In some ways, Blackhawks forward Roman Kantserov is clearly a rookie.
The 22-year-old Russian is still amazed by all of the sights, sounds and hullabaloo of the NHL. He’s still learning many of the system intricacies and even English hockey terms that will become second-nature over time. He still ends almost every interview by saying, “I hope you understand me.”
But in other ways, Kantserov doesn’t act like a rookie at all. Examples of that were abundant Tuesday in the Hawks’ much-needed win over the Penguins.
Skating with one of the most famous players of his generation (Bedard) and of the older generation (Patrick Kane), Kantserov was unfazed. He was the one adding the crucial ingredients that made the line click.
He was the one driving the net, taking defenders with him to open up space for his dynamic linemates. He was the one bringing some physicality on the forecheck, forcing turnovers and preventing the line’s lack of size from being a weakness.
Coach Jeff Blashill mentioned Tuesday morning his one reservation about the line was that they might be prone to over-passing, but even though that was an issue for the Hawks as a whole, it wasn’t an issue for Kantserov.
He passed at the right times but showed no hesitation about shooting at the right times, either. He fired five shot attempts, getting a team-high four on goal.
Two of those went in: a power-play one-timer from the bumper position and an even-strength net-front tip-in in prototypical Tyler Bertuzzi style (after effortlessly boxing out Penguins youngster Ben Kindel).
GOAL: Levshunov finds Kantserov in front, who taps in his second goal of the game. He’s been fantastic tonight. pic.twitter.com/lvDFyxQs1u
— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) October 14, 2026
In a two-game span, Kantserov has gone from pointless in his first five NHL games to tied for the NHL rookie lead with three goals.
Anton Frondell, meanwhile, leads NHL rookies with six points. It is interesting — and encouraging — that the two highly touted rookies have been arguably the Hawks’ best forwards (excluding Bedard) despite the team’s lingering flaws.
“Every game, I get better, and now I feel how to play,” Kantserov said recently.
It sounded like the whole experience Tuesday was surreal to Kantserov; he called it “amazing that we won” against a team featuring Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson. Russian icon Malkin told him, “Hey kid, I’m so happy for you.”
The fact Kantserov is already able to operate on the ice without that deer-in-the-headlights overwhelm, though, explains why the Hawks are so confident he’ll be a long-term cornerstone.
Many rookies struggle to keep sight of their individual identities and playing styles while simultaneously integrating into the NHL, memorizing so many tactical details and instructions. It’s a head-spinning time, and all of that thinking can override natural instincts.
As a result, one of Kane’s key messages to the young Hawks has been: “Everyone’s in here for a reason, and it’s not to be something different than you are as a player.”
“Obviously there are certain things you can get better at and certain things you can change as a player, but you can’t go out and change who you are,” Kane explained. “I can’t go out and all of a sudden become a third-line checker, right? Like, that’s not why I’m here. You’ve got to be confident in who you are.”
But Kantserov seems to understand that inherently. The process of learning the systems — which Blashill credited him for doing remarkably quickly — hasn’t blurred his identity.
That’s probably because of his intelligence, which helps him not only navigate this continental transition but also complement elite players so well.
“[Roman is] so good at finding spots,” Bedard said after a recent practice. “I was amazed today that, even in my head, everywhere I wanted him, he was [there] at the right time.”
Said Blashill: “Some guys just really know how to feel those areas and feel that space out.”
