The Chicago Blackhawks have made significant roster moves just days before the start of the regular season, sending two of their top prospects to the minors. The Hawks’ class of 2022 draftees took a heavy hit on Wednesday as Chicago announced that two of their three first-round picks from that draft will start the season in their AHL affiliates.

Forward Frank Nazar and defenseman Kevin Korchinski will return to the minors after a spell with the NHL squad during training camp, the franchise announced on Oct. 2. Both players were selected in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft and are considered key pieces of the Blackhawks’ future along with 2023 first-round generational talent Connor Bedard.

Nazar, a 20-year-old forward, was drafted with the No. 13 overall pick in 2022 and he already had a promising start to his NHL career last season.

The young forward scored in his debut against the Carolina Hurricanes, but that major-league spell only lasted three games. Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson emphasized the importance of Nazar gaining more ice time in the minors before he makes the jump to the NHL squad. “I think getting Frank to be down there to be a No. 1 center and to be on the power play, penalty kill, where if he’s here, that might dwindle, the ice time,” Richardson said, via The Detroit News. “Or even be in and out of the lineup as a young guy.”

On the defensive side, 20-year-old Korchinski was drafted even higher as the Blackhawks picked him with the No. 7 pick in the same 2022 draft. Despite playing 76 games with the Blackhawks last season, the organization believes additional development time will do him good and improve his chances of having long-term success in the NHL. “Kevin wasn’t able to go down last year to work on his game, so this is kind of a time for him to do that,” Richardson said. “We don’t want him to struggle here as a young defenseman. We want him to go and flourish down there just like what the organization saw when they drafted him.”

With these moves, the Blackhawks have trimmed their camp roster to 28 players, keeping 15 forwards, nine defensemen, and four goaltenders as they prepare for their season opener in Utah on Tuesday night.