Welcome back to Top Shelf Prospects, the column that brings you the next crop of professional hockey players. As we go through the summer of 2023, each day our LWOS Prospects Writers will bring you a look at one NHL team’s top prospects or other topical article. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow Ben Kerr, Kyle Pereira and Frederik Frandson on Twitter, and spread the word for the site that will bring you analytical and critical profiles and scouting reports! You can find all the articles here as well as our extensive NHL Draft preview. Today, we look at the 2023 Chicago Blackhawks Top Prospects. 
For those wondering, the cut-off for what is or isn’t a prospect is typically about 50 NHL games played (including playoff games) or is 25 years old. These are not hard or fast rules though, and we may make some exceptions depending on the circumstances.
2023 Chicago Blackhawks Top Prospects
1.) Connor Bedard
The Chicago Blackhawks top prospect is no surprise. Bedard was the first overall pick in the 2023 Draft and the top prospect in all of hockey. Bedard is a generational prospect whose talent level is compared to previous first-overall picks Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby. He has everything one could ask for in an elite prospect. Bedard’s hockey sense is off the charts. He reads the play extremely well and always seems to be one step ahead of both his opponents and teammates. He has a knack for finding open ice, even when everyone on the ice is watching him. His shot is already at an elite NHL level. Bedard is a pure goal scorer. His release is extremely quick and goalies find it very hard to read.
Bedard has an excellent array of shots. While his wrist shot and snapshot are outstanding, he can also score with his slap shot and backhand. He has the hands to deke goalies and make plays in tight to the net. Excellent hand-eye coordination and quick hands allow him to tip in pucks and pounce on rebounds as well. Bedard is also an outstanding playmaker. He sees the ice very well and anticipates the moves of both teammates and opponents. His quick hands allow him to make a move and open up a shooting or passing lane. Bedard can control the play down low, protecting the puck with his stickhandling, balance, and body control. His elite skill allows him to pass the puck to a teammate, even through traffic. He has amazing puck control and can make a play in tight spaces.
2.) Kevin Korchinski
Korchinski is a dynamic player and his ability to push the offence is based on his outstanding skating ability. He was outstanding for the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL this season. Korchinski is a dynamic playmaker who loves to push the pace. He marries his strong skating with excellent puck-handling skills. This allows him to make plays while moving at top speed. Korchinski can skate the puck out of his zone. He can also lead the rush and generate efficient zone entries. Once in the offensive end, he is cool and poised with the puck. His lateral mobility and quick hands help him to open up shooting and passing lanes. Korchinski has excellent vision. He finds the open man and can make a tape-to-tape pass to set up a scoring chance. He is outstanding when there is a little extra time and space, such as quarterbacking the power play.
3.) Lukas Reichel
As one of the top Chicago Blackhawk prospects, Reichel put up 51 points in 55 games as an AHL rookie this past year. He scores the majority of his goals in tight to the net. He has quick hands and can deke a goalie in tight, or get the puck up quickly into a tight area. Reichel also can bang in a rebound, quickly one-time a pass, or deflect in a teammate’s shot. From further out, his wrist shot is very accurate and features a good release. Reichel’s quick hands allow him to toe-drag and quickly change the angle before shooting. Reichel can also play the role of a playmaker. His strong possession skills help him to control the puck down low and extend plays. This can help him to set up teammates for scoring chances once they get open.
4.) Oliver Moore
Drafted 19th overall, Moore is an elite-level skater, with speed and agility that few in this year’s draft class can match. He combines this with soft hands and can make plays at top speed. This allows Moore to create a ton of chances in transition. He is able to create breakaways and odd-man rushes. He can also beat a defender wide and cut hard to the net. Defenders have to respect his speed and this creates time and space. Moore is also able to carry the puck through the neutral zone and generate effective offensive zone entries. Moore can create plays as well as score goals. He needs to add muscle to his frame and be stronger on the puck to take his game to an even higher level.
