Though it’s been a brutal season for the Blackhawks on the NHL degree, a lot of the group’s focus is on the longer term and its spectacular prospect pool, which frequently ranks among the many finest in hockey. That pipeline has flexed its muscle mass this week on the IIHF’s World Junior Championships, the place an unimaginable six Blackhawks prospects have discovered their means onto two squads. Now greater than midway by this 12 months’s group play, the kids are making huge impacts on their respective groups.
Adam Gajan
After incomes final 12 months’s finest goaltender honors on the event, Gajan made a return to Workforce Slovakia with excessive expectations. The netminder has been stout in objective all through his first three appearances. He kicked off the event by stopping all however two targets in his first recreation, one among which was deflected into the online by his personal teammate. Gajan adopted that efficiency simply someday later with a 36-save shutout, together with a handful of unimaginable stops. Though he gave up 4 targets in a win towards Norway early Friday morning, the goalie has guided his group to a 3-0 begin in group play.
Frank Nazar III
One other prospect with excessive expectations getting into the event, Nazar has been prolific within the scoring column with six assists in three video games. He was one of the crucial notable skaters in Workforce USA’s 11-3 rout of Switzerland Thursday, selecting up 4 main assists. Loads of Blackhawks followers will probably be keeping track of Nazar all through the event — he’s Chicago’s prime prospect after being drafted thirteenth general in 2022. As Workforce USA’s second-line heart, he’ll play a giant position of their battle for a possible championship.
Martin Misiak
Workforce Slovakia’s different skater making an impression to this point is Martin Misiak, who finds himself in his third straight season with the U20 squad. This 12 months’s second-round choose of the Blackhawks has made probably the most of his excessive expectations with three assists in three video games. The all-around ahead has performed nicely with the OHL’s Erie Otters this season and has actually caught the eye of Chicago’s entrance workplace.
The three younger skaters are removed from the one Blackhawks making an impression on the worldwide stage — Oliver Moore, Gavin Hayes and Sam Rinzel are all having a constructive impact on Workforce USA. The Blackhawks’ intensive checklist of high-caliber prospects on this event additional show the expertise and depth of their spectacular pipeline.