The Blackhawks should start having more and more of their prospects in Rockford and Chicago in the next few years.

Some of those players were included in the first two parts of our Blackhawks rankings, but there will be even more in our final three installments.

If you missed the previous rankings, you can find the first two parts here:

Let’s get to the next five prospects.

4th round in 2021 | 6 feet, 4 inches | 205 pounds | 20 years old (1/15/2003)

Season stats: 7 goals, 52 assists in 52 games in OHL

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Summary: Del Mastro opened some eyes last season. He has the size and skating ability to be an NHL defenseman. The Blackhawks asked him to work on playing faster with the puck, which he did more after he was traded to Sarnia Sting during the OHL season. He’s been a key defenseman for the Sting as they’ve gone deep into the playoffs. Like other left-handed defensemen in the pipeline, he’s going to have to prove himself to earn an NHL spot. Del Mastro is signed by the Blackhawks and is expected to play with the IceHogs next season.

What others are saying: Mark Eaton, Blackhawks assistant general manager of player development, said: “With his size, his range, his skating ability and he’s smart, so that projection is one of someone that’s going to be more specialized on the defensive side of play, you know, killing penalties. That’s the beauty of junior hockey and their current levels, they’re the best players on their teams, they play in all situations, but we got to look at and start to hopefully get them to realize the role that they might play in the NHL. There’s only one defenseman that quarterbacks the power play. There’s only No. 1 defenseman on an NHL team. So where will you fit in that top-six ‘D’ core in the NHL?

“You just help him realize with his skill set and with his size, the reach, the physicality, the skating ability that a guy like Ethan has, he’s someone that could potentially be a partner to an offensive guy, he could play with another big guy like a (Alex) Vlasic or Nolan Allan and then be a shutdown pair. That will play itself out in the years to come, but those are some of the thoughts that go through our head.”

Video

Del Mastro reads this wraparound attempt perfectly and denies the opponent at the net:

Del Mastro shows some of his offensive ability on the goal:

2nd round in 2020 | 6-2 | 181 pounds | 20 years old (7/19/2002)

Season stats: .913 save percentage in 34 games with Boston University in NCAA

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Summary: Commesso’s numbers were pretty consistent throughout his college career. He had a.913 save percentage this season and finished with a .914 percentage for his three-year career. He had some ups and downs each season. He did have some stellar outings this season, especially a 40-save performance against Boston College in January and a 39-save shutout against Providence in March. He also played some of his best hockey late in the season and started in net for nine consecutive wins before Boston was eliminated in the NCAA tournament. He has signed a pro contract and is expected to spend next season in Rockford.

What others are saying: Peter Aubry, Blackhawks goalie development coach, said: “We were talking (recently) about the speed and adjusting to the speed. And I know that’s an overarching element right there, but just seeing that everything starts with our eyes and our brains to process, so at least someone can start processing that we can make better and better decisions so far as our positioning and our reaction. We’ve certainly talked about a couple of things technically that can make him a little bit more efficient. We’ve watched video of goalies, goalies who are more his size, guys like Carter Hart, pulled up a little bit of (Kevin) Lankinen. Guys who are the same body frame as him to see how they handle some situations and to see what he can take from them.”

Video

A look at Commesso on a few different saves:

Commesso denies a two-on-one opportunity:

6th round in 2021 | 6-4 | 205 pounds | 21 years old (5/30/2001)

Season stats: 19 goals, 18 assists in 64 games with Ak Bars in KHL

Summary: Safonov is right up there with the most surprising Blackhawks prospects this season. He looked like he had some potential in the KHL the past few years, but he took a significant step this season and might have the makings of an NHL center. Nothing will jump off the screen when you watch him play, but he’s solid all over the ice and knows how to utilize his size and how to position himself on the ice. He had the most goals in the KHL for players under 22 and was tied for the league lead among players under 23. He’s played on Ak Bars’ top line and helped them to a runner-up finish in the KHL playoffs. Despite his age, he was also made team captain this season. He’s the type of player the Blackhawks would probably love to give an NHL look soon, but the problem is his KHL contract. He’s signed in Russia through the 2024-25 season.

