A quick glance to the other side of the world to see what’s been going with Blackhawks prospects playing in Europe.
Forwards
Roman Kantserov, Metallurg Magnitogorsk / KHL
Stats: 13 points (7G, 6A) in 15 games
Kantserov’s star currently shines the brightest of all the Blackhawks prospects playing in the European leagues, as he continues to establish himself in the KHL (arguably the second-best hockey league in the world) as a 20-year-old, while playing primarily against grown men.
Kantserov really seemed to turn a corner during the playoffs last season, exploding for 13 points (4G, 9A) in 23 games, and as it stands right now his 13 points in 15 games are just two off the 15 points (8G, 7A) he put up season year, though it took him 53 games to reach that total. He’s been especially productive in December, picking up KHL Player of the Week honors:
KHL Best Players of Week 14:
— KHL (@khl_eng) December 9, 2024
– Ivan Prosvetov (CSK)
– Nikita Lyamkin (AKB)
– Roman Kantserov (MMG)
– Nikita Khoruzhev (NKH) pic.twitter.com/OgzELyK3Nx
Kantserov is a smaller, shiftier forward who skates with pace and purpose and utilizes his above average hands and play making to set up his teammates, and his strong, accurate shot to score from all over the ice:
Roman Kantserov (#8) was so close to scoring another hat-trick today #Blackhawks #HawksProspects pic.twitter.com/EO04J9Rh1K
— Chicago Prospects (@Chi_Prospects) December 7, 2024
Kantserov should continue to see big minutes with Metallurg for the rest of this season and the next, as his KHL contract doesn’t expire until after 2026-27.
Ilya Safonov, Ak Bars Kazan / KHL
Stats: 13 points (4G, 9A) in 32 games
Safonov is the only other Blackhawks prospect in the KHL, and his style of play and size (6-foot-4, 205 pounds) cast him as an opposite to Kantserov, with Safonov primarily being deployed as a defense-first, shutdown center and penalty killer for Ak Bars. His offensive numbers did see a significant spike in 2022-23 to the tune of 37 points (19G, 18A) in 64 games, before regressing significantly (20 points in 67 games) last season.
As a sixth-round pick in 2020, Safonov was already a longshot to ever see the NHL, and even though his KHL contract expires at the end of this season, the lack of updates given by the Blackhawks (Kyle Davidson hasn’t spoken about him in over a year) seem to indicate they don’t have a substantial interest in signing him.
Victor Stjernborg, Växjö Lakers HC / SHL
Stats: 8 points (3G, 5A) in 25 games
Staying on defensive forwards, Stjernborg’s hallmark is his awareness, compete level, and effort — though he’s also shown occasional glimpses of two-way ability in both the SHL (the highest league in Sweden) and Sweden’s 2022-23 World Junior squad (where he was named the captain).
Stjernborg’s SHL deal expires at the end of this season, and if the Blackhawks were to offer him a contract, he’d start off in the AHL next year. As for this season, lineups posted online by Vaxjo have shown Stjernborg being moved around the lineup at times. Lately, though, he’s been a wing on the top line that is centered by former Blackhawks forward Dennis Rasmussen:
💥GAMETIME💥
— Växjö Lakers (@VLHlive) December 7, 2024
Dags att rikta blicken mot Tegera Arena där Växjö Lakers ikväll ska ta sig an Leksands IF 🔥
I målet ikväll hittar vi #33 Emil Larmi 🥅
💻 18:00, TV4 Play pic.twitter.com/FxrvbK8Dre
Primary assist from Victor Stjernborg (#9) today #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/gQcnuKdqJ7
— Chicago Prospects (@Chi_Prospects) October 24, 2024
Jiri Felcman, SCL Tigers / NL
Stats: 7 assists in 24 games
Felcman is another large center (6-foot-4, 198 pounds), currently playing in the National League (Switzerland’s top tier pro league), though he was loaned out briefly to appear on the U20 team for his home country of Czechia during this year’s Five Nations Tournament — and seems likely to appear on their World Junior roster as well.
Felcman obviously has size to dream on, and at 19 he still has a ton of development to do, but that’s about all you can ask from a third-round project pick to begin with:
The Blackhawks made some noise at the end of last season by signing Felcman to an ATO (amateur tryout contract) in Rockford, though he never actually appeared in a game for the IceHogs.
Nils Juntorp, HC Dalen / HockeyEttan
Stats: 11 points (6G, 5A) in 15 games
Juntorp is a big-bodied winger currently playing in HockeyEttan, which is Sweden’s third-tier league (roughly equivalent to a junior league in North America). Juntorp actually came over to the states in 20223-23, and head a decent showing with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints, before returning to Sweden the following season.
Juntorp has some jump in his game, and paired with decent hands and instincts, there may still be more offensive potential to be harvested from him:
Juntorp was taken late (sixth round) by the Blackhawks in the 2022 draft, and his contract with HC Dalen expires at the end of this year. Given the fact he’s already 21 and still only in a third tier league, he’ll have to show quite a bit more in the back half of this season to get himself on the Blackhawks’ radar.