EP Rinkside 2024 NHL Prospect Pool Rankings: No. 2-ranked Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks have some clear preferences at the draft. Their forward prospects are faster than any other collection in the NHL, more agile, too. The Hawks also value skating when selecting defencemen, but more so their range. Their top defensive prospects are long-limbed, bold players with developed footwork. 

By leaning on those preferences, they’ve built a highly skilled and exciting pool, albeit a bit of a homogeneous one. If their top young players develop according to plan, the Blackhawks will soon become an exciting, ultra-pacey, creative formation.

The pool also features many raw, dynamic, longer-term projects, like AJ Spellacy and John Mustard. Hitting on one of their lower-ranked prospects would give the team a significant boost. Realistically, this is still an organization in the first steps of a longer rebuild. It may take a couple more drafts and years of development before they rise in the standings.