Blackhawks' young core poised to return historic franchise to its perch

As part of the celebration of NHL Young Stars Week, NHL.com has looked at the crop of players either recently joining the League or on the cusp to find the true difference-makers in the next few seasons. Today, we look at the collection of current and future high-profile stars that are forming the nucleus of the group that hopes to return the Chicago Blackhawks to glory.

CHICAGO -- Anton Frondell is in good company.

The No. 3 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft is one of three top-five selections during the past three years for the Chicago Blackhawks, joining center Connor Bedard (No. 1 in 2023) and defenseman Artyom Levshunov (No. 2 in 2024).

“It’s not any bad names that you say there,” Frondell said last week. “Cool to be [at development camp], to have a chance to play with them soon, maybe be on the same line [with Bedard], I don’t know. I’m just excited to be training, working with them.”

The future was truly here for the Blackhawks last week, as five of their six first-round picks from the drafts in 2024 and 2025 were at development camp: Frondell, forward Vaclav Nestrasil (No. 25 in 2025), center Mason West (No. 29 in 2025), center Sacha Boisvert (No. 18 in 2024) and forward Marek Vanacker (No. 27 in 2024).

Those players could be the next group helping the Blackhawks return to prominence and potentially being a part of that transformation is appealing to them.

“I feel like Chicago has a certain development path and I really believe they want to make a good team one day,” Nestrasil said. “I can see the picks, I can see the players. They’re usually the best players in the draft and I know there’s a future with this team, so I’m excited to be a part of it.”

The Blackhawks are continuing to rebuild to return to their glory years. They won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015, with center Jonathan Toews and forward Patrick Kane as the centerpieces of the franchise.

Each has moved on and others from that era have as well. This is a new time in Chicago, who went 25-46-11 last season and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.

The Blackhawks have had a quiet offseason. They acquired forward Andre Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken on June 21 and forward Sam Lafferty from the Buffalo Sabres on July 1.

That was the plan.

“Our young players are ready,” General manager Kyle Davidson said. “We do have enough of them that there will be a competition there, and they're not all going to jump in, but we do think that a number of them can run and grab spots, combined with some of the veterans we've got already in the system.

“We didn't want to put any players in front of some of the young guys that we do think are ready. Now we have enough young players that there aren't enough spots for all of them to play. So, there will be battles there and they'll keep each other accountable, keep each other honest on earning spots here in the NHL. But we do feel that a couple of them are ready to really take a role and run with it and be a positive impact on the team.”

The Blackhawks have 11 first-round picks from the past four seasons in their system. This year they selected Frondell, Nestrasil and West. Last year, they picked Levshunov, Boisvert and Vanacker. In 2023, they selected Bedard and center Oliver Moore (No. 19), and in 2022 defenseman Kevin Korchinski (No. 7), center Frank Nazar (No. 13) and defenseman Sam Rinzel (No. 25).

Bedard has been the star of that crop. He led the Blackhawks last season with 67 points (23 goals, 44 assists) in 82 games and in 2023-24, when he had 61 points (22 goals, 39 assists) in 68 games and won the Calder Trophy, awarded annually to the League’s top rookie.

Others have taken advantage of their chances.

Nazar finished with 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 53 games last season. Moore and Rinzel each made his Blackhawks debut late in the season after each finished his sophomore season at the University of Minnesota. Moore had four assists in nine games while Rinzel had five assists in nine games.

Levshunov spent most of the season with Rockford of the American Hockey League before joining the Blackhawks in March. He had six assists in 18 games.

“Exciting is probably the No. 1 word,” Blackhawks assistant general manager of player development Mark Eaton said. “We saw glimpses of it last year toward the end of the year. Frankie was up for a large portion of the year, Sam and Oliver coming in at the end of the year and we got a glimpse of what they can do.

“Kyle’s first couple of drafts, those first rounders, some second rounders are starting to make their way into the NHL and there’s a couple of classes behind them, as well. So, the depth is there, and I think that’s where you want to be, that the prospect pool is deep and it’s creating that internal competition and it’s going to allow the cream to rise to the top.”

The Blackhawks’ first-round draft picks from 2024 and 2025 are still sometime away from making their mark in Chicago.

Frondell said he’ll do everything he can to make the Blackhawks out of training camp but is more likely to return to Djurgarden of the Swedish Elite League. Nestrasil is going to the University of Massachusetts. West is entering his senior year of high school in Edina, Minnesota, where he’ll play football and hockey; he committed to playing hockey at Michigan State University in the fall of 2026.

Boisvert is headed to Boston University. Vanacek will come to Blackhawks training camp in September and if he doesn’t make the roster, will go back to Brantford of the Ontario Hockey League.

Yet, there is little question the near future is bright for the Blackhawks.

Some first-round picks have already made an impact. The latest group is looking forward to when it can do the same.

“It makes me super excited, seeing all the draft picks and seeing everyone develop throughout the years,” West said. “I’ve seen highlights from guys who have been drafted and stuff like that. It makes me motivated to work harder every day because I want to be a part of this team.”