What I’m Hearing About the Blackhawks: A Loaded AHL Roster, Artyom Levshunov, Roman Kantserov

If you want to see more competitive NHL hockey, the United Center is the place to be next season.

But if you want to see the future of the Chicago Blackhawks, you’re better off going to the BMO Center in Rockford.

Here’s what the Rockford IceHogs roster could look like next season:

• Four choices in the first round: Artyom Levshunov (#2 in 2024), Kevin Korchinski (#7 in 2022), Frank Nazar (#13 in 2022), Nolan Allan (#32 in 2021)
• Three choices in the second round: Paul Ludwinski (2022), Colton Dach (2021), Drew Commesso (2020)
• Four round choices: Gavin Hayes (2022), Samuel Savoie (2022), Landon Slaggert (2020), Wyatt Kaiser (2020)

The Blackhawks could have as many as 17 draft picks playing with the IceHogs. That doesn’t include players like Cole Guttman and Arvid Söderblom, who were signed as free agents and have already played a few NHL games.

In a few years, if all goes well for the Blackhawks, this IceHogs group could be a big part of the NHL roster. As Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson said before the draft, that’s what he’s hoping for.

“I think Rockford is our biggest asset in terms of player development,” Davidson said in June. “We have our player development staff there. We have a coaching staff that we have a lot of confidence in. I think (IceHogs coach) Anders Sorensen does an incredible job in Rockford. The opportunity to have some of these players graduate to Rockford on a similar timeline and horizon is a benefit. They can grow together. They can push each other. And then hopefully they all get to the point where they graduate to the NHL together and they can build that camaraderie and cohesion and rapport that they can start in Rockford and carry over to the NHL. That’s the dream scenario. I think you’ve seen it here in Chicago in the past and it’s worked really well. I think we’d be very fortunate to have that kind of great team to shape the next era of Blackhawks hockey, but that’s always the wish.”

Looking back through the old IceHogs rosters, the last time the Blackhawks did something like this was the 2007-08 season. Here are the notable names from that roster:

• Two choices in the first round: Cam Barker (#3 in 2004) and Jake Skille (#7 in 2005)
• Three choices in the second round: Corey Crawford (2003), Bryan Bickell (2004), Dave Bolland (2004)
• Other notable names: Niklas Hjalmarsson, Dustin Byfuglien, Troy Brouwer, Kris Versteeg and Colin Fraser

Barker and Skille did not perform as well as the Blackhawks had hoped given how early they were selected, but the other eight players helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup.

Some of those players didn’t play the entire season in Rockford. That’s something to remember about this season, too. Just because a player starts in Rockford doesn’t mean he’ll finish there.

The Blackhawks will have a lot of new veterans in their NHL lineup this season, but I don’t feel like the door is completely closed for young players this season. Connor Bedard, Lukas Reichel, and Alex Vlasic clearly have a place in the lineup. Defensively, it looks like the Blackhawks will give all of their other defensemen a lot of games this preseason and see if anyone is NHL-ready. Not everyone can make it, but a few might. The Blackhawks will have to wait a little longer to figure out if they need to sign a seventh defenseman of this type off waivers.

As for the forwards, Frank Nazar is the only prospect to watch in training camp. He’s probably the only one who has a realistic chance of making the team at the start of the season. The Blackhawks were careful not to block Nazar’s path when they made their offseason moves. They’ve addressed a lot of forward roles, but they haven’t brought in a player who you would call their second-line center. The reason for that is that the Blackhawks will have Nazar there soon. Whether that means the season starts soon depends on Nazar’s play in training camp.

Roman Kantserov’s performance in the KHL had the Blackhawks excited about his future this season, and that excitement grew even more when Kantserov agreed to travel from Russia to the Blackhawks’ development camp last week. The Blackhawks never expect their Russian prospects to do that, but the organization welcomed it. It’s yet another sign that Kantserov is determined to sign when his KHL contract expires after the 2025-26 season.

As noted in last week’s story , Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson’s current contract is a four-year deal, including three years guaranteed and a team option for a fourth. There’s no sign that will happen, but technically the Blackhawks could move on from him after next season. From what I’ve asked, it’s unusual for an NHL coaching contract to be structured with a team option. That said, it’s not entirely surprising considering Richardson was a first-time NHL head coach and the Blackhawks are in the midst of a rebuild.

The IceHogs have hired Josh MacNevin to replace Jared Nightingale as an assistant coach. MacNevin has spent the last nine seasons as an assistant coach in the WHL, with the Lethbridge Hurricanes for six seasons and the Kelowna Rockets for the last three seasons. A former defenseman, he was drafted by the New Jersey Devils and played in several professional leagues.

You won’t see Levshunov’s jerseys on sale in Blackhawks stores as quickly as you saw Bedard’s jerseys last year. It’s not even a question of demand. It’s actually a question of supply. The Blackhawks are waiting for their first shipment of Fanatics jerseys. They’re expected to arrive in September.

Levshunov stayed in Chicago after the Blackhawks development camp and has since returned to Florida, where he will train for about another month. He is expected to be back in Chicago in August and will begin training with other Blackhawks at Fifth Third Arena.

One prospect we haven’t talked about much in recent years that the Blackhawks could still sign is defenseman Taige Harding, a third-round pick in 2021. He’s another big defender at 6-foot-7 and 235 pounds. He’s been solid at Providence College and will be a senior there next season. As long as Harding is interested, he could get an entry-level deal and a chance to prove himself in Rockford.

The Blackhawks could have a lot of prospects turning pro after next season. I think Oliver Moore, Sam Rinzel, and Ryan Greene could potentially sign with the Blackhawks once their college seasons are over and head to the NHL. The Blackhawks would likely sign Harding, Dominic James, and Aidan Thompson, all college prospects, for next season. Nick Lardis and Marin Misiak will likely play their final OHL seasons. Could Ilya Safonov step in after his season in Russia? His KHL contract expires after the 2024-25 season.

And finally, how about a summer edition of “why they wear their numbers”? I’m told that Lukas Reichel’s number change from 27 to 73 was initiated by Reichel out of respect for Jeremy Roenick, who wore number 27 for the Blackhawks and was recently elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Reichel has worn number 73 for Germany in the past.

(Photo of Kevin Korchinski and Frank Nazar: Harry How/Getty Images)