The Blackhawks’ prospect pipeline is heading to campus in a big way in 2026-27, with eight players set to take the NCAA route as college hockey keeps pulling in more elite talent.
That list starts with Mason West, the multi-sport name who finished his high school football career at Edina High School before fully turning his attention to hockey. West wanted to pair his hockey state championship with his time as the football team’s quarterback, and he said it was his duty as a teammate and member of the community. He checked that box in November.
West wrapped up his season with the Fargo Force of the USHL, putting up 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points in 38 games. Next stop: Michigan State University. The Big Ten should be a strong fit for him as he keeps working toward his ceiling, which remains very much a work in progress even with the obvious talent.
Another Blackhawks forward headed to college is Nathan Behm, who will begin his NCAA career at Arizona State. Chicago took Behm in the third round of the 2025 NHL Draft, 66th overall, after he produced steady offense with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers over the past several seasons. Arizona State gets a skilled young scorer looking to help push the program forward.
Ty Henry’s path is a different kind of college story. The defenseman, taken by Chicago in the sixth round of the 2024 NHL Draft at No. 163 overall, is bound for St.
Thomas after missing the entire 2025-26 season with Erie because of a bad ankle injury suffered during Blackhawks training camp last fall. He didn’t get the OHL finish he wanted, but St.
Thomas gives him a fresh start and another shot at his NHL dream.
Hockey East will feature five Blackhawks prospects, and two of them will wear UMass sweaters. Vaclav Nestrasil, the 25th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, is joined there by Samu Alalauri, Chicago’s 2026 third-round selection at No.
- Nestrasil is coming off a strong freshman season in 2025-26 and is likely headed toward his final year in the NCAA before a possible Blackhawks contract and a finish to the season in the NHL or AHL.
Alalauri arrives as a freshman from Finland, with the World Junior Championships and a strong first North American season among his current goals.
Providence College will bring back both John Mustard and Julius Sumpf for another run. Mustard, a fast forward with a heavy shot, went to Chicago in the third round of the 2024 draft, 67th overall.
Sumpf, a 2025 fourth-round pick at No. 98, brings a more two-way style. Together, they give Providence two forwards with pro upside, and if the rest of the roster keeps pace, the Friars could be a factor all season.
Boston University will also have a Blackhawks name worth watching in Xavier Villeneuve. Chicago picked the offensive defenseman 34th overall in the 2026 NHL Draft, and he enters as a freshman on a roster loaded with talent.
At 5-foot-11 and 163 pounds, Villeneuve fits the mold of a small, mobile defender, the kind of player who has found plenty of success in the NHL lately. Whether he reaches that level is still to be determined, but the upside is real.
The Blackhawks aren’t the only ones with eyes on the college game, either. Scouts are expected to be tracking the NCAA closely because roughly half of the projected first-round picks in 2026-27 are committed to college hockey. Landon DuPont, widely viewed as the top overall pick in 2027, is headed to Michigan, while Carter Meyer is set for Boston University, Sammy Nelson for Notre Dame, and Noah Davidson for Boston College.
In Other News...
Blackhawks Prospect Buzz Centers On One Huge Oliver Moore Question
The Blackhawks prospect conversation keeps circling back to the same point: how quickly the organization can turn a deep pipeline into real lineup help. With Chicago drawing attention as one of the leagues most talent-rich systems, the next layer of the discussion is less about who belongs in the future and more about where those young players fit when they get here. Oliver Moore is right in the middle of that picture, and his long-term value will depend on how the team imagines his role as he moves closer to the NHL.
Moore brings the kind of speed and skill that make him easy to picture in a Blackhawks sweater, but his exact usage is still part of the evaluation. The team has work left to do in sorting out whether he settles in at center or slides to the wing, and that decision matters for both his development path and Chicagos larger roster puzzle. For a rebuilding club trying to build around the right young pieces, the answer to that question could shape more than just one prospects career arc. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Prospects Suddenly Face Trade Pressure As Contention Push Begins
Bowen Byrams arrival and extension gave the Blackhawks another clear sign that the front office is no longer treating the rebuild like a waiting game. Chicago is starting to think more like a team with a timeline to attack the standings, and that changes the way it views the young players in its system. Prospects who once looked untouchable now have to be weighed against the possibility of bringing in NHL-caliber help.
That is where the depth chart gets tricky, because the Blackhawks have real names in play at different positions and not enough room to keep all of them forever. Kevin Korchinski, Ethan Del Mastro and Adam Gajan are part of a group that has drawn plenty of attention, and the question is no longer just who develops best, but who fits the next phase of the roster. With more pressure coming to turn future assets into present value, Chicago may soon have to make some uncomfortable calls. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Face A Real Kevin Korchinski Decision This Summer
Kevin Korchinskis path since going seventh overall in the 2022 NHL Draft has already taken a few sharp turns, which is why his situation is one of the more interesting ones hanging over the Blackhawks this summer. He got a real look in Chicago during the 2022-23 season, then spent meaningful time in Rockford, where he was good enough to earn All-Star Game selections and an MVP award in 2025 before getting another 13 games with the big club. For a player once viewed as a key part of the rebuild, the next step matters.
What makes this especially intriguing is that there is still no clarity on where he fits, or even whether he will be part of the organizations long-term picture at all. The Blackhawks have roster competition to sort through and trade conversations always linger this time of year, so Korchinskis unsigned status only adds to the uncertainty around a summer decision that could shape both his development and the teams blue-line plans. [Read more 🡒]