Potential standouts at this year's Blackhawks training camp

Coming into this year, the Chicago Blackhawks are turning to a younger roster that will feature more of their future than that of the last five years of this rebuild. While the team may not compete for a playoff spot, they will be much more enjoyable to watch grow and learn to win together. With the younger team comes the place for more roster battles. This year, there are more roster positions to be earned by some of these younger prospects.

Spellacy Makes an Impression

At the start of training camp last September, AJ Spellacy was not a well-known name to most Blackhawks fans, but by the end of the preseason, he made sure to leave an impression on not only the fan base but also the coaching staff. He played in three of the Blackhawks' six preseason games and impressed during the preseason with his speed and ability to get to the middle of the ice. Spellacy eventually was sent back to the Windsor Spitfires in the Ontario Hockey League and ended the year with 37 points in 62 games.

What sets Spellacy apart from other forwards at his size is his speed. He only needs two quick strides to reach top speed, and if he pairs that with his size, then he could be an excellent third-line winger for years to come. Most forwards at his size will get the majority of their goals around the net, but Spellacy's speed will allow him to bring offense in off the rush, which is something that few bottom-six forwards can pull off. If he continues to improve that aspect of his game and is willing to do the dirty work along the boards, then the 19-year-old could see minutes in the NHL very soon.

Lardis Stands Above the Rest

The Blackhawks have one of the deepest and most talented prospect pools in the National Hockey League, so numerous players have the opportunity to showcase their skills this training camp. From all of these prospects, I believe that Nick Lardis will make it the most difficult for the Blackhawks brass to send him to Rockford to begin his season.

Lardis scored a career high 71 goals and 117 points in 65 games for the Brantford Bulldogs last year in the OHL. It is clear that the 20 year old has a knack for putting the puck in the net but he will need to make a big impression playing against NHL quality players for him to have a shot to break camp with the team.

Lardis led the OHL in both goals and power-play goals. Obviously, scoring 71 goals in 65 games shows that he can score in a variety of ways, but 35% of those goals were scored on the power play. Lardis will typically set up on the right flank during the power play, and the majority of those goals came from that location.

However, the power-play shot isn't the only way that Lardis was able to get his goals. He often attacks the middle of the ice when in possession of the puck, which will ultimately help him translate his game to the next level. If he continues to build his strength on the puck, then he could develop into a top six forward. His defense continues to be of some concern, which will limit his ability to play throughout the lineup. If he isn't producing offensively, then we could see him in a situation that is similar to what Lukas Reichel played himself into over the past couple of years.

The third round pick has drawn comparisons to former Blackhawk, Alex DeBrincat. The Detroit Red Wings forward also had a very similar year in the OHL for the Erie Otters, compiling 65 goals and 127 points in 63 games before making the transition to the NHL. Both forwards are of smaller size and have a tremendous ability to score goals.

At this stage of his career, DeBrincat has developed other tools on the ice, such as a backchecking game and his ability to create off the rush. As Lardis continues to develop his game, these skills would help translate his game to become perhaps a winger on the Bedard line for the next 10 years. Overall, I believe the Blackhawks front office would be ecstatic if Lardis could turn into a version of DeBrincat.