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What others are saying: Eaton said: “Not that you have lower expectations for (late-round picks), but him being from Russia, when we first started watching video, it was like, wow, we got this guy in the sixth round, like, this kid can play. He’s got some great attributes with the size, mobility, the smarts and the compete level. So it was just intriguing a bit in the beginning. We just wanted to help him continue to grow in any way possible and give him whatever he needs. With (development coaches) Kendall (Coyne) and Erik (Condra), they’ve been great. And obviously, you have to give Ilya a lot of credit to it, too. That’s why that inner piece, the drive and the willingness to do what it takes and want to be great, it’s hard to put a value on that. It just sets the ceiling so high, and I think you’re seeing some of that with him.”

Video

Safnov doesn’t stop working on this penalty kill, and it leads to a scoring chance for him:

Safonov skates into an opening in the slot and scores a goal:

Safonov has some creativity to his game. Here, he makes avoids the defense with a quick move and scores:

5th round in 2020 | 6-3 | 194 pounds | 21 years old (9/28/2001)

Season stats: 6 goals, 17 assists in 51 games with IceHogs in AHL

Summary: If the pandemic didn’t happen, this would have probably been Phillips’ first pro season. Instead, it’s his third. He’s come a long way in three seasons. He was drafted largely because of his skating ability, and he’s developed into a well-rounded defenseman. He still has that elite skating, but he knows how to better utilize it in all zones. He can tap into it to retrieve a puck, bypass the first layer of forecheck, help create a zone entry and then get involved in the offensive zone. He’s also improved at defending with his stick and being physical. He’s not far off from being an NHL player. The biggest issue for him is that he seems to make a costly mistake once a game. The Blackhawks are hopeful he can eliminate that and push himself further into the NHL discussion. There’s a lot of competition among the left-handed shots, but he has a chance. He has another year left on his entry-level deal.

What others are saying: IceHogs coach Anders Sorensen said: “The biggest thing (for him to succeed) is he’s so athletically gifted and just staying in control. When he’s defending, having a good stick, he closes out on guys so quick and just being able to read at the NHL level when to go and when not to go. With his puck play, he’s made really nice strides with his efficiency of moving the puck and using indirect and getting the puck up the ice, supporting the rush and looking like a modern-day defenseman.”

Video

Phillips retrieves the puck under pressure, moves it ahead to Lukas Reichel, joins the rush and nearly scores at the net:

Phillips sets up to deny the opponent’s exit and skates into the zone to create a chance:

1st round in 2022 | 6-4 | 176 pounds | 18 years old (6/25/2004)

Season stats: 9 goals, 27 assists in 58 games with Waterloo in USHL

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Summary: Rinzel’s ceiling is as high as nearly anyone in the Blackhawks’ pipeline. The unknown is whether he’ll ever get there. The Blackhawks drafted him in the first round last year because of his elite skating and size. They understood it would take some time for him to understand how to utilize those attributes and further develop his body. This season was a step in the right direction, but there are plenty of more steps ahead. He especially needs to learn when to be more aggressive in the offensive zone and when to pull back. He does some things on the ice that you don’t see a lot of defensemen do, but he sometimes risks too much to try to make that happen. Adding weight and muscle will be a focus for him in the coming offseasons. The next phase in his development is attending the University of Minnesota next season. He should get plenty of opportunity there.

What others are saying: Eaton said: “He was so raw and is still so raw. He has such an elite skating ability and skill level. So it’s just a matter of fine-tuning that and helping him become more efficient with that. I think he progressed well this year, played a big role on Waterloo. But it’s just — you take the long-term approach with him. You let him play, see what he’s doing and you tweak some things here and there if mistakes are being made. The biggest thing with him that we talked about is just the overall awareness in all three zones. He loves to use his skating ability, which he should. It’s just kind of fine-tuning that and learning to pick your spots.”

Video

Rinzel tracks down an opponent who is getting out of the penalty box even though Rinzel has much more ice to make up:

Rinzel shoots, gets his own rebound and scores on the other side:

It’s this type of play that really shows off Rinzel’s upside:

(Photo of Sam Rinzel: Ryan Remiorz / The Canadian Press via AP)