Chicago Blackhawks announce surprising roster cuts

With the 2024-2025 season approaching, the Chicago Blackhawks have begun cutting down their roster. The organization made its first round of training camp cuts and will be letting four young prospects go for the time being. Those four are Marek Vanacker, Martin Misiak, Alex Pharand, and Ty Henry. They have all been assigned back to their respective Ontario Hockey League teams where they'll continue development.

The 27th overall selection in this year's draft, Marek Vanacker returns to the OHL's Brantford Bulldogs. Still only 18 years old, Vanacker had a great sophomore season with the Bulldogs, scoring 36 goals and 82 points in 68 games, and represented Canada in the U18 World Junior Championship, solidifying his standing as arguably the best key prospect for Chicago. The Blackhawks hope the added seasoning in the OHL will help take Vanacker's game to another level before turning pro.

Martin Misiak, a 2023 second-rounder, 55th overall, will be going back to the Erie Otters after a decent first year of development in the OHL. A product of Slovakia and the USHL, Misiak scored 23 goals and 47 points in 60 games for Erie. His only taste of professional hockey came in one game in the AHL last season, but the Blackhawks feel another year in juniors will better prepare him for a full-time professional role.

Alex Pharand and Ty Henry also head back to the OHL as unsigned prospects. Pharand, a fourth-round pick from 2023, heads back to the Sudbury Wolves, where he'll have to build on the 17-goal, 30-point effort he had a year ago. Henry, selected in the sixth round of this year's draft, is returned to the Erie Otters after a relatively quiet rookie season where he picked up seven assists in 54 games. Both prospects will have put in hard work to get entry-level deals with Chicago sooner rather than later.

With these cuts, the Blackhawks have trimmed their training camp roster to 49 players which now consists of 29 forwards, 14 defensemen, and six goaltenders. While Marek Vanacker, Martin Misiak, Alex Pharand, and Ty Henry won't be continuing with the Blackhawks this season, their progress in the OHL will be closely monitored as the team looks to its future. All of the above players will have a critical year of development, and their performances may influence the shape of their path toward the NHL.