Hawks 2021 prospect power rankings: Top 10 after 1st road trip

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The Blackhawks were only able to grab one point of a possible eight, going 0-3-1 on their four-game road trip in Florida to start the season.Some Hawks prospects made their season and NHL debuts and stepped up in place of missing key players like Jonathan Toews (medical issue) and Kirby Dach (wrist injury) to make a positive impact.Here are the Blackhawks' top 10 prospects after the first four games of the season:

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1/10

It's hard to get a sense of where Reichel, 18, is at after missing out on playing for Germany at World Juniors after testing positive for COVID-19. Since his recovery, he's recorded seven points (three goals, four assists) in eight games for Eisbaren Berlin of the DEL this season.

The Hawks selected Reichel at No. 17 overall in the 2020 NHL Draft.

2/10

The former Wisconsin defenseman signed a two-year contract with the Blackhawks that runs through the 2021-22 season. According to Badgers head coach Tony Granato, not only will the 23-year-old blueliner fit in with the Hawks, but skilled players like Patrick Kane will want to be on the ice with him.

Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy has raved about Kalynuk, who was in Chicago well before training camp began to workout, on two occasions. Kalynuk made the taxi squad, the additional group of players allowed to travel and practice with the team this year, and should get into a game sometime this season.

3/10

Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton was asked during training camp who the biggest surprise of camp is and he answered Beaudin.

The young blueliner is locked up through 2022-23 on his entry level contract and also impressed Colliton during his NHL debut on March 11 vs. the Sharks. Beaudin was selected by the Hawks in the first round (No. 27 overall) of the 2018 draft. He played in 59 games with the IceHogs last year before getting his first shot at the NHL.

Beaudin, also on the taxi squad, looked a lot more confident at camp and said he put on around 10 lbs. of muscle. 

4/10

Carlsson, 23, was a +3 and picked up an assist in six regular season games with the Hawks last year. The Swedish D-man earned praise from Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton in a small sample size prior to the pause. Carlsson also played in one postseason game.

He's on the taxi squad as well and should get an opportunity to be back on the Hawks' blueline sooner or later.

5/10

Previously voted the "most competitive" out of all Blackhawks prospects by the Hawks' scouts prior to the season, Hagel looked sharp in his March 11 NHL debut also. The 22-year-old winger had 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists) in 59 games with Rockford last year and definitely has a lot of eyes on him at camp.

Hagel made his season debut with the Blackhawks in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime loss against the Florida Panthers, putting forth a solid game in helping the fourth line establish a consistently strong forecheck.

6/10

The forward only had eight points (four goals, four assists) from his 49 games with the Hawks across the 2017-18 and 2019-20 regular seasons, but got to another level when he was able to score three goals and grab an assist in the 2020 postseason. Highmore is under contract with the Blackhawks through 2021-22.

He was very noticeable at training camp and has helped the Hawks' fourth line play with purpose consistently through the first three games of 2020-21. Highmore was a healthy scratch for Tuesday's game so Hagel could come into the lineup.

7/10

Suter, 24, signed a one-year contract with Chicago in July. He led Switzerland's National League-A in goals (30) and points (53) through 50 games last season and was named league MVP. It's easy to picture Suter making the most of an opportunity with the Hawks and earning an extension.

Suter spent a lot of time on the road trip centering the Blackhawks' top line between Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane. He appeared to set up a Kane goal on Sunday with a spin-o-rama pass, but it was overturned after Panthers coach Joel Quenneville (sound familiar?) challenged the play as offside and won. Suter later got his first NHL point Sunday winning a draw that led to a Connor Murphy goal.

8/10

Kurashev, 21, registered 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 36 games with the IceHogs last year but given his offensive skill set has more to offer.

The center kept his skills sharp on loan to HC Lugano of the Swiss league prior to camp, recording nine assists in 13 games.
 

Kurashev made his NHL debut on Friday, playing in the Hawks past three games and netting his first NHL goal on Tuesday. He has shown a lot of skill and energy so far in the show.

9/10

Blackhawks fans have been eager for Mitchell to join the squad since he was drafted by the Hawks in 2017 at No. 57 overall in the second round. The 21-year-old defenseman is a natural leader that captained the University of Denver's team last year and recorded 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) in 36 games with the club.

Mitchell's strong skating ability was noticeable throughout camp and in his first four NHL games. His mistakes during official big league contests have been pretty minimal.

He's been on the right of veteran defenseman Calvin de Haan since training camp.

10/10

Boqvist, 20, gained valuable experience learning from Duncan Keith in 2019-20. Similar in style to Keith, Boqvist has an elite skating ability for a defenseman, but in his case, needs to trust his shot more.

After a somewhat disappointing rookie season that saw him be a healthy scratch in the bubble during the playoffs, Boqvist seemed to be playing with more confidence at training camp and earned praise from Patrick Kane after Day 1 of camp.
 

Boqvist has been struggling a bit defensively and on the power play to begin the season, but has three assists.

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