• Grade: A
• Season stats: 33 games played, 19 goals, 27 assists, 46 points

Positives

• Leads the team in points, assists, and plus/minus
• Clear MVP of the team

Negatives

• Health concerns

Assessment

The only thing keeping Bedard from an A+ is his health. As some say, the best ability is availability, so missing nearly a month of action does affect his grade.

Even so, he has played like an Art Ross candidate. If he had remained healthy, he might be on the Canadian Olympic roster and in serious talk of winning the MVP. Bedard has officially reached superstar status.

Tyler Bertuzzi

• Grade: A+
• Season stats: 42 games played, 23 goals, 13 assists, 36 points

Positives

• Has already matched his goal total from last season
• Produces without Bedard
• Leads team in power play goals

Negatives

• One-hit wonder?
• Unsustainable shooting percentage

Assessment

An easy A+ in my book, Bertuzzi has been the perfect net-front goal scorer for this team. There was concern that when Bedard went down with injury, Bertuzzi’s effectiveness would dry up. Instead, it reached new heights, capped by a hat trick against the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 4.

The concerns, however, are similar to ones many had about Ryan Donato last season. Shooting 23.2%, it is reasonable to believe this is not who Bertuzzi will be for the remainder of his contract. The good news is, unlike Donato, he is not doing this in a contract season. The Blackhawks have two more years of control with Bertuzzi, so further assessment of who Bertuzzi is can be made.

Andre Burakovsky

• Grade: A-
• Season stats: 40 games played, 10 goals, 19 assists, 29 points

Positives

• Effective lineman of Bedard
• Two-way presence

Negatives

• Loses effectiveness without Bedard
• Noticeable cold spells

Assessment

An absolute steal when acquired by Kyle Davidson, Burakovsky has proved to be a lineman that Blackhawks fans were hoping Chicago would acquire for Bedard. Already matching his 2024-25 goal total, Burakovsky has shown himself to be reliable playing top-line minutes.

However, he has proven to be a double-edged sword. Without Bedard, his effectiveness drops in the offensive zone. He can also go on cold spells that hampers the forward group. Still, his defensive play will overcome poor offensive performances, giving him an A- at this point in the season.

Artyom Levshunov

• Grade: B+
• Season stats: 43 games played, 2 goals, 19 assists, 21 points

Positives

• Offensive force
• Great puck control
• Transition game
• Leads team in assists on the power play

Negatives

• Maturity
• Consistency

Assessment

Perhaps my Levshunov bias is showing, but I truly believe we are seeing the emergence of a franchise defenseman this season with Levshunov. Despite a slow start to the season, Levshunov has shown the talent that warranted his selection at second overall in the 2024 Draft. Poised with the puck, aggressive with his stick and possessing a wicked shot, there’s so much to like with Levshunov.

Even so, there are concerns. His maturity has come into question this season. Him being scratched during the home opener, and later being late to a practice and failing in a drill caused another scratching. It is fair to say that Levshunov needs to become a professional in all aspects. That will come in time, but for now, it is a concern, along with his consistency.

Frank Nazar

• Grade: B-
• Season stats: 33 games played, 6 goals, 15 assists, 21 points

Positives

• Strong start to the season
• Effective second-line center

Negatives

• Cooled off immensely in November
• Injury concerns

Assessment

By far the hardest Blackhawk to grade, Nazar began the season looking like he could threaten Bedard for first-line center minutes. In October, he had five goals and six assists in 11 games. Since then, Nazar has managed only one goal.

Along with his cold stretch, Nazar received a jaw injury on Dec. 20 against the Ottawa Senators that has kept him out for weeks. Perhaps I am being generous in my grading, however, I would like to believe his cold streak that started in November has more to do with health than skill.

Teuvo Teravainen

• Grade: C
• Season stats: 44 games played, 9 goals, 12 assists, 21 points

Positives

• Penalty killer
• No dire weakness

Negatives

• Drop in offensive effectiveness
• Moved down the lineup

Assessment

There is not much to say about Teravainen. The only thing I can say about his season is that he has been aggressively fine. He doesn’t do anything poorly, but he doesn’t do anything especially well. Perhaps shooting a higher clip will improve his grade, but until then, he may just be a guy at this point.

