Chicago Blackhawks 2025-26 Player Ratings: Kevin Korchinski – Hockey Writers – Chicago Blackhawks

I Chicago Blackhawks they finished their 2025-26 campaign in 31st place in the league, with a record of 29-39-14 and 72 points. It was an improvement over last season’s total of 25-46-11 (61 points), but the organization had progress in mind when it began this campaign. The good news is that the Blackhawks finished with more points than last season. They also feel that they have taken a good step in the growth and development of a number of young players, who can be a big part of a successful future.

In this summer series, we will give individual grades to every player on the team. Today, we highlight defenseman Kevin Korchinski.

Korchinski’s Season Stats

0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, 4 shutouts in 13 games. Average time on ice (ATOI) of 13:38 minutes

47.1 Corsi For Percentage (CF%), 13 blocked shots, 4 hits, 2 takeaways, 13 giveaways, 4 penalty minutes

Contract Status: Restricted Free Agent (RFA) this summer

Season overview

It was assumed that Korchinski would have to impress in training camp to make the Blackhawks’ opening night roster. He flourished with the Rockford IceHogs last year, where he was the AHL All-Star MVP, and was even named the IceHogs’ Defensive Player of the Year with 27 points in 56 games.

When the Blackhawks signed Matt Grzelyck from the PTO (Professional Try-Out), their left side was lined up with Alex Vlasic, Wyatt Kaiser, and Grzelyck. So, Korchinski started the season with Rockford. He also flourished there. He had 26 points in 53 games, was also named to the AHL All-Star Game, and was the IceHogs’ top scoring defenseman.

Korchinski’s point in Rockford was to continue to improve and gain confidence. He got his first NHL call-up this season in early January when an illness forced him into the Blackhawks locker room. He played two games before being sent back to Rockford. In his first game back against the Washington Capitals, head coach Jeff Blashill called his performance “great”, and getting a call in the last minute and losing 5-1, was not for nothing.

He was also called up twice to Rockford after that, and showed improvement. He was on the third team with Ethan Del Mastro, and despite their struggles, Korchinski looked very strong in his game.

Teammate Alex Vlasic praised Korchinski for his play earlier in April, saying, “He’s been great since he’s been here. I feel like he’s been playing really well defensively. He’s been making great passes, holding on to the puck, making great composure. So, he seems to be very happy with himself.”

Korchinski’s strengths are clear. The 21-year-old is very skilled on the offensive side of the puck and is a great mover, but the defensive side is what he’s been working on at Rockord, and it shows.

Korchinski said in exit interviews about what he’s working on this summer, “I think just tighten up some things. Obviously it’s just the little things. Whether it’s working in the gaps, whether it’s working on breaking the puck under pressure. Obviously, knowing where your guys are, and maybe little things that you don’t think are important, but they are important, and that might end up breaking the ice or breaking the ice. So, just make it easier (hopefully) with the puck, and make plays where they are.

Quoted Quote

In his exit interviews, Korchinski was encouraged by his play, and general manager Kyle Davidson was also impressed.

He said of Korchinski at the trade deadline in March, in part,

“I think we need to get Kevin minutes and continue to get him minutes because we’ve seen some really good strides, and we want to keep that good momentum going in the offseason. But we’re big fans of Kevin. He’s got a lot of skill, a lot of ability. He’s still active. He’s still coming into the pro game and learning through that process and that development process that we have a lot of time.”

Korchinski’s Final Grade: C

Overall, Korchinski was better than he was last season, and that’s what you hope to see with improvement.

RFAs are unpredictable, but I see the Blackhawks re-signing him this summer as Davidson has indicated they want to continue his fitness. His ability alone would make him a great asset to the defense. If he re-signs it would be great if they could open him up next season. In terms of the future, I don’t think his ceiling is anywhere near that of a third-team defenseman.

There are still a lot of questions to be answered about Korchinski’s potential next season, but he continues to build on them.