Chicago Blackhawks 2024 first round pick wins conference rookie of the year award

The Chicago Blackhawks prospect pool continues to impress at the amateur level and it shows that help is on the way for the current young core on the NHL roster. If the season ended today, the Blackhawks would be picking in the top-four of the draft which will only add more to their loaded youth movement.

There should be a few more prospects at the collegiate level in Chicago’s system that will sign their entry-level deals at the end of the regular season like Frank Nazar did a year ago. The franchise has been stuck in the bottom three positions in the standings for the past few seasons and the crop of young talent they have will look to change that standard next season.

One of Chicago’s three first round draft choices last summer has been lighting the college hockey world and fire and received an important honor for his play this season.

Chicago Blackhawks’ Sacha Boisvert wins NCHC Rookie of the Year

Sacha Boisvert was named the NCHC (National Collegiate Hockey Conference) Rookie of the Year for his play at North Dakota this season. He was drafted 18th overall last summer after putting up impressive numbers for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL.

Sacha Boisvert is your NCHC Rookie of the Year! #UNDproud | #LGH | @NHLBlackhawks pic.twitter.com/m0S6FY7SbM

— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) March 20, 2025

Boisvert is nearly a point-per-game player at North Dakota this season, as he has 16 goals and 14 assists in 36 games. His final season with Muskegon saw him post 36 goals and 32 assists (68 points) in 61 games, so his consistent production has translated over well to the college game.

The 19-year-old plays a fantastic 200-foot game and has an aggressive style to how he goes about his business on the ice. Many believe he will be Chicago’s third-line center on the next cup contending team they put together, and he draws a few comparisons to a franchise legend.

Former captain and three-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Toews also played his college hockey at North Dakota and played a very similar game to Boisvert. With Chicago having a plethora of young goal scorers in the NHL and in their system right now, it is crucial for them to have two-way forwards like Boisvert and Nazar in the fold for the long haul.

Sacha Boisvert will be a big help for Connor Bedard

Boisvert is a dynamic play maker which is exactly what Bedard needs to take his game to the next level. The earliest he will join the Blackhawks is after his sophomore year at North Dakota, so the current young goal scorers nearing their NHL debuts will have to wait to play with Boisvert.

It appears that the Blackhawks have various options at center that they can utilize when all of their big name prospects are in the NHL. This is a good problem for the front office and coaching staff to have, but they will determine which guys need to be in the faceoff dot more frequently.

Contrary to popular belief, Bedard has been improving in the faceoff category as this season has gone along, so keeping him their to give him as much space to work with will be super important. As of right now, it would likely be Bedard, Oliver Moore and Boisvert that make up the top-three center spots on the next contending team in Chicago.