The Chicago Blackhawks had a hard-working month in March, trading deadlines and 15 games worldwide. At the deadline, they lost three veterans in defenseman Seth Jones, forward Craig Smith and goalkeeper Petr Mrazek. But they won the young players in goalkeeper Spencer Knight and forward Joe Veleno. Plus some prospects for joining the team, and there are a lot of transitions.
The bad news is that this doesn’t exactly help teams struggling throughout the season. Their March record is Pedestrian 4-9-2. Still, there will always be some players who stand out above the rest of the game. Let’s head to March’s three-star rating.
Third Star: Ilya Mikheyev
Mikheyev is a newcomer to the 3-star name, but that certainly doesn’t mean that the Russian winger is not a factor in the Blackhawks’ entire season. The organization acquired Mikheyev from the Vancouver Canucks during the offseason because the latter team was in desperate need of making money from books.
Related – Meet the New Black Hawk: Ilya Mikheyev
It turns out that this is a great addition to Chicago. Mikheyev has been a strong, consistent player throughout the season. He was primarily inserted into the third line by the closed winger, and he was also the biggest contributor to the free throw kill.
But while the 30-year-old is very responsible for defense, his speed and ingenuity are also threatening offense. Using these assets has promoted him to the top six forwards, recently ranked No. 1 with Connor Bedard and Ryan Donato.
Mikheyev scored six goals and five assists in March, earning the third star honor. Overall, his 17 goals are currently fourth on the team, while his 31-point ranking fifth. His contract runs throughout the 2025-26 season and I’m sure the Blackhawks will incorporate more youth from next season to take advantage of this versatile and experienced player.
Star No. 2: Teuvo Teravainen
Teravainen is actually 2ND The December star, he scored the same rating in March; contributing two goals and 11 assists and 13 points. Coincidentally, the Finnish striker also scored 13 points (one goal and 12 assists) in December.
The 30-year-old seems to be the setter. His overall 41 assists were the most assists on the team. When he got Teravainen from the Carolina Hurricane during the offseason, he was considered a skilled player who could be deployed with Bedard. That was the case around the first month of the season.
But since then, Teravainen plays on rows 2 and 3, presumably getting more balance in the roster. The veteran winger built some chemistry with our third star Mikheyev earlier this season. This helped increase his number in December. The two men shed tears that month, involving five goals in four games with Mikheyev. Four of them are from the primary aids from Teravainen, while “TT” provides secondary aids.
Related – Teuvo Teravainen’s new type of encouragement hopes to inspire Blackhawk production
Although Teravainen is also a powerful all-around player, a large portion of his work is in power play. Currently, he has scored 15 goals overall, 41 assists and 56 points, 7 goals, 16 assistants and 23 points.
Teravainen’s contract with the Blackhawks ends throughout the 2026-27 season. More important than Mikheyev, he will be a complement to the new generation of Blackhawks.
Star No. 1: Ryan Donato
I’m sure it’s no surprise to see Donato being named No. 1 star in March. Over the past month, he has far surpassed everyone else’s work with 10 goals, 9 assists and 19 points. As an additional bonus, he also had his first professional hat trick against the Las Vegas Golden Knights on March 28. The 28-year-old (April 9) is in the professional season. In fact, he was named No. 1 star in October and February.
Donato led the team with 29 goals and 59 points, and he ranked third with 30 assists. From a perspective, his previous career highs were 16 goals, 18 assists and 31 points. This is Donato’s recent powerful goal, assisted by our second-place star Teravainen.
Teuvo Teravainen found Ryan Donato, who scored 5-3 in his 24th goal of the season. #blackhawks pic.twitter.com/swqpggmi2s
– Charlie Roumeliotis (@croumeliotis) March 23, 2025
Some people might say this season is Donato’s fluorine. Indeed, a season like this may not fall into another season. After all, Donato is deployed on the top line and on the highest power ammunition unit. In a more talented team, he will be considered a depth. But the Boston native in Massachusetts is making the most of his opportunities. He also worked very hard to improve his speed and skate during the offseason, and his tenacity and work ethics are second to none. Of course, he may eventually retreat to meanness. But no matter what, he is still a valuable asset to any team.
At the trade deadline, there was an interest in Donato, but the Blackhawks were worth a lot (first-round pick) and he ended up staying in Chicago. He was a free agent at the end of the season, but both the Blackhawks and Donato camps were very interested in extending the extension. After all, he will be the perfect role model for emerging players.
Related – Young Blackhawks ready to control the team
Interestingly, all three stars of this month are experienced players who have played their roles throughout the season and have played their roles throughout the season. These three may return to 2025-26 in 2025-26. But there is no doubt that the younger generation is on the way. So many, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them were named as stars in April.
With the end of the 2024-25 season, there are eight remaining games left, so see who steps up.
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