5.) Frank Nazar
Nazar is another of the top Chicago Blackhawks prospects drafted in the first round. He was taken 13th overall in 2022. Nazar battled injuries and played just 13 games for Michigan this year. Nazar marries his strong skating with outstanding puckhandling ability. This allows him to weave through the neutral zone, generating effective zone entries. He can also control the puck in the offensive zone, using quick changes in direction and slick hands to manipulate the defence and open up passing and shooting lanes. He can slow down the play or speed it up as necessary to create openings. Nazar is very creative and will try some plays with the puck on his stick that other forwards only dream of. He reads the play extremely well and his passing skills are strong and he can thread the needle with a tape-to-tape pass through a tight lane.
6.) Ryan Greene
Greene was drafted as a two-way centre in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft. He has improved his offensive game and had a very strong freshmen season with the Boston University Terriers. Greene continues to play a strong defensive game but has added offence to his arsenal. Greene has always been a very good skater. He now marries that speed with very good stickhandling ability, vision, and passing skills. This has helped him to become a strong playmaker and he put up 31 points in 38 games. Greene attacks the front of the net, looking to carry the puck into dangerous areas and create opportunities for teammates.
7.) Ethan Del Mastro
Del Mastro was drafted in 2021 as a physical defensive defenceman. In 2022-23, he scored over a point per game in what will be his final OHL season. His strong skating allows him to join the rush or pinch in at the blue line. He also shows decent passing skills from his own end. Del Mastro is effective at starting the transition game. This past season, he showed more poise in the offensive zone, allowing him to become a playmaker on the blue line. Del Mastro plays a physical and aggressive game in his end of the rink. He maintains good gap control. Once the opportunity presents itself, Del Mastro steps up to throw a big hit. He is also not afraid to engage opponents on the boards or in front of the net.
8.) Wyatt Kaiser
Kaiser is extremely strong defensively. He uses his strong backward skating and his excellent lateral mobility to maintain very good gap control. While he is not a huge hitter, he is willing to play physically if an opposition forward tries to get by him along the boards. He also is willing to battle along the boards and in front of the net for loose pucks. Kaiser uses his lateral mobility to create offence. His ability to walk the line changes angles and opens up shooting and passing lanes. His quick hands can also beat a defender and get them out of position so he can make a play.
9.) Sam Rinzel
Rinzel is excellent in transition. He marries his skating ability with very good hands. As a result, he can lead the rush through the neutral zone. Rinzel can beat a defender wide and cut back to the middle of the ice. He is a riverboat gambler at times, willing to get deep in the zone to make a play. It is not unusual for Rinzel to take the puck right to the net. Defenders have to back off to deal with his speed and this opens up passing and shooting lanes. He can use a defender as a screen and fire a wrist shot at the net. He can also use the added space to set up a teammate for a scoring chance.
10.) Drew Commesso
Commesso is 6-foot-2 and takes full advantage of every inch. He gets well out of the net, cutting down angles and challenging shooters. He is able to get back quickly if an attacker drives the net and tries to beat him on the deke. Powerful legs also allow Commesso to get from post to post quickly. He tracks the puck well and anticipates plays well, allowing him to get square to the puck. His angles and positioning are almost always spot-on.
Commesso gets down in the butterfly quickly. His strong legs take away the bottom of the net. Meanwhile, his quick glove hand is effective at taking away the top of the net. He fights to find the puck through traffic, competing well when screened. Like many young goalies, Commesso will need to work on his rebound control. He often kicks pucks out in front of the net instead of getting them safely into the corners. Commesso is good at catching pucks on his glove side, but shots on the high blocker can also lead to rebounds. Commesso’s compete level and his athleticism help him to recover and he can often make a big save even with those rebounds going out.
HM (Round 4 or Later): Isaak Phillips
Drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, Phillips is very effective defensively. He is 6’3″ and a very good skater for his size. This allows him to maintain excellent gap control and force attackers to the outside. His long stick is effective at cutting down passing and shooting lanes. Phillips is not afraid to throw a big hit. He also uses his size to his advantage in winning battles on the boards and in front of the net. He has progressed extremely well and had a strong rookie season in 2022-23 with the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. There may be some untapped offensive potential as well.
In the system
Some tough seasons have led to the Chicago Blackhawks selling assets and amassing draft picks and prospects. This leads to a deep system that also includes Nolan Allen, Colton Dach, Adam Gajan, Roman Kantsarov and a number of other legitimate prospects. It could take them a few more years to complete this rebuild, but the Blackhawks future is bright.
Main Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
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