Blackhawks 2025 Development Camp Wrap-Up: The Youth Movement is Here – The Hockey Writers – Blackhawks Prospects

This is the third year in a row the Chicago Blackhawks have held their development camp off ice. As a rebuilding team, the idea is to have the plethora of young prospects get to know each other, and to bond and grow as future teammates. After all, if these guys are going to eventually contend, they need to build it together.

This year’s development camp also coincided with a rather uneventful start to free agency for the Blackhawks, leading to the assumption the team is going to rely heavily on their younger players and prospects this coming season. General manager Kyle Davidson, new Rockford IceHogs coach Jared Nightingale and assistant general manager of player development Mark Eaton all confirmed this throughout the week. Plus, you could feel the excitement from the prospects, especially the ones who will very likely be turning pro this year.

Eaton Speaks to Prospects Finding Success

Eaton was asked about the Blackhawks’ first round selections over the last couple years and the success they’ve having.

It’s exciting. I think we saw glimpses of it last year, towards the end of the year. Well, Frankie (Nazar) was up for a large portion of the year. Sam (Rinzel) and Oliver (Moore) coming in at the end of the year, and then we got a glimpse of what they can do. And it’s kind of Kyle’s (Davidson) first couple of drafts, like those first-rounders and second-rounders are starting to make their way into the NHL, and you know, there’s a couple classes behind them as well, so that the depth is there, and I think that’s where we 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.

It’s true we’re watching these young men make their way to the NHL right before our very eyes. Looking at the 2022 draft class, defenseman Kevin Korchinski was selected seventh overall. Frank Nazar was 13^th overall and Sam Rinzel 25^th. We know Nazar has already graduated to the NHL full-time, and it sounds like Rinzel and Korchinski will definitely be in the mix to become everyday NHL players this upcoming season.

Moving on to the 2023 Draft, the Blackhawks took Connor Bedard at first overall, Moore at 19^th and goaltender Adam Gajan 35^th. Goaltenders always take more time to…