Ryan Donato

• Grade: C
• Season stats: 45 games played, 10 goals, 8 assists, 18 points

Positives

• Effective bottom-six production
• Two-way game

Negatives

• Mediocre offensive production
• Drop-off from last season

Assessment

After re-signing with Chicago in the offseason, Donato has shown to be a lot like Teravinen. He is, for all intents and purposes, aggressively fine. The problem is, signing a long-term extension to be aggressively fine isn’t ideal.

This is not to say he has played poorly. Donato is still an effective two-way, bottom-six forward. The issue is that last season is looking more and more like a fluke with every game.

Ryan Greene

• Grade: B+
• Season stats: 45 games played, 5 goals, 12 assists, 17 points

Positives

• Impressive at the dot
• Mature game for his age

Negatives

• Scoring drought

Assessment

A forward I thought would start the season in Rockford, Greene has quickly proven he is an NHLer. Despite his counting stats not popping off the screen, his value is seen elsewhere. Effective at the dot, Greene looked comfortable taking first-line center reps when Bedard went down with injury.

Greene already looks to be a center good teams want on their third line. If he continues to develop at this rate, the Blackhawks may have one of the best center depth charts in the NHL.

Oliver Moore

• Grade: B+
• Blackhawks season stats: 33 games played, 5 goals, 9 assists, 14 assists
• IceHogs season stats: 9 games, 6 goals, 3 assists, 9 points

Positives

• Incredible skater
• Emerging scoring touch

Negatives

• NHL growing pains
• Cold spells

Like with Nazar last season, Moore played his way out of Rockford very early. After only nine games in Rockford where he went a point per game, Moore received the call-up.

Moore did not light it up right away with the Blackhawks, recording just five points in his first 11 games this season. However, he has since found his footing, using his skating skills to record five points in his last six games. The hope with Moore is that he continues to find his scoring touch and solidifies his place in the top-six this season.

Ilya Mikheyev

• Grade: C+
• Season stats: 40 games played, 8 goals, 6 assists, 14 points

Positives

• Shorthanded menace
• Effective skater

Negatives

• Drop-off in scoring
• Cold streaks

Assessment

Like with many veteran forwards on this roster, Mikheyev offers the Blackhawks a two-way game, but has struggled to light the lamp, with noticeable cold streaks. Another aggressively fine forward.

Louis Crevier

• Grade: B+
• Season stats: 42 games played, 4 goals, 10 assists, 14 points

Positives

• Powerful shot
• Physical presence

Negatives

• Slower skater
• Maxes out as a third-pairing defenseman

Assessment

A pleasant surprise dating back to last season, Crevier has gone from seventh-round longshot to a consistent NHL defenseman with a powerful shot. With four goals, Crevier has found the offensive touch that was missing last season.

That being said, he still only appears to be a third-pairing guy. Not a bad thing, but it shows his limits as an NHL defenseman.

Matt Grzelcyk

• Grade: C+
• Season stats: 45 games played, 0 goals, 11 assists, 11 points

Positives

• Stabilizing force
• Effective puck-mover

Negatives

• Undersized, meaning he is not a physical defenseman
• Lack of scoring

Assessment

Starting his time with Chicago on a PTO, Grzelcyk earned a one-year contract for this season. Despite his lack of scoring production, Grzelcyk has proven to be a stable partner for the young defensemen on Chicago’s roster.

The question is whether he will be re-signed, or if Grzelcyk will be a trade candidate when the deadline comes around.

Alex Vlasic

• Grade: B-
• Season stats: 44 games played, 2 goals, 8 assists, 10 points

Positves

• Effective in the defensive zone
• Recent upswing in offensive production

Negatives

• Noticeably unnoticeable at times
• Slow offensive start to the season

Assessment

Still a defensively gifted defenseman, Vlasic’s offensive ability has noticeably lacked this season. With only 10 points, it is fair to want more from a defenseman recently signed to a six-year contract.

