Three Chicago Blackhawks prospects were named to The Athletic’s Top 100 NHL prospect list by Corey Pronman on Wednesday. Defenseman Adam Boqvist is the highest rated among the Chicago trio at No. 25 followed by winger Dylan Sikura and defenseman Henri Jokiharju at Nos. 69 and 86, respectively.
Center Jake Wise made the honorable mention list.
Pronman split the prospects into six tier levels: special prospect, elite, high-end, very good, light and have a chance. Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, the top overall pick in this year’s draft, was the lone prospect to make the special prospect tier.
Boqvist, the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft, fell in the third tier called high-end prospect which projects him as a top pairing defenseman. Pronman likes Boqvist’s aggressiveness mindset with the puck and his hockey IQ. Boqvist scored 14 goals with 10 assists in 25 games for Brynäs’ junior team in Sweden and one assist in 15 games in the SHL last season. He will play for the London Knights in the OHL next season as he makes the transition to North America.
Sikura, a 2014 sixth-round pick, is in the fifth tier as a legit NHL prospect. Pronman rates Sikura’s skating and puck skills as above average, but as concerns with his size (5-foot-11, 159 pounds). Sikura had three assists in five NHL games last season after finishing his senior season at Northeastern University. With the Huskies, he tallied 22 goals and 54 points in 35 games.
Jokiharju, a 2017 first-rounder, also is listed as a legit NHL prospect. The Finnish defender receives above average marks in skating and hockey sense. He will compete for a NHL roster spot during training camp after signing a three-year entry-level deal this offseason. The right-hander tallied 12 goals with 59 assists in 63 games last season for the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL.
Wise, a 2018 third-rounder, will play his freshman season at Boston University this fall with fellow Chicago prospect Chad Krys. Wise posted nine goals and 19 assists in 18 games for the U.S. National Development Program after missing about half the season with a broken collarbone.