LOS ANGELES — The day Blackhawks forward prospect Roman Kantserov will finally move from Russia to America is approaching. In the meantime, Kantserov continues to elevate his stock.
The 21-year-old winger leads the KHL, arguably the second-best league in the world, with 22 goals; nobody else has scored more than 17. Many of them have been of a highlight-reel nature, too, showing his flair for the dramatic.
He’s also tied for second in the league with 38 points, having recorded at least one point in 27 of 33 games with his hometown KHL club, Magnitogorsk Metallurg.
Hawks assistant general manager Mark Eaton, who oversees the organization’s prospects, has been consistently impressed by Kantserov’s development since the 2023 draft, where he was a relatively unknown second-round pick.
“He has the skill but also the bulldog mentality where he’s going to battle,” Eaton said. “He’s got a high motor. He’s not afraid to go to the tough areas and get to the front of the net. He does a great job getting his shot off and getting his shot through. He can get it off quickly. He’s had a decent amount of tip-in goals, as well.”
Kantserov’s Magnitogorsk contract expires after this season, at which point he and the Hawks plan on inking his NHL entry-level deal.
It’s possible that could even happen during the final weeks of the current NHL season, since the KHL regular season ends earlier on March 20 — although Magnitogorsk will be favored to make a playoff run.
The toughest challenge for Kantserov will be adjusting to the physicality and lack of space on the smaller NHL ice surface at his size. He’s only 5-9.
“He’s short in stature, but he’s stocky,” Eaton said. “He’s very solid and strong on his skates. He has that low center of gravity where he’s hard to knock off-balance. That will certainly serve him well over here. And he’s such a smart player, as well.
“The tough areas…get even tougher when you get over to the NHL. The netfront areas, the walls, the corners — those will be a step up for him. But he’s proven all along he learns to adjust and find a way. I wouldn’t expect anything different at the NHL.”
Blackhawks prospect Roman Kantserov is playing at a different speed than the rest of the KHL. Holy moly: pic.twitter.com/WcrQVbENPD
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) November 3, 2025
Kantserov has actually played center this season for Magnitogorsk, but Eaton still anticipates him playing wing for the Hawks. He has a legitimate chance of being a top-six winger, too. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him slotting next to Connor Bedard next fall.
Of course, the same thing can be said about other top Hawks forward prospects like Anton Frondell and Nick Lardis, but that surplus of options isn’t a bad thing.
“It’s hard to play top six and be productive in the NHL, but [Kantserov has] the tools to do so,” Eaton said. “That’s the beauty of where we are now. You see the…guys that are coming up. Let’s get a bunch of them [in Chicago] and see who rises to the top.”
International spotlight
Several Hawks forward prospects are expected to compete in the world junior championships later this month: Frondell (Sweden), Vaclav Nestrasil (Czechia), AJ Spellacy (United States) and potentially Marek Vanacker (Canada).
In Spellacy’s case, it may seem strange that a guy who’s tied for 125th on the OHL scoring leaderboard (with 14 points in 23 games) is a candidate for international tournaments. But his value stems not from his offense but rather from his bruising physicality.
His role for the U.S. team will be predicated on that, just as his potential future NHL role would be. The Hawks will watch closely to see how he performs in this tournament.
“The edge that he plays with, the energy he brings and the speed he’s able to generate [are his assets],” Eaton said. “More than any of our prospects, he creates an awareness for opposing defenders when he’s on the ice because he’s going to finish checks. He can get you if you’re not paying attention.”
Mustard rising
Eaton went out of his way to mention and praise the development of forward prospect John Mustard, a third-round pick in 2024, during his ongoing sophomore season at Providence.
Due to the ridiculous scale of the Hawks’ prospect pipeline, Mustard tends to get overlooked, but Eaton believes that shouldn’t be the case.
“He’s someone that has really put himself in the conversation and has opened my eyes to what he’s able to do [with] the speed and competitiveness he brings,” Eaton said. “He’s really asserted himself as a top prospect and somebody to keep an eye on.”
Mustard has tallied 12 points in 15 games, and he was actually exceeding a point-per-game pace before hitting a drought the last two weeks. He’s still ahead of Roger McQueen, the Ducks’ 10th overall pick in the 2025 draft, on the Friars’ scoring leaderboard.
Eaton believes Mustard’s decision-making and ability to play off of teammates has improved significantly.
“Every time I see him play, he creates three or four chances off the rush just based on speed and his ability to distribute,” Eaton said. “He always has a knack for getting himself in good shooting positions and being a dangerous shooter, as well.”
Boisvert’s health
A nagging shoulder injury has prevented forward prospect Sacha Boisvert, the 18th overall pick in 2024, from finding the same success this season at Boston University that he enjoyed last season at North Dakota.
Several times, Boisvert has attempted to come back prematurely and re-aggravated his shoulder, Eaton said. He has been limited to nine games, and his offense — nine points — has mostly come from just two games.
“He’s ultra-competitive, wants to play and plays through a lot of stuff, but ultimately [he] has had a few setbacks,” Eaton said. “He’s had trouble with a new system and new teammates and really hasn’t gotten into a rhythm yet.
“It sounds like, as of a few days ago, the shoulder feels as good as it has felt since the beginning of the season. So hopefully he can put all of that behind him.”
Pridham’s pushback
The Hawks supported Jack Pridham’s decision to return to Kitchener for another OHL season rather than follow through on going to Boston University, and his production for Kitchener — 29 points in 25 games — has mirrored his rate from his breakthrough 2024-25 season.
The Hawks would like to see Pridham start taking over games more decisively, though, and pushing back harder against physicality and adversity. It also sounds like Brantford, the top team in the OHL (led by Vanacker), has shown trade interest in him, which could shake up his situation.
“He needs to show more consistently [that] when games get tough, he’s going to get tough, as well,” Eaton said.