The Jack Pridham saga officially came to an end on Monday morning, as the Chicago Blackhawks traded the 2024 third-round pick (No. 92 overall) to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a 2027 third-round selection. The deal comes less than 24 hours following Pridham and the Kitchener Rangers defeating the Everett Silvertips to win the 2026 Memorial Cup.
The door swung open for the Blackhawks to lose Pridham’s rights when he de-committed from Boston University in the NCAA last fall and opted to remain with Kitchener in the Ontario Hockey League for the second consecutive season. Pridham needed to commit to an NCAA program by today, Jun. 1, for Chicago to retain his draft rights. If he didn’t sign with a collegiate program by today’s deadline, he would have to enter the 2026 NHL Draft.
Ultimately, Pridham has committed to the NCAA for next season, but which program he’ll play for remains unknown. The Lightning announced via social media that he’s heading to college hockey in 2026-27, meaning he purposely chose not to sign with the Blackhawks.
We’ve acquired the rights to forward Jack Pridham from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Pridham is committed to play in the NCAA next season with the school expected to be announced in the coming days.
🗞️ https://t.co/LOtdOPx7YJ pic.twitter.com/HPAsZvYo83
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 1, 2026
Pridham, 20, has seemingly decided his best opportunity moving forward was not with the Blackhawks, who possess arguably the NHL’s deepest prospect pool. He could have signed an entry-level contract with the team that drafted him nearly two years ago, but he elected for a similar path that 2022 sixth-round pick Dominic James took last summer. Coincidentally, Pridham and James are now teammates.
The 2025-26 season was stellar for Pridham, as he finished second in the OHL with 46 goals and was fifth with 90 points in 65 appearances for Kitchener. He also tallied 17 points (2G, 15A) to help the Rangers win the OHL Championship and was the leading scorer (nine points) among all players at the Memorial Cup.
For the Blackhawks, it’s undoubtedly disappointing that Pridham wouldn’t sign his entry-level contract after a standout season. He’s on the older side for a prospect, but his size, speed, and scoring combo would have made for a potential fit down the road as a middle-to-bottom-sixer. However, at least GM Kyle Davidson got something in return, effectively retaining a similar selection to the one they used to draft Pridham in 2024. That’s a good piece of business for a player that wasn’t going to sign with the organization.
The Blackhawks now possess seven selections in the first three rounds of the 2027 NHL Draft — three in the first, two in the second, and two in the third.
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