The Chicago Blackhawks had an eventful month of March, with the trade deadline and a full slate of 15 games. At the deadline, they lost a trio of veterans in defenseman Seth Jones, forward Craig Smith and goaltender Petr Mrazek . But they gained younger players in goaltender Spencer Knight and forward Joe Veleno. Add in the some prospects that have joined the team down the stretch, and there’s been a lot of transition.

The bad news is this doesn’t exactly help a squad that’s struggled all season long. Their March record was a pedestrian 4-9-2. Nonetheless, there are always a few players that stand out above the rest. Let’s get to our 3 Stars for March.

No. 3 Star: Ilya Mikheyev

Mikheyev is a newcomer to the 3 Stars designation, but that certainly doesn’t mean the Russian winger hasn’t been a factor all season for the Blackhawks. The organization acquired Mikheyev from the Vancouver Canucks in the offseason, as the latter team badly needed to get some money off the books.

It turned out to be a great addition for Chicago. Mikheyev has been a strong, consistent player all season long. He’s slotted mostly onto the third line as a shutdown winger, and he’s also a top contributor on the penalty kill.

But while the 30-year-old is extremely responsible defensively, he has the speed and the smarts to be a threat offensively as well. Utilizing these assets has gotten him promoted to the top-six forwards, most recently on the top line with Connor Bedard and Ryan Donato .

Mikheyev earns the third Star honors for contributing six goals and five assists for 11 points in March. Overall, his 17 goals is currently fourth place on the team, and his 31 points places him fifth. His contract runs through the 2025-26 season, and I’m sure the Blackhawks will benefit from utilizing such a versatile and experienced player as they integrate more youth next season.

No. 2 Star: Teuvo Teravainen

Teravainen was actually the 2 ^nd Star of December, and he earns that same rating in March; contributing two goals and 11 assists for 13 points. Coincidentally, the Finnish forward had 13 points in December as well (one goal and 12 assists).

The 30-year-old appears to be the set-up guy; his overall 41 assists is the most on the team. When Teravainen was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes in the offseason, it was assumed he was a skill player to be deployed with Bedard. And that was the case for the first month or so of the season.

But since then Teravainen has played on the second and third lines, presumably for more balance in the lineup. The veteran winger built some chemistry with our No. 3 Star Mikheyev earlier in the season; which helped boost his numbers in December. In that month, these two went on a tear that involved five goals in four games by Mikheyev; four of them with the primary assist coming from Teravainen, and one where “TT” provided the secondary assist.

While Teravainen is also a strong all-around player, a nice portion of his production comes on the power play. He currently sports 15 goals, 41 assists and 56 points overall, with seven goals, 16 helpers and 23 points of that on the man advantage.

Teravainen’s contract with the Blackhawks runs through the end of the 2026-27 season. Even more so than Mikheyev, he’ll be a complementary piece to usher in the new generation of Blackhawks.

No. 1 Star: Ryan Donato

I’m sure it comes as no surprise to see Donato named the No. 1 Star in March. His 10 goals, nine assists and 19 points this past month far exceed everyone else’s production. As an added bonus, he also notched his first career hat trick on Mar. 28 against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 28-year-old (29 on Apr. 9) is having a career season. As a matter of fact, he was named the No. 1 Star in October as well as February.

Donato’s 29 goals and 59 points leads the team, and his 30 assists sits in third place. To put this in perspective, his previous career-highs are 16 goals, 18 assists and 31 points. Here’s a recent power play goal by Donato, fittingly assisted by our No. 2 Star, Teravainen.

Some may say this season is a fluke for Donato. It’s true the pieces might not fall into place again for another season like this one. After all, Donato is being deployed on the top line and the top power play unit. On more talented teams he would be considered more of a depth piece. But the Boston, Massachusetts native is taking full advantage of his opportunity. He also worked very hard to improve his speed and skating over the offseason, and his tenacity and work ethic are second to none. Sure, he might regress back to the mean eventually. But regardless, he’s still a very valuable asset to any team.

There was interest in Donato at the trade deadline, but the Blackhawks put a very high price on his value (a first-round draft pick), and he ended up remaining in Chicago. He’s a free agent at the end of this season, but the Blackhawks and Donato’s camp are both very interested in working out an extension. After all, he’d a perfect role model for the up-and-coming players.

Interestingly, all three Stars this month are veteran players that have carried their weight and played their roles very well all season long. All three will likely be back in 2025-26 to help lead the way. But make no mistake, the younger generation is on its way. So much so, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of them are named as Stars in April.

Eight more games remaining to see who steps up as the 2024-25 season winds down.