This is not to say hope is lost; far from it. It is, however, reasonable to want a lot more from Vlasic.

Jason Dickinson

• Grade: C
• Season stats: 32 games played, 5 goals, 4 assists, 9 points

Positives

• Efficient at the dot
• Far healthier than last season

Negatives

• Offensive black hole
• Some injury concerns

Assessment

Another “aggressively fine” Blackhawk, Dickinson is finally healthy enough compared to last season to not give him a failing grade. Near 50% from the dot, Dickinson looks the part of a fourth-line center.

Wyatt Kaiser

• Grade: B
• Season stats: 45 games played, 4 goals, 5 assists, 9 points

Positives

• Plays bigger than he is
• Solid defensive game

Negatives

• Offensively inconsistent
• Noticeably bad performances

Assessment

A defenseman who I may have been too harsh to when grading last season, Kaiser has proven to be competent this season. A trusted partner of Levshunov, Kaiser plays an effective defensive game with the occasional offensive touch.

With Kaiser, however, there are still some concerns. I joked after a podcast that he is solid until someone in the media heaps praise on him, and then he puts up a stinker. He is solid when not paid attention to, that is the best way I can put it.

Connor Murphy

• Grade: B-
• Season stats: 45 games played, 1 goal, 7 assists, 8 points

Positives

• Defensively trustworthy
• Defensive unit leader

Negatives

• Slow skater
• Little offensive talent

Assessment

I hate to use the term yet again, but Murphy is the only defenseman that I have graded to be given the “aggressively fine” title. Consistent in the defensive zone, healthy and an obvious leader, Murphy has been what the Blackhawks have asked of him all season.

Perhaps more can be asked of him in the offensive zone, but he does what is needed.

Colton Dach

• Grade: C
• Season stats: 44 games played, 3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points

Positives

• Physical menace

Negatives

• Minimal offensive presence
• Questionable defensive skill

Assessment

Currently sixth in the NHL in hits with 155, Dach has brought a physical presence to the forward group. Even so, there is not much else to his game. His defensive metrics are meh, and his offensive is mediocre. Not saying he is a lost cause, but there are certainly questions about his long-term outlook with the Blackhawks.

Nick Foligno

• Grade: C-
• Season stats: 23 games played, 1 goal, 7 assists, 8 points

Positives

• Consistent when on the ice

Negatives

• Little offensive impact
• Injury concerns

Assessment

Little is to be said about the captain. Foligno has not lit up any scoresheet, nor is he noticeable on the ice when he plays.

That being said, the Blackhawks went on a noticeable cold streak in December when he went down with a wrist injury. I don’t think that was a coincidence. This team needs his presence, one way or another, to play at peak form.

Spencer Knight

• Grade: A
• Season stats: 30 games played, 13 wins, 11 losses, 6 overtime losses, .910 save percentage, 2.62 goals against average

Positives

• Blossoming franchise goaltender

Negatives

• Cooled off since his strong start to the season

Assessment

Spencer Knight is clearly becoming Chicago’s franchise goalie. There is not much else to be said. He is excelling with a struggling defensive unit in front of him. Once they get better, he will only continue to rise.

Arvid Soderblom

• Grade: D+
• Season stats: 14 games played, 5 wins, 7 loses, 1 overtime loss, .873 save percentage, 3.86 goals against average

Positives

• Strong early start to the season

Negatives

• Just about everything else

Assessment

A real struggle for the Blackhawks to figure out, Soderblom has not looked good for most of the season. Perhaps lost in the shuffle of the season, but Soderblom is looking dangerously close to his 2023-2024 form.

