With the calendar flipping over to December a few days ago, two full months have now come and gone in the 2025-26 men’s college hockey season. Conference play has begun across the country, and the games are intensifying and holding more and more weight.
The NCAA has been an essential development tool for the Chicago Blackhawks in recent years, with current NHLers like Sam Rinzel (Minnesota), Frank Nazar (Michigan), Artyom Levshunov (Michigan St.), Oliver Moore (Minnesota), and Ryan Greene (Boston University) blossoming during their time playing college hockey. Going back a little further, Alex Vlasic (Boston University), Wyatt Kaiser (Minnesota-Duluth), and Landon Slaggert (Notre Dame) are three other Blackhawks’ draft picks who developed nicely in college before turning professional.
This year isn’t any different, as the Blackhawks have five recent NHL Draft selections skating in the NCAA. Four of them are currently playing for top-20 programs in the country.
With the Holiday break and the World Junior Championship on the horizon, it’s time for a check-up on all five prospects and their respective programs through the first two months of the season.
Vaclav Nestrasil – UMass-Amherst
The Blackhawks selected 6-foot-5 forward Vaclav Nestrasil with the 25th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft out of Muskegon in the USHL. Originally projected as a second or third-round selection, Nestrasil saw his draft stock skyrocket after recording 13 points (7G, 6A) in 14 playoff games to help the Lumberjacks win the Clark Cup. Chicago ended up drafting the Czech Republic native with their second of three first-round picks, and that decision is already paying off.
Going into his freshman season at UMass, Nestrasil was viewed as still somewhat of a raw prospect. There were questions about how he would handle the jump from the USHL to the NCAA as an 18-year-old, with little experience in North America. Joining one of the top programs in the country, there weren’t major expectations for Nestrasil in his first year with the Minutemen.
But perhaps there should have been, considering how well Nestrasil has played through his first 16 collegiate contests. He’s racked up nine goals and ten assists for 19 points, which is tied for second among all freshmen in the country. Nestrasil is also second on UMass in points, trailing only 22-year-old Jack Musa.
Much of the attention in college hockey this season rightfully has been on Gavin McKenna, the projected 2026 No. 1 overall pick who’s playing as a freshman with Penn State. But Nestrasil has impressively outscored McKenna up to this point, and he’s also tied with the sixth overall selection in 2025, Porter Martone of Michigan State. Quinnipiac’s Ethan Wyttenback is the only freshman with more points than Nestrasil.
Despite Nestrasil’s consistent production, UMass has struggled mightily since conference play started in early November. The Minutemen are 2-5 in Hockey East play and 8-8 on the season, which has dropped them outside of the top-20 ranking. They were No. 9 in the USCHO Preseason Poll coming into the year. However, the team has two pivotal opportunities to gain some respect back this weekend, with a pair of road games against No. 12 Northeastern.
Adam Gajan – Minnesota-Duluth
One of the best stories in all of college hockey this season is the turnaround from 2023 second-round pick (No. 35 overall) Adam Gajan. The Slovakian goaltender’s first two years after being drafted were uninspiring, with a save percentage below .895 in the USHL in 2023-24 AND in the NCAA in 2024-25. Fans were starting to worry that GM Kyle Davidson made the wrong decision by choosing Gajan as the first goalie off the board.
Now as a sophomore at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Gajan is finally looking like the top netminder from the 2023 draft class. The 21-year-old has backstopped the Bulldogs to No. 4 in the latest USCHO rankings with a 12-4-0 record, 1.78 goals-against average, .925 save percentage, and two shutouts in 16 starts.
Among all goaltenders in the NCAA with at least 10 games played, Gajan ranks second in wins, fourth in goals-against average, and ninth in save percentage. He’s also one of just 12 goalies with at least two shutouts.
The Bulldogs were unranked coming into the season, but Gajan has helped the team vault into the top five in the country. He’s started in all 16 of UMD’s games so far, and he’ll have four more opportunities before the Holiday break begins. Minnesota-Duluth has two road games this weekend against Western Michigan. Then, they’ll play Arizona State at home the following Friday and Saturday.
Sacha Boisvert — Boston University
Like Nestrasil this year with UMass, 2024 first-round pick (No. 18 overall) Sacha Boisvert was one of the best freshmen in the nation last season with North Dakota. Boisvert produced 32 points (18G, 14A) in 37 games as an 18-year-old, but after his head coach, Brad Berry, was fired in March, he entered the transfer portal.
Boisvert ultimately joined Boston University for his sophomore season, which felt like an excellent choice. BU is known for being one of the top programs for developing talent and preparing players for the next level. They’re also known for winning, with five National Championships and 25 Frozen Four appearances in program history.
Coming into the year, the Terriers were ranked No. 2 in the USCHO Preseason Poll, and Boisvert was in the Hobey Baker conversation as the team’s top-line center. Sadly, Boisvert’s season has been plagued by injuries so far, as he’s played in just nine of the club’s 15 games. The 6-foot-2 forward has scored only one goal, while BU has dropped down to 18th in the rankings.
Another unfortunate result of the injury is that Boisvert seems likely to be left off Canada’s roster for the upcoming World Junior Championship at this point. There hasn’t been much buzz around his name, and the latest roster projections don’t have him on the team.
Hopefully, Sacha can return to full health soon and have a productive second half of his sophomore year. The Terriers have three games remaining before the Holiday break: Friday vs. Vermont, Saturday vs. Vermont, and Saturday (12/13) at Northeastern.
John Mustard – Providence
While Boisvert has fallen out of the mix for Canada’s 2026 WJC roster, 2024 third-round pick (No. 67 overall) John Mustard has increased his chances of making the team with an excellent start to his sophomore season with Providence.
Mustard currently leads the Friars with seven goals and is second on the team with 12 points through 15 games. The Newmarket, Ontario native came racing out of the gates with a nine-game point streak to begin the year. However, Mustard has now gone four consecutive contests without producing a point. Providence is 2-2 during that stretch.
The Friars were No. 9 in the USCHO Preseason Poll, and they currently sit 16th with a 7-6-2 record. In conference play, Providence is 4-3-1 and has split three of four two-game series.
Mustard has been a fixture of the top-six forward group all season, and he’ll have one more chance on Tuesday against Brown to snap his pointless drought before the Holiday break.
Julius Sumpf — Providence
Mustard’s teammate and 2025 fourth-round pick (No. 98 overall) Julius Sumpf is technically a freshman for the Friars, but he’s actually the older of the two players. Sumpf, 20, was selected as an overager by the Blackhawks this past summer from Moncton in the QMJHL. He recorded 65 points (26G, 39A) in 58 regular-season games and added 16 points (10G, 6A) in 19 postseason appearances to help the Wildcats win the QMJHL Championship last year.
Sumpf has bounced around Providence’s lineup so far in his first collegiate campaign, moving from the top six to the bottom six quite frequently. But regardless of his role, he’s found ways to chip in offensively, with six points (2G, 4A) through 15 games, which is tied for sixth on the team.
Given the Blackhawks’ depth in their prospect pool, Sumpf’s best chance of earning a long-term spot is to become a stout two-way player. They’ll likely never need him for offense, but if his defense can be superb, he’ll be plenty useful to the franchise. Well, at 6-foot-1 with decent skating ability, the German forward has the tools to become an intriguing puzzle piece.
Given Sumpf’s age, there’s a chance he’ll only spend one season playing college hockey. If the Blackhawks are serious about signing him to an entry-level deal, they likely would want him at the professional level sooner rather than later. Sumpf will turn 21 in January, and another year in the NCAA would mean turning 23 in the midst of his first pro season.
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