the Blackhawks' felt was best for him going forward.

Korchinski joins a blueline full of young talent with Connor Murphy being the only defender over the age of twenty-five who played in the team's recent game against the New Jersey Devils.

Del Mastro's and Levshunov's recent play suggests that both have earned an NHL spot, and Korchinski will look to be the next in those conversations.

The call-up of Korchinski will give fans a glimpse of the future blueline in Chicago with the majority of their defensive prospects being on the current roster, and the possibility of Sam Rinzel signing with the Blackhawks in the coming weeks to get a few games under his belt before the offseason.

If Rinzel is to sign and make his way into some of the final games, it is possible fans will see a top-four consisting of Alex Vlasic, Artyon Levshunov, Kevin Korchinski, and Sam Rinzel for their final games.

The impact of these young defensemen on the roster has already begun to show positive results, as Artyom Levshunov has continued to show his potential since being called-up. Wednesday's game against New Jersey saw the 19-year old record two assists, and one that was called back as well, while logging over twenty-four minutes of ice time for a career high.

There is just ten more games remaining for the Blackhawks this season which still gives plenty of time to get a look at their young talent before the offseason begins. Though the wins may not be there, the potential shown from their young defensemen has been exciting to watch.