The defense of the Chicago Blackhawks has drawn attention because of how bright its future appears to be. In their depth chart, defensemen prospects like Kevin Korchinski and Wyatt Kaiser are ranked highly, but I believe Ethan Del Mastro is underappreciated. Though his name isn’t often spoken up, when it is, it usually sparks excitement. In the past four years, playing for the Mississauga Steelheads and the Sarnia Sting in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), his game has improved significantly. His play has been praised as having the capacity to “bring more,” etc. In light of that, this is how his projection seems.
Del Mastro’s OHL career began with the Steelheads in 2019–20, and it wasn’t a good one. In 57 games, he only managed seven points, scored zero goals, and was a minus-7. After the OHL was shut down due to COVID in 2020–21, he then missed the full regular season. Del Mastro was a player who appeared to have been a questionable selection choice due to the minimal performance and playing time. A slow start to his output, or did he have more to prove? Or was he already making it clear that was how he would play? At the 2021 NHL Draft, the Blackhawks chose him in the fourth round (105th overall) after giving more weight to his potential.
Del Mastro has many characteristics that the Blackhawks looked for in defensemen, including size, physicality, and intuition, just based on appearance. He plays to his 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame. His defensive prowess caught the attention of the Blackhawks, according to assistant general manager of player development Mark Eaton, who also saw potential for improvement in his offensive game despite early indications from his puck handling and playmaking talents. (adapted from ‘Blackhawks prospect breakdown: Known as a defensive defenseman, Ethan Del Mastro has some latent offensive upside’, The Athletic, 4/12/2022)
Del Mastro’s growth both on and off the ice has been exponential since the 2019–20 season. He had two goals and 19 assists for 21 points in 22 games for Mississauga in 2021–22, earning him the title of season captain. Del Mastro was eventually traded to the Sting in January by Mississauga, who had turned to sellers. He contributed to the Sting’s advancement to the Western Conference Final by scoring 38 points in 30 games and ranking as the seventh-best defenseman in the OHL with 59 points in 52 games.
In addition, he participated on the World Junior Championship squad that won the gold medal for Canada last winter and contributed three points over the course of seven games. He was their top defensive pairing and the backup captain. He demonstrated that he is also a workhorse. He had the most ice time of any player during Team Canada’s matchup with Team USA, clocking in at 27:45 minutes, and he played a lot of OHL hockey, which is very Seth Jones-like.
According to James Richmond, the head coach of the Steelheads, “He is, in my opinion, by far and away, the best defenseman up here from the offensive blue line to our net, and I think he’s the best D in the whole league.” “He is the best defender of the blue lines,” he said in conclusion. He is excellent in the defensive zone and a strong transition defenceman. (quoted in ‘Blackhawks prospect breakdown: Known as a defensive defenseman, Ethan Del Mastro has some latent offensive upside,’ The Athletic, 4/12/2022)
Del Mastro, 20, is getting better all the time, and Eaton’s instincts about his offensive prowess and defensive skills appear to have paid off.