The Blackhawks are known for their pipeline of young talent in the organization, and they were well-represented at the 2016 World Junior Championships. Let's see how all four prospects fared.
In his second straight WJC, Blackhawks top prospect Nick Schmaltz, a 2014 first-round pick, registered eight points (two goals and six assists) in seven games, which ranked fifth among all forwards on Team USA. He helped his country capture the bronze medal with an 8-3 win over Team Sweden by collecting a game-high three assists.
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Schmaltz played a much larger role than last year, when he potted just one assist in five tournament outings.
Gustav Forsling, a fifth-round pick in 2014 by Vancouver who was acquired by the Blackhawks in January of 2015, came up on the losing end of the bronze medal game for the second consecutive year with Sweden. He logged three shots on goal, a game-high among defensemen, in the loss.
Overall, Forsling scored two goals and one assist in six games, and recorded 24 shots on goal, which ranked second among all defensemen during the tournament.
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Joni Tuulola, a sixth-round selection by the Blackhawks in 2015, found himself on the top pairing of the blue line for Team Finland, which took home the gold medal for the second time in the last three years with a 4-3 overtime win over Team Russia on Tuesday. He tallied on assist and a plus-5 rating in seven contests.
Radovan Bondra, the Blackhawks' fifth-round pick in 2015, scored one goal in five games for Team Slovakia, which was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Sweden.