The Chicago Blackhawks dove heavily into a rebuild a few years ago and then quickly got Connor Bedard along with some other top picks. This allowed them to amass a great system of prospects and young talent that still includes drafted players who aren’t yet signed.
There are two Blackhawks prospects in particular that are amongst the top-10 scorers in the NCAA when looking at players drafted to NHL teams. These players include Aidan Thompson and Dominic James.
Thompson is a former third-round pick drafted 90th overall by the Blackhawks in 2022. This is his third season at the University of Denver and by far his most impressive. Among drafted players playing in the NCAA, he ranks second in points with 15 (6 goals and 9 assists). He has done this in just eight games.
The only drafted prospect playing in the league that has more points than Thompson to this point is Jack Devine with 16 in eight games (1 goal and 15 assists). Thompson and Devine happen to be teammates along with Sam Harris who is tied in ninth in points among drafted prospects with 10.
As a third round pick, this just adds another high-end prospect on the way in Chicago that the organization may not have been expecting from the start.
Surprisingly enough, the Blackhawks may have found a gem in the sixth round of the 2022 draft as well in James. Also in his third year in the NCAA, the 22-year-old forward, despite missing all but two games last season, has impressed since the draft.
James is tied in ninth in scoring amongst drafted prospects with Harris and others. James has six goals and 10 points through seven games and is the sole University of Minnesota-Duluth player near the top of this list.
Considering his draft spot and majority of a season missed, James is likely to take a bit longer to develop than Thompson, but there is hope that we can see both in the NHL for the Blackhawks eventually. There is no shortage of competition with players like this turning into very talented prospects.
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