A.J. Spellacy knows NHL path with Blackhawks is ‘playing that nasty style’

Posted December 27, 2025 12:05 pm

By Scott Powers

A.J. Spellacy probably wasn’t going to make the Chicago Blackhawks out of training camp, but it would have been interesting to see what he could have done in his second NHL camp if healthy.

He was the surprise prospect last year and stuck around longer than anyone expected.

Arriving in Chicago before the Blackhawks played in the Tom Kurvers Prospects Showcase in September, he felt like he was playing better than ever. In practices against fellow Blackhawks prospects and in the first game of the tournament, he was flying, hitting and a magnet for wherever the puck was.

The Blackhawks have a lot of different types of players in their pipelines from the 38 draft picks general manager Kyle Davidson has made in the last four years, but none are exactly like Spellacy. He has an unusual combination of speed, size (6-foot-3, 204 pounds) and physicality as a forward.

However, before the 19-year-old Spellacy could showcase that unusual game to new Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill during training camp, he suffered a shoulder injury in the second game of the prospect tournament. Spellacy had to sit out the start of camp, returned for just a few days, played in one preseason game and was assigned to his OHL team for the season.

“The start of camp, like the rookie tournament, I felt great,” Spellacy said recently before joining the U.S. team for the World Junior Championship. “I felt like I played some of my best hockey that I’ve ever played, and I got a lot of good feedback from the organization and stuff like that. So obviously it was disappointing because I got injured in that second game.”

Spellacy didn’t get back to that high level for some time. His shoulder was still hurting when he returned to the Windsor Spitfires, and he wasn’t able to play the physical game he wanted to. He wasn’t producing much offensively either. The last few months, though, he’s felt better, and his game has followed.

Whether he’s scoring or not, he’s been able to influence the game by attacking on the forecheck, beating out icings and knocking opponents around.

The offense has surged, too. He produced one goal and two assists in his first 11 games of the season. Since then, he’s had eight goals and six assists in his last 16 games.

“As of late, I’ve been a lot better,” Spellacy said. “So it’s exciting to see just my offense kind of taking off. You know, it’s always good to help the team. Not that I’m going to score a bunch of goals at the next level, but it’s just exciting that I can do that for this team.”

One of the things the Blackhawks love about Spellacy is that he’s dialed in with what he will likely be in the NHL. Sure, Spellacy wants to produce as much as the next player, and he’s hopeful to be more rounded someday, but he understands how to carve out an NHL role among the many Blackhawks prospects.

“I know what I’m going to be at the next level and what I have to do,” Spellacy said. “So just like every day, just kind of working on those little things. Obviously, everyone wants to score the fancy goals and make some nice plays, but I think me doing that, playing physical and fast first, will help me get my foot in the door.

“So, yeah, just going back to playing physical, playing that nasty style, like Tom Wilson, I think that’ll really help me get my foot in the door just because a lot of people don’t play that way.”

Spellacy does know Wilson has gotten his share of points lately, too.

“Obviously, his last couple seasons are his best seasons that he’s ever had, but he started off, he wasn’t getting a ton of points, but he was playing that role — big, two-way forward, get on the PK, do anything for his team,” Spellacy said. “And then, you look at him, he’s added that offensive game style. His game’s really taken off. Obviously, playing that physical role, and he’s able to score offensively too, which is scary.”

The Blackhawks would love the same for Wilson eventually, but they and Spellacy are on the same page for now.

“I know everybody, it’s human nature, wants to contribute offensively, and at the junior level, he should,” Blackhawks assistant general manager of player development Mark Eaton said. “He should be a guy that Windsor looks to add to the offense, not just be one-dimensional.

“But I think our conversations with him are just to make sure that he knows what his identity truly is and what his path to success at the NHL level is. He’s such a good skater. He’s a big, athletic kid, doesn’t shy away from contact. He’ll stand up for teammates. I think that’s the niche to the key to his success.”

Spellacy can probably be projected as a third- or fourth-liner for the Blackhawks in the future. The Blackhawks drafted players like him and Samuel Savoie, envisioning them to cause havoc in their own ways, compared to the havoc they want Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar to bring to the lineup.

Even though Spellacy didn’t get much time to practice with Blashill in camp, Spellacy feels he’s learned a lot about him.

“It was awesome,” Spellacy said. “Everything that he preaches about, he talks about, it’s awesome. He pushes everyone to be better. Very intense practices, which I thought was different from last year, and I thought that was a very good thing. I think that’s part of the reason why they started off good this year.”

Entering training camp next season, maybe Spellacy earns a spot on Blashill’s roster.