The Chicago Blackhawks trimmed their training-camp roster again on Monday, and this round didn’t bring any real surprises.
With their preseason home opener against the Minnesota Wild coming up, the team loaned Gavin Hayes, Paul Ludwinski, Samuel Savoie, Ashton Cumby, Jake Furlong, Taige Harding, Stanislav Berezhnoy, and Adam Gajan to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. Chicago also assigned Cavan Fitzgerald to Rockford after releasing him from his PTO.
The Blackhawks made one more move by placing minor-league defenseman Derrick Pouliot on waivers. If he clears, he’ll head to Rockford as well.
That leaves Chicago’s camp roster at 38 players: 24 forwards, 11 defensemen, and three goaltenders.
According to IceHogs broadcaster Dana Grey, Rockford is expected to release its full training-camp roster and schedule on Tuesday.
On the blue line, Harding, Furlong, Pouliot, Fitzgerald, and Cumby are all projected to make up a big part of Rockford’s defense in 2026-27. Since all five shoot left-handed, Jared Nightingale will have some decisions to make when it comes to pairing them up.
Up front, Hayes, Ludwinski, and Savoie are all back in the IceHogs mix. Each spent the 2025-26 season strictly at the AHL level, and Ludwinski - a 2023 second-round pick - missed most of the year with a lower-body injury.
In goal, Berezhnoy and Gajan are candidates to back up Drew Commesso this season. Gajan could also begin his pro career with the ECHL’s Indy Fuel. With five capable goaltenders now in the pro system, the Blackhawks have created a bit of a logjam.
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Chicagos camp group is now down to 47 players, and theres likely more movement ahead as the preseason schedule continues to tighten the competition. Another round of cuts could come after Mondays preseason game against Minnesota, which should give the Blackhawks another chance to separate the hopefuls from the players who are starting to look ready for the next step. [Read more 🡒]
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For Del Mastro, the path forward is tied to the details that can separate an NHL regular from a depth option. He has been working on his skating and defensive mobility to make himself harder to play against, and those improvements could be what keeps him in the conversation as camp tightens. The Blackhawks like the potential enough to keep testing him, but with the numbers game already crowding the defense, every practice and exhibition game is adding pressure to prove he belongs. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Cut Leaves Veteran Defenseman In Roster Limbo
The Blackhawks latest training camp cuts have pushed Derrick Pouliot into roster limbo, with the veteran defenseman now waiting to see where he lands after being moved out of the NHL picture. Pouliots arrival in the organization gave Chicago another experienced blue-line option, and his game has still shown enough offensive touch to matter, even as his scoring rate has trended downward in recent seasons.
For now, the next stop appears to be Rockford, where Pouliot is expected to play a major defensive role for the IceHogs in the 2026-27 season. It is a familiar kind of pivot for a player at this stage of his career, one who can still help an organization depth-wise even as the path back to Chicago becomes less certain. [Read more 🡒]