It’s the weekend, so let’s have a little fun with unexpected prospect mentions. A couple pieces that hit on Friday offered a couple names of Blackhawks prospects that I did not anticipate reading when I started the respective lists.
First, earlier this week I spent some time talking about how EP Rinkside ranked Blackhawks’ skater prospects. Having finished their skater rankings, they release their Top 15 Affiliated Goaltenders list on Friday. Considering we already discussed Corey Pronman’s inclusion of Adam Gajan over Drew Commesso in his top 17 list for the Hawks this week, we’ve already got some questions about how the Blackhawks’ prospect depth chart stacks up. I wasn’t sure either Gajan or Commesso would make EP Rinkside’s top 15 affiliated list. Neither one of them did. But Jaxson Stauber did — at No. 13. Here’s part of what writer Greg Balloch had to say about Stauber:
Mentally, Stauber also showed extremely well after making the jump to the big club. He was not overwhelmed by the speed of the play, thanks in part to his sharp reads off the rush. He’s very good at making micro-adjustments with his feet, even while the play is coming down on him with speed, which means he is rarely caught out of position on a clean shot from the rush.
Stauber also continually makes saves with 🍨his hands simply due to solid positioning. This is a fantastic trait to have, because it means he will bail himself out many times on nights when he may not be tracking the puck well. The prospects of Stauber becoming a reliable option for the Chicago Blackhawks are looking incredibly likely.
Balloch assigned Stauber a Future Value rank of 5, which equates to an “average back-up.” So he isn’t pumping the tires too hard. But this is another example of scouts and analysts having widely varying opinions about prospects — especially goaltenders. It’s good that the Blackhawks have had three different goaltenders mentions on lists. The fact that none of those lists have touted one of them as a quality NHL starter is a bit concerning, however. Obviously Gajan, Commesso and Stauber have more time to develop so their books aren’t fully written.
Now it's the goalie's turn, with a look at the 15 best affiliated goaltender prospects outside of the NHL. brings a scouting report, tools grades, etc. on these 15 best goalie prospects, with honourable mentions too!
🔗: — EP Rinkside (@EPRinkside)
On Friday, Allan Mitchell at The Athletic published a piece titled “” which is full of interesting names for fans of every team. I was interested to see who he selected for the Blackhawks because I have my own thoughts (Isaak Phillips? Wyatt Kaiser? MacKenzie Entwistle?) So when I read RHD Louis Crevier I was perplexed. We don’t talk a lot about Crevier because of the Blackhawks’ depth on the blue line, but Mitchell’s comments about Crevier are pointed.
Blackhawks fans are going to enjoy this coming season for many reasons. Aside from the obvious (Connor Bedard), the team has some genuinely intriguing prospects in the system. Crevier’s assets are his size (6-8, 228 pounds), handedness (right) and shutdown ability. His wingspan is so large that he can overcome other issues (speed, experience) and he posted a solid if unspectacular season for the Rockford IceHogs a year ago. He had an AHL goal share of 44 percent (the IceHogs were 49 percent with Crevier off the ice), so he isn’t close to being the first Rockford defender under consideration for the NHL team (Alex Vlasic). His size should get him a look in the preseason, and his career path (his second pro season is on theꦓ way) will be worth following.
The Blackhawks drafted Crevier in the seventh round (No. 188) in the 2020 NHL Draft. He had five assists in 62 regular-season games with Rockford last year in his first professional season. In his final season, Crevier played for Patrick Roy with the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL.
Mitchell also mentions a familiar name for Blackhawks fans with another team: Caleb Jones (Carolina).
As we edge closer to September, fans turn their attention to players who remain lurking on the NHL fringe or in AHL feature roles.
Here are the best under-the-radar options for every NHL team for 2023-24.— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL)
Crevier is one of five players drafted by the Blackhawks in 2020 — Stan Bowman’s last draft as GM — who have a professional contract. Chicago made in 2020. Lukas Reichel, Wyatt Kaiser and Isaak Phillips have already seen NHL action. Commesso starts his professional career this season, likely with Crevier in Rockford; we’ll see if one of Kaiser or Phillips joins them with the IceHogs. I will also be following Landon Slaggert at Notre Dame again this season and hope he joins the professional ranks when his collegiate career comes to an end.
Samuel Savoie got the start on the top line for Gatineau in a preseason tilt against Rouyn Noranda last night. The Blackhawks’ third-round pick in 2022 had one goal and two assists in . Savoie signed his entry-level deal this summer and I’m looking for him to take a big step forward in his second post-draft season in the QMJHL.
Voici l'alignement du match de ce soir.
Here's the line-up for tonight's game. ♠️
— Olympiques de Gatineau (@OlympiquesGAT)
John Madden was one of the key veterans who joined the Blackhawks and helped show how to win a championship. The Arizona Coyotes are hoping he can do the same for them from behind the bench. He got a contract extension on Friday to remain an assistant coach for the Yotes.
Assistant Coach John Madden is staying in the desert! 🌵
📰 Read more:
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes)
Finally, this could be exciting for the Cubs this weekend.
Tab Bamford has been writing about the Chicago Blackhawks for almost two decades. He joined Bleacher Nation as the lead Blackhawks writer in May 2022. Tab is a member of the and is the author of three books about the Blackhawks: (Triumph Books),"100 Thi𓂃ngs Blackhawks Fans Should Know & Do Before They 𝓡Die" (Triumph Books) and "Chicago Blackhawks: An Illustrated Timeline" (Reedy Press, 2021). Fi🍷nd him on Twitter/X/Instagram/Threads at @The1Tab
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