The Vegas Golden Knights are headed to San Jose with 23 rookies on the books for the 2026 Rookie Camp and Rookie Faceoff, and the group gives a clear look at the names the organization wants to watch closely as hockey season starts creeping back into view.
Vegas’ roster includes forwards Dylan Allie, Mathieu Cataford, Trevor Connelly, Jordan Gustafson, Jackson Hallum, Ben Hemmerling, Mateo Nobert, Noel Pakarinen, Jonah Sivertson, Sloan Stanick, Trent Swick, Tuomas Uronen and Alex Weiermair. On the blue line, the Golden Knights are bringing Sean Burick, Viliam Kmec, Samuel Mayer, Will McLaughlin, Bronson Ride, Conor Walton and Vann Williamson. In goal, the trio is Matthew Minchak, Pavel Moysevich and Cameron Whitehead.
The Rookie Faceoff runs from September 12 through September 15 and will be staged at TechCU Arena and Sharks Ice in San Jose. Six teams are set to take part: the Golden Knights, Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks and Utah Mammoth.
Before the trip, Vegas’ rookies will practice at CNA on Friday, September 11 at 12:45 PM. From there, the group heads to the Bay Area for two games over the opening weekend, beginning with Utah on September 12 at 3 PM and followed by Colorado on September 13 at 1 PM.
Trevor Connelly is one of the names drawing the most attention. The former first-round pick is making real progress toward pushing for a spot with the Golden Knights, and his playmaking ability has made him a winger worth tracking at camp and in the faceoff. For Vegas, this is a chance to see how far he’s come and how loudly he can make his case.
There are other intriguing pieces in the mix, too. Mathieu Cataford, Tuomas Uronen and Cameron Whitehead all arrive with decorated amateur backgrounds and opportunities to keep building momentum as they move into the next stage of their careers. A strong showing in San Jose would give each of them a nice boost heading into the minor league season.
The broader conversation around the Golden Knights’ prospect pool has often centered on depth, or the lack of it, after years of trading away picks and young players to stay competitive now. This stretch gives the organization a chance to answer that criticism on the ice.
And Vegas has shown before that it can uncover real talent. Pavel Dorofeyev and Nicolas Hague are examples the team can point to, and the middle of September gives the Golden Knights another opportunity to show that their system deserves more credit than it usually gets.
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