The Blackhawks’ youth wave is no longer a long-term idea. It’s showing up on the ice right now.
Chicago has won two straight since Connor Bedard returned, and the early-season stumble is starting to give way to something that looks a lot more stable. The season opened with playoff expectations and a slow start, but these two wins have nudged the Hawks back toward the track they hoped to be on.
What stands out most is how much the rebuild has shifted from theory to production. The patience that followed the start of the teardown in 2022 is beginning to look worthwhile, and the roster is being shaped by the young players brought in through that process.
Kyle Davidson’s overhaul was the moment the franchise stopped drifting. The Blackhawks moved on from fan favorites Alex DeBrincat, Kirby Dach, and Brandon Hagel, with the message being clear: this was going to be built from scratch. Four years later, the organization has one of the strongest farm systems in the league, a stockpile of draft picks, and young players already making an impact at the NHL level.
Anton Frondell, Artyom Levshunov, and Frank Nazar have been front and center early this season. Frondell has already flashed the kind of game that can become a real weapon for Chicago, from goal scoring and passing to work on the penalty kill and even the toe drag. The center pipeline is loaded too, with Bedard, Frondell, Nazar, and Greene all coming from Davidson draft picks.
Levshunov, meanwhile, has gone from a player some fans were ready to write off to one of the reasons the Blackhawks are off to a strong start. Taken second overall in the 2024 draft, he drew plenty of criticism for not making an immediate splash, especially with Ivan Demidov producing at a high level elsewhere.
But the 20-year-old defenseman has answered that noise with his play. He has been a major driver of Chicago’s success, and even after Bedard returned, Levshunov has kept carrying a heavy load.
His movement and puck control stand out, he defends cleanly, and he keeps attacking offensively. That showed up in overtime against the Winnipeg Jets, when he scored the game-winner.
Bedard’s return only adds another layer to a young group that already includes Oliver Moore, Sam Rinzel, Ryan Greene, and rookie Roman Kantserov as contributors. More players are expected to follow as the season moves along. If this group keeps growing the way it has, the Blackhawks’ rebuild may be shifting from promise to something much more immediate.
In Other News...
Anton Frondell Is Giving Blackhawks Fans Hope They Desperately Needed
The early weeks of the Blackhawks season were a grind, with Connor Bedard sidelined for the first six games and the team trying to steady itself around a thin margin for error. In the middle of that uncertainty, Anton Frondell has given Chicago something it badly needed: a young forward who looks comfortable handling real responsibility, not just flashes. He has already become a notable part of the Blackhawks effort on faceoffs and the penalty kill, the kind of usage that says the coaching staff trusts him in situations beyond the usual rookie runway.
Frondells rise has fit neatly alongside the return of Bedard, whose presence has helped the team string together consecutive wins and ease some of the pressure that had built during the rough start. For Chicago, the encouraging part is not just that Frondell has produced, but that he has done it while looking like a player who can be leaned on in a variety of roles. The Blackhawks are still sorting out what this season can become, but a rookie earning that kind of trust gives them a much better reason to believe. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Finally Have A Real Chance To Build On This Start
After a rough opening stretch, the Blackhawks have started to look more like a team with some direction, and a big reason is simple: the forward group is finally getting healthy. Connor Bedards return earlier than expected from shoulder surgery gave the lineup an immediate lift, and the recent reinforcements have helped stabilize a group that needed more skill and more options up front. The difference has shown up in the results, with the team playing better hockey as the roster has filled back in.
Jeff Blashill has talked about what it means when the forwards are available and contributing, and the confidence level around the team has clearly changed with that fuller group on the ice. Frank Nazars return from suspension, along with Patrick Kane and Anton Frondell being back in the lineup, gives Chicago more speed, more depth and more ways to attack. The bigger question now is whether this stretch can become something more than a brief reset, because this is the first real chance the Blackhawks have had to see what this version of the roster can actually build toward. [Read more 🡒]
Roman Kantserov Is Giving Blackhawks Fans A New Reason To Watch
Roman Kantserov has started to look more comfortable in a Blackhawks sweater at just the right time, and his recent run has given fans a fresh reason to tune in. After settling in through his early games, he has found his footing on the first line with Connor Bedard and Patrick Kane, a spot that can accelerate a young players growth in a hurry. The result has been a burst of offense, highlighted by his first career goal and a multi-goal night that showed why the organization has been eager to see what he can do.
The bigger question now is how much of this stretch can carry over as the season goes on. Playing alongside Bedard and Kane gives Kantserov a chance to learn from two of the most influential players on the roster while also giving the Blackhawks another developing scorer to watch closely. For a team looking for signs of progress, his recent production has been one of the more encouraging developments, and it may only be the beginning of a much more interesting rookie year. [Read more 🡒]