The Chicago Blackhawks enter the 2018-19 season with a different outlook than in years’ past. For the first time since 2008, the Blackhawks will look to return to the playoffs after sitting at home the previous spring.
Chicago has some new faces in the organization with free agent signings, draft picks and trades. This year’s Top 25 Under 25 list at Second City Hockey has seen a shake up from last year, with new players entering the fold while others have dropped off. Much like 2017, however, this year’s list will showcase an intriguing young talent pool of players.
There’s obviously a new No. 1 with Brandon Saad now 25 and out of the running along with Connor Murphy. Players like Alex DeBrincat and Nick Schmaltz remain at the top while Chicago’s top two draft picks this year in Adam Boqvist and Nicolas Beaudin jump into the fold. Five players from last year’s list have also left the organization by trade or free agency, while 11 players remain on the list.
The age cutoff date is Oct. 1.
Second City Hockey Top 25 Under 25 for 2018
Honorable mentions: Joni Tuulola leads the pack
No. 25: Defenseman Dennis Gilbert
No. 24: Winger Niklas Nordgren
No. 23: Defenseman Carl Dahlstrom
No. 22: Winger Alexandre Fortin
No. 21: Forward Dominik Kahun
No. 20: Forward Tim Soderlund
No. 19: Forward Matthew Highmore
No. 18: Defenseman Blake Hillman
No. 17: Forward David Kampf
No. 16: Winger Andrei Altybarmakyan
No. 15: Forward Artur Kayumov
No. 14: Defenseman Lucas Carlsson
No. 13: Defenseman Chad Krys
No. 12: Goaltender Collin Delia
No. 11: Forward John Hayden
No. 10: Center Jake Wise
No. 9: Defenseman Nicolas Beaudin
No. 8: Defenseman Ian Mitchell
No. 7: Forward Victor Ejdsell
No. 6: Defenseman Gustav Forsling
No. 5: Forward Dylan Sikura
No. 4: Defenseman Adam Boqvist
No. 3: Defenseman Henri Jokiharju
No. 2: Winger Alex DeBrincat
No. 1: Forward Nick Schmaltz