Blackhawks 2026 Development Camp: Entering 2025 Draft Class – Hockey Writers – Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks held Day 2 of their 2026 development camp on Tuesday, Jun. 30. The first day of the camp included welcome meetings, treatment and physical examination; and the media met the 2026 draft class in person. But everyone in camp finally made it to the ice on Day 2, and the focus of the day was to highlight the 2025 draft class.

Let’s check their progress.

Ashton Cumby (162nd overall, 6^th round, Defender, shooting left)

We’ll start with one defenseman of the 2025 draft class, Ashton Cumby. The 20-year-old signed a two-year AHL contract last May, and hopes that will translate to playing with the Rockford IceHogs (versus their ECHL affiliate, the Indy Fuel) this coming season.

The 6-foot-5, 215-pound blueliner is known for his physical, heavy play. He suited up for the past three seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds, contributing four goals and 17 points in 59 regular season games. He also ranked plus-13 in plus/minus rating. I asked him what he could contribute to his all-round strong campaign.

I feel like I just put my head down and realized there’s something here, and I just play with more confidence, for sure. And I just tried to stay as positive as possible throughout the year, and really just keep going with it.

The young D-man played a few preseason games with the IceHogs last season, and he feels like that gave him a little head start.

I once felt what it was like at that level … I’m not going to be the biggest boy anymore. I have to get used to playing with men now. So it was nice to get those two games and just see what it was like.

Cumby will never be the best defender on the team; The IceHog’s Taige Harding is 6-foot-7, 237 pounds. The IceHogs will have several great figures on their blue line next season.

Parker Holmes (107^th completely, 4^th round, Forward)

Parker Holmes played the last two seasons with the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs. Most Blackhawks fans know of two other famous Bulldogs; Nick Lardis (drafted in 2023) and Marek Vanacker (drafted in 2024), both in the Blackhawk program. Holmes gets a little lost in the shuffle because these two bring a lot of points and skill to the table. But Holmes is a deep player who offers a 6-foot-4, 228-pound frame.

The 19-year-old had shoulder surgery in the 2024-25 season that limited him to just 21 games, but this past season he registered six goals and 17 points in 49 games, as well as scoring in 11 playoff games. He talked about his progress. “I feel like I’ve played my game … getting into my role and finding my role as a player helps a lot, finding those who represent the game.” He went on to say that he wants to work on improving his foot speed, as well as his belief in himself.

Holmes was also kind enough to give me some insight from time to time with professional figure skating coach Tasha Zagorodnikova (and development coach Kendall Coyne and Sam Hanson of Minnesota Frost).

Here’s the final group ski session of Villeneuve, Roobroeck, Alalauri, Sorbrand & Holmes. #Black people pic.twitter.com/WANJCVrYPM

— Gail Kauchak (@littlegailk) June 30, 2026

Like getting your hips forward and driving your hips down the ice instead of sitting back. So it was different. It’s hard, I’ve never thought of that before, so it was great. You feel better when you think about it.

After all, Holmes said Lardis’ strategy for development camp was to “just enjoy it; take it all in.”

Julius Sumpf (98^th completely, 4^th around, Center)

At 21 years old, Julius Sumpf is considered “too old” for the 2025 draft class. However, the German native had an impressive rookie season at Providence College (four goals and 21 points in 36 games). He stands at 6-foot-2, 191 pounds.

Sumpf plans to return to Providence next season, and he didn’t hesitate at all when asked what he wanted to work on. “Scoring goals. Definitely, I had a hard time scoring goals last year. I had a lot of chances and chances, but I felt like I could be better, and work better.” Sumpf’s power? “I think I’m just perfect.. I think you can use me in every situation. I’m not just an offensive guy or a defensive guy, I play pretty much every situation on the ice, so I think I’m very important in every aspect of the game.”