Blackhawks/IceHogs Roster Grades

Criteria

• At least eight games with the IceHogs and two games with the Blackhawks
• Grading is a cumulative grade based on performance in the NHL and AHL

Sam Rinzel

• Grade: C-
• Blackhawks season stats: 28 games played, 1 goal, 7 assists, 8 points
• IceHogs season stats: 12 games played, 0 goals, 7 assists, 7 points

Positives

• Puck distributor

Negatives

• Overmatched in the NHL

Assessment

It has been an unfortunate first half of the season for Rinzel. What started as a dark-horse Calder season turned into a demotion to the AHL. His confidence was noticeably shaken in the NHL, which caused a dramatic loss in ice time before being sent to Rockford.

Not all is lost for the young defenseman. Rinzel got to Rockford and started distributing the puck very efficiently, already recording seven assists. There is still plenty of time, both this season and in the future, to right the Rinzel ship.

Nick Lardis

• Grade: A
• Blackhawks season stats: 14 games played, 4 goals, 1 assist, 5 points
• IceHogs season stats: 24 games played, 13 goals, 13 assists, 26 points

Positives

• Scoring machine in the AHL
• Scoring touch translating in the NHL

Negatives

• Cold spells
• Defensive game

Assessment

Like with Moore, Lardis quickly outgrew the AHL. Once Bedard went down with injury, Lardis took full advantage. With Bedard back, Lardis was an immediate scoring winger to plug next to Bedard.

There is still a lot of growth for Lardis, especially in his defensive game, but Lardis is an easy A at this point.

Landon Slaggert

• Grade: C-
• Blackhawks season stats: 19 games played, 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points
• IceHog season stats: 8 games played, 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points

Positives

• Looks fine on an NHL fourth line
• AHL top-six forward

 Negatives

• Not particularly skilled
• No real spot on the NHL roster

Assessment

In the NHL, Slaggert is just a guy. In the AHL, he is a solid top-six forward. It may be time to seriously consider his long-term future with the Blackhawks.

Kevin Korchinski

• Grade: B
• Blackhawks season stats: 2 games played, 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point
• IceHogs season stats: 32 games played, 2 goals, 17 assists, 19 points

Positives

• IceHogs’ best defenseman
• Second Blackhawks game much better than his first

Negatives

• Still undersized
• Still working on defensive game

Assessment

If his performance against the Nashville Predators on Saturday is anything to go off of, Korchinski is very close to becoming a full-time NHLer. Despite still being undersized and lacking in the defensive zone, his ability to move with and without the puck in the offensive zone shows extreme promise. By the end of this season, hope remains that he has put enough together to be in the NHL.

Dominic Toninato

• Grade: C-
• Blackhawks season stats: 5 games played, 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point
• IceHogs season stats: 29 games played, 7 goals, 14 assists, 21 points

Positives

• Competent enough when called up
• Top-six AHLer

Negatives

• Simply not a full-time NHLer

Assessment

Only graded because he technically fit the criteria, Toninato is just a guy. Nothing else needs to be said.

Ethan Del Mastro

• Grade: C-
• Blackhawks season stats: 2 games played, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points
• IceHogs season stats: 28 games played, 1 goal, 10 assists, 11 points

Positives

• AHL top-four defenseman

Negatives

• Not an NHL defenseman

Assessment

A tough player to grade, Del Mastro looks to be in a difficult spot. Like with Nolan Allan, Del Mastro may not have an NHL roster spot. He is a solid AHL defenseman, but serious questions should be asked about his long-term future.

Drew Commesso

• Grade: A
• Blackhawks season stats: 2 games played, 1 win, 1 loss, 0 overtime losses, .917 save percentage, 2.50 goals against average
• IceHogs season stats: 19 games played, 6 wins, 11 losses, 3 overtime losses, .909 save percentage, 2.72 goals against average

Positives

• Another strong AHL season
• First NHL win and shutout

Negatives

• Limited NHL time
• Little help in Rockford

Assessment

After his first win and shutout against the Nashville Predators on Saturday, the sky is the limit for the young goaltender. His time in the AHL may be coming to an end with his strong play and the struggles of Soderblom. If his performance against Nashville is anything to go off of, he may be ready for a longer stint with the Blackhawks.