Blackhawks fans are all checking the AHL playoff scores by now, as the Rockford IceHogs completed a sweep of the Iowa Wild Friday to move on to the second round of their playoffs, a best-of-five series against the Texas Stars. Several IceHogs have taken the opportunity to show their stuff and ran with it, as players like Arvid Soderblom and David Gust carried their team to the next round.
The IceHogs weren’t the only team that swept their way to series wins last week. In fact, the Blackhawks had five Canadian junior prospects competing on three different teams in three different playoff brackets, and all five of them helped to carry their teams to victory in dominant fashion.
Anytime one talks about Blackhawks prospects on an unaffiliated team (sorry, IceHogs), the conversation starts with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL. The team with three members of Chicago’s system has reigned supreme so far in their playoffs, sweeping their first two matchups. They opened with a four-game demolishing of the Kelowna Rockets, then were even more dominant against the Prince George Cougars, taking four more games.
Colton Dach
Over the course of eight playoff games, Colton Dach has tallied eight points, including four points in Seattle’s most recent series. The Blackhawks’ second-round pick in 2021 has a tremendous shot but has used his time in the WHL to turn into a pass-first star that has six assists in this year’s playoffs.
Nolan Allan
19-year-old defenseman Nolan Allan has a goal and five assists in the playoffs this year, but his real strength has been as a brick wall on the blue line for a team that hasn’t allowed more than two goals in a game. A former first-rounder in 2021, Allan seems to be almost NHL-ready, as proven in the WHL playoffs so far.
Kevin Korchinski
At 18 years old, Kevin Korchinski is probably the most recognizable Thunderbird for Blackhawks fans. He’s an attacking defenseman that has a knack for finding assists, with nine in eight postseason games. The seventh overall pick last year should be with the Blackhawks sooner rather than later, but for now, he’s a heavy contributor.
The Thunderbirds will look to continue their playoff journey Saturday as they begin a best-of-seven against the Kamloops Blazers at home.
Speaking of the WHL, it may be of note to Blackhawks fans who are looking toward the draft that Connor Bedard’s Regina Pats fell to the Saskatoon Blades in seven games earlier this month. Luckily for Bedard, he has nothing left to prove, and the loss won’t do anything to diminish his almost certain odds of being the number one overall pick.
Samuel Savoie
The Gatineau Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League moved on to the third round as well with a sweep of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies completed last Wednesday. They did so after securing a series win in game five against the Saint John Sea Dogs earlier this month.
Forward Samuel Savoie has yet to be signed by the Blackhawks, having been drafted in the third round last year, but that hasn’t stopped him from contributing for the Olympiques. The high-motor 19-year-old had four points in Gatineau’s recent sweep.
Similarly to the Thunderbirds, Gatineau will look to move on to the championship with a win in the series that begins Friday against the Quebec Remparts, who have yet to lose a game in the postseason.
Ethan Del Mastro
The final team the Blackhawks have a stake in is the Sarnia Sting of the OHL, whose sweep came over the Saginaw Spirit last week. They’ve had the toughest road out of the teams with Blackhawks prospects, as they built a 3-0 lead in the first round before the Guelph Storm took back two games before eventually falling.
Defenseman Ethan Del Mastro of the Sting has eight assists through his 10 playoff games this year. He’s the oldest prospect on this list at 20 years old, but he’s agile and has a nice offensive-minded skill set that he’s put on display this spring.
The Sting are slated to play the London Knights starting on Friday. The Knights were the best overall team in the regular season, half a game ahead of Sarnia. Thus, they’ll hit the road as Del Mastro and company look to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The dominance of each junior prospect in their respective playoff bracket is huge news for a Blackhawks team that is centered around them. With the state of the rebuild in Chicago, they will watch these players closely and hope they can be on the roster by the time the team is ready to compete for a Stanley Cup. As each of these players gets more playoff reps, they’re also proving that they can lead a team when it counts most.
