CHL Prospect Pipeline: Chicago Blackhawks

CHL Prospect Pipeline highlights those who played in 2023-24, who were born in 2004 or later, and are signed by or on the reserve list of an NHL club. Players who played NHL games in 2023-24 and were not returned to their CHL club are not considered.

Gavin Hayes (F) — Soo Greyhounds
Acquired: 2022 NHL Draft (66th overall)
CHL career stats: 186GP | 97G | 109A | 206PTS
Signed: Yes

Hayes’ third OHL campaign was split between Flint and the Soo where he recorded 37 goals and 76 points. After 27 games with Flint – where he scored 19 goals – he was traded to the Soo at the OHL Trade Deadline where he wound up contributing 40 points (18 goals) in just 28 games. In the postseason, he had 16 points in 11 games where his 1.45 point-per-game average was the fifth best among players to play in at least 10 contests. With 166 points as a Firebird, Hayes is second in franchise scoring. The 20-year-old claimed gold at the 2024 World Juniors with the USA where he had two assists in seven games.

Ty Henry (D) — Erie Otters
Acquired: 2024 NHL Draft (163rd overall)
CHL career stats: 57GP | 0G | 7A | 7PTS
Signed: No

Henry’s first OHL campaign saw him record seven assists from the Otters’ blue line while he appeared in six postseason tilts. Henry was a sixth round pick in the 2022 OHL Draft.

Nick Lardis (F) — Brantford Bulldogs
Acquired: 2023 NHL Draft (67th overall)
CHL career stats: 169GP | 84G | 68A | 152PTS
Signed: Yes

An upper-body injury cost Lardis the second half of the OHL season but in 37 games beforehand, he found the back of the net 29 times and tallied 50 points. The 19-year-old returned to the lineup in the OHL playoffs where he led the Bulldogs with eight points in a six-game series defeat to Ottawa. He concluded his season in the professional ranks where he played one game with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. In 2023, Lardis won bronze with Canada at the U18 World Championships.

Paul Ludwinski (F) — Kingston Frontenacs
Acquired: 2022 NHL Draft (39th overall)
CHL career stats: 174GP | 48G | 98A | 146PTS
Signed: Yes

In his third campaign with the Fronts, Ludwinski had his best OHL season with a career high 23 goals, 46 assists and 69 points to lead Kingston in scoring. Furthermore, he led the team with 7 game-winning goals while he owned a 52.3 per cent success rate in the faceoff circle. After he had six points in five games in a first round defeat to North Bay in the OHL playoffs, the 19-year-old suited up five times with the AHL’s Rockford IceDogs as he got a taste of professional hockey.

Martin Misiak (F) — Erie Otters
Acquired: 2023 NHL Draft (55th overall)
CHL career stats: 60GP | 23G | 24A | 47PTS
Signed: Yes

Misiak’s first OHL season saw him find the back of the net 23 times and record 47 points with the Otters. The first overall pick in the 2023 CHL Import Draft, the 19-year-old Slovak played one game with the AHL’s Rockford IceDogs after Erie’s season ended in the first round of the OHL playoffs.

Alex Pharand (F) — Sudbury Wolves
Acquired: 2023 NHL Draft (99th overall)
CHL career stats: 191GP | 41G | 42A | 83PTS
Signed: No

Pharand appeared in all 68 games for the Wolves in 2023-24 where he had 17 goals and 30 points. A bronze medallist at the 2023 U18 World Championships with Canada, the 19-year-old played nine postseason games as the Wolves reached the second round.

AJ Spellacy (F) — Windsor Spitfires
Acquired: 2024 NHL Draft (72nd overall)
CHL career stats: 114GP | 28G | 27A | 55PTS
Signed: No

Spellacy’s 21 goals were a career high and the fourth most among Spitfires skaters in 2023-24. A native of Cleveland, OH., Spellacy registered 38 points last season and represented the USA at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Marek Vanacker (F) — Branford Bulldogs
Acquired: 2024 NHL Draft (27th overall)
CHL career stats: 123GP | 40G | 58A | 98PTS
Signed: No

Vanacker led the Bulldogs with 36 goals and 82 points in 2023-24 as he finished tied 16th in OHL scoring. After he had seven postseason points in the first round of the OHL playoffs, the 18-year-old help Canada to gold at the 2024 U18 World Championships.

The @BulldogsOHL's Marek Vanacker led the club in scoring in 2023-24.

Now his offensive talents are going to the Windy City.#NHLDraft | #MeettheFuture pic.twitter.com/Bi4npBOzck

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) July 1, 2024