What I'm seeing from Blackhawks prospects: AJ Spellacy impresses with speed at showcase

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo.

How Kyle Davidson envisions the Chicago Blackhawks will play in the future has been mostly an idea up to this point.

Sure, the Blackhawks have had some players with speed and compete scattered through their NHL and AHL rosters since Davidson took over as general manager, but those teams were far from having the amount of speed and compete Davidson pictured his teams possessing eventually.

Advertisement At the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase over the weekend, the Blackhawks began to display more of Davidsons vision than ever before.

Up and down most of the Blackhawks lineup were players Davidson had drafted or signed because they possessed those abilities.

The two-game showcase versus the St.

Louis Blues on Friday and Minnesota Wild on Saturday provided a glimpse of how those attributes may be able to benefit the Blackhawks individually and collectively in the years to come.

Its an exciting group, said Rockford IceHogs assistant coach Rob Klinkhammer, who coached the Blackhawks prospect rookie team in the two games.

The game is so fast now.

Anytime you can inject a little speed into your prospect pool or your lineup, its a great advantage for you.

There was AJ Spellacy , a 2024 third-round pick, flying past defenders through the neutral zone at speeds greater than anyone else.

There was Frank Nazar , a 2022 first-round pick, getting up and down the ice and influencing the game in a variety of ways.

There was Paul Ludwinski, a 2022 second-round pick, making things happen on the penalty kill.

Samuel Savoie, a 2022 third-round pick, was a moving wrecking ball, as always.

Landon Slaggert , a 2020 third-round pick, was flying to the puck.

They also came in waves, which is something we havent seen much of before.

I think thats one of the things Chicago talks about is playing fast, playing with speed, Ludwinski said.

We saw it out there.

Like Spellacy, hes got wheels.

He can move.

You look at anyone through the lineup, defense, forward, we all play fast, like transition-wise or moving the feet.

Nazar was the most consistently noticeable player for the Blackhawks over the two games.

Thats probably a good thing because he is most likely the only prospect with any sort of shot at making the Blackhawks out of camp.

There are others, like Colton Dach, who could set themselves up for a recall with a good camp, but Nazar is probably the only forward prospect Blackhawks management will be weighing over the coming weeks.

Advertisement Whether the Blackhawks include Nazar in the NHL roster or camp, their decisions on him all season will be driven by whats best for his long-term development.

That may mean him bouncing back and forth between Chicago and Rockford this season.

Hes still 20 years old.

Theres plenty of time for him.

GO DEEPER Frank Nazar doesn't disappoint for Blackhawks in prospect showcase, NHL camp next I talked to Blackhawks assistant general manager of player development Mark Eaton at the tournament about Nazar and some other players and their next steps.

A big focus for (Nazar) last year was just, again, his great asset is his skating ability, just how he can use that in all situations to create more offense for himself, Eaton said.

Hes at his best when his feet are moving, turning.

Hes hard to contain.

It was just having that be a consistent focal point for him.

As it is for a lot of young players, its continuing to mature physically, putting on the right kind of muscle and strength, and for him, the endurance to sustain that high level of speed from start to finish in a game and throughout a season.

Wow, Spellacy can fly.

Its one thing to hear about the speed and see it on video and another to witness it in person.

He can move from zone to zone in an instant.

There was a buzz about him from even other teams.

Here is an example from the weekend.

He was one I hadnt really seen a lot of, so he was probably the biggest pleasant for me, Eaton said.

He looks bigger than his 6-2 frame out there, just how he moves it.

If he can play to his identity shift in and shift out, hes going to be a real effective player.

The speed and physicality are obviously there, but hes just scratching the surface on how to use it all together.

The Blackhawks will work with him on where to direct that speed over the next few years.

There were many times he skated past defenders easily through the neutral zone but then didnt appear exactly sure where to go once he arrived in the offensive zone.

His goal was the exception to that.

The Blackhawks hope hes capable of doing this consistently in the future.

He wants to go, Klinkhammer said.

Like he can move, that kid can fly.

His speed obviously on the goal, really good job getting that puck out, protecting it and finding a shooting lane with an elite finish.

Again on the forecheck, a couple times using his speed to get in there.

Thats a tool hes going to have to rely on.

Dach probably didnt have the two games he was hoping for, but it wasnt for a lack of trying.

He was doing a lot of the things the Blackhawks want him to do as a power-forward type.

He drove to the net with and without the puck.

He was battling for space for himself and others.

He didnt back down to anyone.

Those things just didnt result in goals.

Advertisement To me, Dach could be a sleeper piece in the Blackhawks rebuild.

If he can consistently be the winger he showed signs of becoming last season in Rockford, he could carve out a spot for himself in the Blackhawks top six.

The Blackhawks are probably going to want to put a power forward alongside Connor Bedard to complement and support him.

That has a chance to be Dach and he knows that.

Obviously, I see the players theyre drafting, Dach said.

Youd be lying to say you dont look at it.

I come into camp (and) I think Im a very unique player.

Im something that theres not very much of anymore.

I want to prove that and be that unique player, that kind of Swiss Army knife that every team kind of needs one of them.

I want to be that player for them.

Thoughts on other prospects Paul Ludwinski: Ludwinski was one of the top performers over the weekend.

His first game was better than his second, but you can see how speed and relentlessness can be an asset for the Blackhawks going forward.

The Blackhawks also have a unique opportunity to put him with players like Savoie and Slaggert in Rockford and have them create some chemistry in roles.

Landon Slaggert: The Blackhawks were pleased with Slaggert last season and he continued to impress at the prospect tournament.

I think the Blackhawks might start him off in Rockford, but he could be on the early call-up list.

This could be the type of play Ludwinski and Slaggert make an NHL living on: Samuel Savoie: Its been almost a year since Savoie broke his femur during a Blackhawks preseason game.

If there was any doubt he could return to be the same type of energetic pest, I think hes erased that.

He may have lost some of a development season last year, but he seems back on track.

For him, its always going to be what side of the line hes on.

Advertisement I think they drafted me for that reason, just to keep playing on the edge, Savoie said.

Id say in the (QMJHL) I was crossing that line maybe a bit too much.

Just to get back, play games, play hard, be annoying to play against, but kind of not taking stupid twos and kind of that stuff.

Thats what I need to keep doing to succeed at the next level.

Ethan Del Mastro: Del Mastro had a mixed weekend.

He can definitely move the puck and has a great mind for the game, but sometimes the speed of the game seems to be too much for him, especially when hes defending in transition.

Martin Misiak : Misiak was another player who had his moments in the pair of games.

His pass to Nazar for the goal may have been the prettiest play of the weekend.

Its just a matter of consistency and remaining engaged in the game.

Playing the wing was probably also an adjustment for him.

Nolan Allan: Theres no questioning Allans ability in the defensive zone.

He kills plays in so many different ways.

He uses his stick and body so well.

For him to find a place in the Blackhawks NHL roster, its going to be about moving and managing the puck.

Getting some reps on the power play over the weekend was probably good for him.

Nick Lardis: Its too bad Lardis missed the second game with an illness.

He had his moments in the first game.

He scored a goal off a one-timer on the power play and had a few other solid scoring chances.

The main thing the Blackhawks want him to focus on is finding scoring chances inside.

They dont want him to be such a perimeter player.

(Photo of the Blackhawks playing the Wild on Day 2 of the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase: Scott Powers / The Athletic ).

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