Blackhawks' Top Prospects Update

Forwards:

Oliver Moore: Moore, an 18 year old freshman at the University of Minnesota, has had a great start for the Gophers. In 6 games played, Moore has totaled 1 goal and 5 assists making him a point per game player to start off his career with the Gophers. In his first game against St. Thomas, he recorded 3 assists in a 6-5 victory over the Tommies

Frank Nazar III: A sophomore at the University of Michigan, the 19 year old has been playing great for the Wolverines with 3 goals and 4 assists through the first 8 games for Michigan. Nazar has been a great faceoff man for the Wolverines as well winning 79 draws out of 134 for a 59% on the dot. It's a huge relief to see Nazar be good at faceoffs as the Blackhawks sit dead last in the league with a 39% faceoff percentage. Adding Nazar in the future will vastly improve the Hawks faceoff struggles.

Gavin Hayes: After his 41 goal season last year with the Flint Firebirds of the OHL, Hayes has continued to excel in finding the back off the net with 6 goals in his first 10 games with the Firebirds. Hayes is also second on the team in points with 10 points behind undrafted center Zacharie Giroux. If Hayes can continue his goal scoring ways, Chicago will have landed a gem in this third round pick from 2022.

Martin Misiak: The 19 year old Slovakian prospect has been playing extremely well for the OHL's Erie Otters raking up 12 points in 13 games as well as 11 points in his last 10 games. Misiak is yet another Blackhawks prospect who is at the top of their team in points as he sits third on the Otters in points. Misiak, like Nazar, has been a great faceoff man for the Otters winning 51% of his draws (90 wins, 174 attempts).

Defensemen:

Sam Rinzel: Like Oliver Moore, Rinzel is a freshman attending the University of Minnesota and has been doing quite well for the Gophers. The 6'4 defenseman in 6 games has 0 goals, 3 assists, and 7 blocks for the Gophers. 5 out of the 7 of his blocked shots came against the Gopher's 2 games against their rival North Dakota.

Isaak Phillips: One of the Blackhawks top defensive prospects, Phillips has been showing that he deserves that title. Entering his 2nd year with the Rockford Icehogs, he leads all Icehogs defenseman in points with 3 and assists with 2.

Ethan Del Mastro: In his first 5 games with the Rockford Icehogs, Del Mastro is 2nd in points for defensemen on the team with 1 goal and 1 assist. Del Mastro also scored his first goal in his first ever game for the Icehogs against the Grand Rapids Griffins on Oct. 28th. Like Phillips, Del Mastro is a top defensive prospect for the Blackhawks so his early play for the Icehogs is a beautiful sight to see.

Goalies:

Drew Commesso: Commesso has been a brick wall for the Icehogs in his first 3 games. He started his Icehogs career with an 18 save shutout in the home opener against the Grand Rapids Griffins on October 28th. He also stopped 34 out of 36 shots in the 7-2 win against the San Jose Barracuda as well as blanking Barracuda forward Cole Cassels on a penalty shot in the 2nd period. Commesso is 2-1-0 to start the 2023-2024 season.

Adam Gajan: Gajan is spending his second year with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. Last year he only played in 6 games and tallied a 5-1 record with a .906 save % and 2.48 GAA. This year, with 10 games already under his belt, Gajan is 7-3 with a .913 save % and a 3.03 GAA. In 4 of his 5 last games, he has picked up 4 wins and has had at least 30 saves in those 5 games.