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As the Blackhawks continue to get closer to fielding a competent NHL lineup, much of the focus of the front office and fans alike seems to be on the IceHogs and Chicago\u2019s top AHL talents. That\u2019s not misguided at all \u2013 players like Artyom Levshunov, Kevin Korchinski, Landon Slaggert, Ethan Del Mastro, Samuel Savoie and more make Rockford\u2019s lineup a stacked one, and they\u2019re the skaters closest to cracking the NHL ranks. But it can be easy to forget with Chicago\u2019s top-notch AHL prospect pool that the Blackhawks also boast one of the best collegiate groups in the entire league.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, the Blackhawks put the league on notice when nominations for the Hobey Baker award were finally announced. Four Blackhawks were nominated, representing a big season across the country for the group as a whole.<\/p>\n
At one point this season, Rinzel was actually listed as the favorite for the Hobey Baker award, and should at least become a finalist, if not win it. Many will point to Zeev Buium as the best defenseman in college hockey, but there\u2019s certainly an argument to be made for Rinzel instead. He\u2019s picked up 24 points in 26 games at Minnesota this season while skating 23 minutes per night in a highly competitive conference. He was a slightly unexpected pick at No. 25 overall in 2022 by the Blackhawks, but their shot on him has since paid off big-time. Now 20 years old, I wouldn\u2019t mind seeing him in Chicago at the start of next season.<\/p>\n
Another of the premier names at the NCAA level, Thompson is enjoying an excellent scoring season, putting up 29 points in 22 games. As Denver\u2019s alternate captain, he ranks eighth in the country in scoring and has demonstrated impressive consistency, even starting the season on a 14-game point streak in which he tallied 10 goals and 12 assists. Thompson is almost 23 years old, so his entry-level contract will be two years, like Slaggert\u2019s was a year ago. He\u2019ll be signing that deal soon, but Denver isn\u2019t the worst place for a future Blackhawk to develop.<\/p>\n
Greene is another player with a great chance to at least become a finalist for the NCAA\u2019s most prestigious award, and he\u2019s certainly beginning to make his case. The co-captain of Boston University has scored in five straight games, bringing his total to 23 points in 21 games. He\u2019s a great asset at both ends of the ice and is one of the better players in the country in the faceoff circle (54.6 percent). After coming up short in his first two trips to the Frozen Four, Greene passed up a contract in Chicago to return for a junior season at Boston, so I\u2019d expect him to join the Blackhawks soon \u2013 although it could depend on whether Boston U wins a national championship this time around.<\/p>\n
A somewhat unexpected pick at No. 18 overall by the Blackhawks last summer, Boisvert has been excellent for North Dakota all season. As a true freshman, he leads the team in scoring, picking up 18 points in 23 games. With good size, his physicality has stood the test of a tough NCHC, and he possesses a rare scoring ability for his age. Boisvert may not become a finalist for the award, but at just 18 years old, him being nominated is a big win for both the player and the Blackhawks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On Wednesday, the Blackhawks put the league on notice when nominations for the Hobey Baker award were finally announced.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11543,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chicago-blackhawks"],"yoast_head":"\n