The Blackhawks’ prospect pool keeps turning over, but Rockford still matters plenty. That’s where the next wave gets its minutes, its reps, and in some cases its first real shot to show what they can become. Right now, three IceHogs stand out as names fans should have on their radar: Nick Lardis, Sacha Boisvert and Marek Vanacker.
Lardis is the most immediate buzz play of the group. Once Connor Bedard came back, the Blackhawks had to make a move, and Lardis was the player sent down to Rockford.
He got off to a rough start in Chicago, but the assignment has given him a better runway. He’s skating on the first line in Rockford and making the most of that workload.
That showed up quickly. In his second game back with the IceHogs, Lardis buried a top-shelf goal after a pretty setup from Gavin Hayes.
He has opened well, and the next step is simple: stay assertive and keep putting the puck in the net at a strong pace. If he does that, he can build toward being a dependable piece for the Blackhawks down the line.
The expectation isn’t that he’ll land in a top-six role in Chicago. If he can eventually help on a bottom-six line, that would count as a win.
For now, the signs are encouraging.
Boisvert brings a different kind of appeal. He already gave Blackhawks fans a glimpse of his game after finishing his collegiate career and signing last offseason. He scored his first career goal and showed he isn’t shy about mixing it up, either.
Now he’s with the IceHogs and working through the next stage of his development. He’s centering the third line, which gives him a chance to sharpen his game while playing his own style.
The bigger question is what his NHL future actually looks like. When he gets back to Chicago, does he stick at center or slide to the wing?
That matters, because the Blackhawks already have a crowded middle with Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Anton Frondell and Ryan Greene. Oliver Moore and Ryan Donato can also handle the position.
In that mix, the wing might be his clearest path.
Vanacker is the longest-term project of the three, and that was part of the deal from the start. The Blackhawks took him with the 27th pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and plenty of people saw him as a development bet.
He’s already shown why the upside is real. In the Ontario Hockey League, he led the league with 47 goals and clearly had his way with the competition.
He’s now getting used to life in Rockford, which is the right place for him at this stage. The NHL was not the next stop.
What he needs now is another step forward, another layer to his game. He fits the kind of balance Kyle Davidson is trying to build, too.
The Blackhawks have found speed. Vanacker gives them a chance to add more power and strength.
In Other News...
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Anton Frondell Is Becoming A Bigger Blackhawks Story Than Fans Realize
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Blackhawks Trying To Fix Two Problems After That Stars Shutout
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Bowen Byram was not on the ice, however, after sitting out with an upper-body injury and being listed as day-to-day. For a Chicago group trying to steady itself after a rough result, the lineup health on the back end matters almost as much as the response on the practice rink, and the next update on Byram will be one of the more closely watched details heading into the teams next game. [Read more 🡒]