The Blackhawks are heading into camp with a few openings that suddenly matter a lot more.
Chicago was the youngest team in the league last season, and even after another wave of prospects, there are still plenty of players who have yet to get their first NHL look. With the Blackhawks trying to make a meaningful jump next season, every roster spot carries real weight. That’s why a handful of young players will have a chance to force the issue in training camp.
Three names stand out: AJ Spellacy, Drew Commesso, and Marek Vanacker.
AJ Spellacy is the kind of player who can make a coach notice him fast. The 20-year-old, drafted in the third round in 2024, checks in at 6'3 and 204 pounds and was brought in to be a wrecking ball in the bottom six.
Last season with the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL, he posted 32 points in 51 games and piled up 63 penalty minutes. His first season as a pro is coming in 2026-27, whether that’s with Chicago or Rockford.
Spellacy also turned heads at the 2026 World Junior Championship, where he recorded 4 points in 5 games for Team USA. At times, he was one of the most noticeable players on the ice, throwing hits at anything that moved. That stands out even more on a U.S. team that included James Hagens, Cole Hutson, and Chase Reid.
The challenge for Spellacy is that the path looks a little more crowded now. The additions of Cole Smith and Jordan Greenway give the Blackhawks two NHL veterans who bring a similar style, and that makes a once-clear opening look a lot less open.
Drew Commesso may have the cleanest path to a job. He already has NHL games on his résumé, appearing in three last season and going 2-1-0 with a .918 SV%, a 2.31 GAA, and one shutout. After that, plenty of Blackhawks fans started pushing for him to pass Arvid Soderblom on the depth chart.
His AHL season in Rockford was rougher. Commesso played 37 games, went 13-20-2, and finished with a .901 SV% on a team that struggled badly. Still, the bigger picture matters here: if you ignore his two NHL appearances in the 2024-2025 season, he has not finished a year below .900 since his USHL U17 season in 2019-2020.
The contract situation also points toward Commesso. Soderblom has only one more season left on his deal, while Commesso recently signed a two-year extension with the second year being a one-way deal.
That makes it easy to see the long-term plan, with Commesso likely projected as a full-time NHL backup in 2027-2028. Even so, the backup job is there to be won right now.
Marek Vanacker is the longest shot of the three, but he’s not without a lane. The 2024 27th overall pick just finished his 20-year-old season in the OHL and led the league with 47 goals.
He added 82 points in 60 games for the Brantford Bulldogs, then chipped in 18 points in 15 playoff games. His next step is turning pro this season, either in Rockford or Chicago.
Vanacker is a pure scorer, and the Blackhawks need more of that, especially early in the season before Connor Bedard returns from injury. At 6'1, he also brings size to a forward group that could use more of it.
The hurdle is the jump from junior hockey to the NHL, and that’s no small thing. He may need time in the AHL before he’s ready for the league’s top level, but he’ll at least get a shot to show what he can do.
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