Earlier this week, NHL Beat writer Tracey Myers gave her list of the Hawks top five prospects. There were some obvious answers, but there were also a few head-scratchers. For those of you who have not seen it, here is the list.
1. Connor Bedard
2. Lukas Reichel
3. Kevin Korchinski
4. Alex Vlasic
5. Cole Guttman
The top three are an absolute no-brainer, and there is absolutely no debate that those aren’t three of the main players for the future core of this franchise. Vlasic, I can see the argument for him coming in. For me, he is going to be a big part of the D core going forward, so I have no issue with him being in this top five. The one that I am just flabbergasted by is Cole Guttman coming in at five. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved what I saw from him last season before he was shut down due to injury. He was a spark-plug player who brought a lot of energy and grit to the lineup. However, the former 6th round pick to me just doesn’t scream top prospect; he’s a bottom six forward who can play on all 4 lines but can easily be replaced like the players before him (Shaw, Hartman, Hagel, etc.). Maybe I missed what her guidelines were for this list and whether or not it was meant for players who will be making their debut this season, but yeah, Guttman at five just seems like a crazy reach.
With all that being said, here are my top 5 prospects for the Chicago Blackhawks.
1. Connor Bedard: The sky is blue, the grass is green, and Bedard is the absolute best prospect any team could possibly have.
2. Lukas Reichel: Many are calling him a bust because he has yet to make the jump, but I believe this upcoming season is going to be the season we are all introduced to the real Lukas Reichel. With Bedard on the team, the pressure on him is a lot less, and when he’s not playing with Bedard, he will more than likely get a lot of ice time against teams non-top lines. It's going to be a fun first season.
3. Kevin Korchinski: Being touted as the next top guy on the backend, he is in an interesting spot this year. Do you send him back to juniors and let him be a big fish in a small pond, or do you see what the kid is made of and toss him up with the big club from the get-go?
4. Frank Nazar: Going into his second year at Michigan, he is going to get a huge taste of what it means to be the guy. With Fantilli signing in Columbus, Nazar will be heavily relied on, and after missing most of last season due to injury, that’s going to be perfect for him to try and make up for the lost season.
5. Oliver Moore: Moore dropping to the Hawks at 19 was Christmas in June for Kyle Davidson. A top-10 projected player in this past draft, one of the fastest skaters, and smooth hands. Give him a year in Minnesota, and this kid is going to skyrocket to a big piece of the future core.
Let me know who makes up your top five prospects list. I'm very interested to see if any of the defensemen sneak up on anyone’s list.
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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