Blackhawks Prospects
Blackhawks Prospect Check-In: Kantserov Leads a Trio of European Hopefuls
It’s time to grab your passport because we are heading to Europe for the final installment of our Blackhawks Prospect Check-in. Unlike our first two Check-Ins, we will not go over every prospect in Europe. Riku Tohila and Janne Peltonen in Finland and Victor Stjernborg, Milton Oscarson, and Joel Svensson in Sweden are long shots to play in North America, let alone in the NHL. So, we’ll focus on a trio of Europeans with a real path to Chicago.
Ilya Safonov – Ak Bars Kazan, KHL (2021, Rd 6)
The Blackhawks have a major need for help at center, especially those with size. Ilya Safonov provides a 6-foot-4 and 205-pound frame and has over 250 KHL games under his belt. He had a breakout season in 2022-23, scoring 19 goals and 37 points in 64 games. The 23-year-old has not been able to replicate that production, as he scored exactly 19 goals and 37 points in the 106 games since. He has six goals and 17 points in his 39 games this season. An undisclosed injury has kept Safonov out of action since Jan. 8.
Safonov’s offensive game doesn’t jump off the page, but he has the skill set to be an effective two-way center in the NHL. He uses his size to his advantage, and he’s positionally sound. His offensive game is based on scoring goals from in-tight around the net.
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In a 2023 interview with Scott Powers of The Athletic, Safonov said it’s his dream to play for the Blackhawks. His agent, Alexey Demetyev, said his client is willing to come to the NHL and is preparing to do so. Safonov’s KHL contract expires at the end of this season. He will be 24 in May, and if he comes to North America next year, he could transition directly into the NHL. With the lack of true centers on the roster right now, a spot will be there for him to earn.
Roman Kantserov – Mettallurg Magintogorsk, KHL (2023, Rd 2)
The Blackhawks haven’t had a recent history of selecting Russian players in the early rounds of the NHL Draft. That’s why eyebrows were raised when they took Roman Kantserov with the 44th pick in 2023. You have to go back to 2016 to find another Russian-born player taken in the first two rounds. Kantserov quickly showed why Kyle Davidson and his staff were so high on him.
Kantserov had a coming-out party in the KHL playoffs last season. After eight goals and 15 points in 53 regular season games, he scored four goals and 13 points in 23 postseason games, ultimately ending with a championship. For a 19-year-old to play such a prominent role on a KHL team is quite an accomplishment. He’s picked up right where he left off this season with 12 goals and 28 points in 34 games.
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The dynamic 5-foot-9 forward uses his elite puckhandling to create offense, whether to beat a defender for a scoring chance or make a tape-to-tape pass to a teammate. Kantserov is a top-notch playmaker, but just when you think he’s looking to pass, he’s beating your goaltender. Scouts have labeled him as a “sneaky” player, meaning he won’t engage in many one-on-one battles but instead use his smarts to find the open areas of the ice undetected. It remains to be seen if that style can translate to NHL success. Kantserov has one more year remaining on his KHL contract before he can even discuss coming to North America.
Jiri Felcman – SCL Tigers, Switzerland (2023, Rd 3)
If Jiri Felcman can hit his full potential, he can provide another long-term solution down the middle of the ice. His 6-foot-4, 198-pound frame made him an attractive pick in the third round of the 2023 draft. He played 32 games in Switzerland’s top professional league, scoring a goal and nine points. He was recently sent down to the top U-20 league, where he scored two goals in four games. He also represented Czechia at the 2025 World Junior Championships, where he had a pair of assists in seven games.
Felcman signed an amateur tryout contract (ATO) and spent some time practicing with the Rockford IceHogs at the end of last season. He also participated in the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase and training camp in 2023. He still has a ton of development before we can consider him part of the future in Chicago, but he’s off to a solid start. His size will give him every opportunity to advance, but he will need to gain speed and improve defensively if he wants to succeed at the North American game. At only 19, he’s got plenty of time to do both.
