Chicago Blackhawks - Prospects

Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman said change is necessary, even for a team with a proven group of players good enough to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. "If you bring the exact same team back year to year, it's awful tough to push through the grind of a schedule and a season. If you have a few guys who didn't win it and they want to get there, I think it brings some energy to the group. I don't mind the fact that you have to make some changes." Some of the changes the Blackhawks are contemplating for this season involve prospects they've been marinating in the American Hockey League. Training camp could be a graduation of sorts for at least five of the top prospects in the Blackhawks' system.

1. Brandon Pirri, C: After leading the American Hockey League in scoring last season (75 points in 76 games), Pirri could become the Blackhawks' No. 2 center this season. At the very least he'll be in the group that will be given the chance to earn that job in training camp in September. It's a coveted spot playing between Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa. Pirri is 21 years old and was chosen in the second round (No. 59) of the 2009 NHL Draft. He has appeared in seven games with the Blackhawks and has two assists. He had 56 points in 66 games in the AHL during the 2011-12 season.

2. Ben Smith, RW: Smith is 25 years old and has been on the cusp for a while. The Blackhawks have plans for him to be in the lineup this season. Quenneville said he could see Smith taking over Michael Frolik's duties as one of the team's top penalty killers along with Marcus Kruger. Smith has four goals in 20 NHL games over the past three seasons and three goals in eight games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. When Hossa was a late scratch in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, Quenneville surprisingly turned to Smith, who handled himself well in more than 10 minutes of ice time. He had 27 goals and 47 points in 54 games with Rockford last season.

3. Jeremy Morin, LW: Morin, 22, was tied for fifth in the AHL last season with 30 goals. He had 58 points in 67 games for the Rockford Ice Hogs. It was by far Morin's best professional season and there may be an opening for him on the NHL roster this season. He played three games with the Blackhawks last season and had a goal and an assist. He has five points in 15 NHL games over the past three seasons.

4. Adam Clendening, D: Clendening was an AHL All-Star in his first professional season after playing two seasons at Boston University. He had 46 points in 73 games, with 37 assists, second on his team behind Pirris' 53 and tied for 11th in the AHL. The Blackhawks expect Clendening, 20, to play some games in the NHL this season.

5. Drew LeBlanc, C: When discussing candidates for the second-line center opening, Quenneville surprisingly mentioned LeBlanc, who has played two professional hockey games. Chicago signed LeBlanc to a one-year contract in April, after he finished his senior season at St. Cloud State. He played two games with the Blackhawks at the end of the regular season and was a minus-3 with zero points. LeBlanc, 24, may need some time to learn what being a pro is all about, but the Blackhawks are high on him. If Pirri makes the NHL roster, don't be surprised to see LeBlanc quickly take over as the No. 1 center in Rockford.

6. Stephen Johns, D: Johns, a 6-foot-4 stay-at-home defenseman, is entering his senior year at the University of Notre Dame after putting up 14 points on a goal and 13 assists in 41 games as a junior. He was a plus-12, led the Fighting Irish with 62 penalty minutes and had 45 blocked shots. Johns, 21, was a second-round pick (No. 60) in 2010.

7. Teuvo Teravainen, C: Teravainen, Chicago's first-round pick in 2012 (No. 18), will be in training camp next month but is expected to spend his third straight season playing for Jokerit in the SM-Liiga, Finland's top professional league. Bowman said Teravainen, 18, likely will be Jokerit's No. 1 center. He had a career-high 31 points in 44 games last season after 18 points in 40 games in 2011-12.

8. Antti Raanta, G: Raanta, a 24-year-old goalie from Finland, signed a one-year deal reportedly worth up to $1.4 million, but he likely will start the season with Rockford because the Blackhawks signed Nikolai Khabibulin to be Corey Crawford's backup. Raanta is someone the Blackhawks are eyeing for future years provided he can learn the North American game.

9. Phillip Danault, RW: Danault, Chicago's first-round pick in 2011 (No. 26), is entering what should be his first full professional season after finishing his junior career in the QMJHL last season. He split time between the Moncton Wildcats and Victoriaville Tigres and had 85 points on 23 goals and 62 assists in 56 games. He played five games in Rockford at the end of the season and did not register a point. Danault, 20, played for Canada in the 2013 World Junior Championship and had one assist in six games.

10. Mark McNeill, C: McNeill, like Danault, was a first-round pick in 2011 (No. 18) and went to Rockford last season after his junior career wrapped up. He likely will be in Rockford on a full-time basis after completing four seasons with the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League. McNeill, 20, had 67 points in 65 games last season and finished his WHL career with 243 points in 276 games, including 217 points in 206 games over the past three seasons.