Nathan Behm (66^th completely, 3^rd around, Left Wing)

Nathan Behm has spent the past four seasons with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, and each season he has gotten stronger. This past season, the 19-year-old posted an incredible 38 goals and 86 points in 67 regular season games. His plus/minus rating of 10 wasn’t too bad (up from minus-23 in the 2024-25 season).

The Calgary, Alberta native seems to have found all he can do in the minors; He stated that he is happy with his season and has achieved his goals. The next stop for the 6-foot-2, 207-pound Behm is the collegiate level; headed to Arizona State University in the fall. He said the next step for Assistant General Manager of Player Development Mark Eaton Behm,

I think the college schedule will really benefit him. With two games a week, but three or four days to hit the gym and continue to fill the body and put the right kind of muscle and weight. Because he already has a lot of offensive tools and skills on the ice, that too, adding that physicality and strength will only strengthen those good skills that are already there.

Behm agreed. “Yeah, I think it’s just going to help me use my size to my advantage a little bit. I’m a big guy, so it just kind of adds some power forward element to my game.”

He also says he wants to work more on his speed and explosiveness.

Mason West (29^th completely, 1^St around, Center)

Ah, yes. Football guy, Mason West. After rooting for his high school football team, the Edina Hornets, in the Minnesota Class AAAAAA state football championship last November, West completely switched gears and committed himself fully to hockey. In 38 games with the USHL Fargo Force, the 18-year-old posted 10 goals and 25 points in 38 games.

West is known for his size (6-foot-6, 215 pounds). On his transition to hockey, hockey and only hockey, West said,

I like it, because I can devote my time to hockey and focus on the things I need to do better. I see myself getting better every day, and it was difficult with football, just because, like, there are different movements, and my body was not comfortable being a tall boy. I had to relax, and I have long limbs, so it was a little difficult in the gym and more with football. But I think now that I just have hockey, it’s great. I find relief in those uncomfortable positions.

As if there wasn’t enough going on in his life, West was invited to Team USA’s World Junior Summer Showcase.

4️⃣7️⃣ players have been invited to the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase, set for July 26-Aug. 1 at the WFCU Center in Windsor, Ontario. #WJSS Details: pic.twitter.com/K56esIwJop

— USA Hockey (@usahockey) June 30, 2026

It’s a great opportunity, and I’ll give it my all … and what I can do to make that team, and help them win a gold medal, which would be very special. So I’m very happy, and also very hungry, to make that team.

Good luck to this young man with Team USA! West won’t turn 19 until Aug. 3, so it’s safe to say he’s getting off to a good start in his career. He will be taking the next step in his hockey journey by attending Michigan State University in the fall.

Vaclav Nestrasil (25^th completely, 1^St Cycle, Right Wing)

Everyone, including Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson, has high hopes for Vaclav Nestrasil. Davidson said in exit interviews in April that he was impressed with the 19-year-old’s growth in his freshman season at Mass last season, where he recorded 13 goals and 31 points in 34 games.

The theme of the 2025 Blackhawk draft was size, and Nestrasil is no exception. He’s 6-foot-6, but on the lean side at just 183 pounds. But let’s go back to the AGM of player development Eaton again, who talked about the Czech native game.

A lot of times Europeans get a bad rap for shying away from physical contact, but he had no problem getting in there in the corners, fighting for openings in front of the net, so I like that forward power play from him.

For his part, Nestrasil admitted that it was an adjustment that used his body a lot. But he accepted at UMass, and he said he was fat again. He scored a lot of his goals in the net this past season, which is obviously a good thing. But he joked that he wasn’t happy enough.

It means I can’t shoot from a distance right now. (media laughs) No, I think about my big body and kind of, you know, playing power. I found that most of the season, I can find that space there, but obviously I want to shoot. I want to score in all kinds of places, so that’s one thing I’m working on this summer, testing new tools and testing the game.

Nestrasil is expected to return to Mass next season. But don’t be surprised if we see him in a Blackhawk jersey at the end of the 2026-27 campaign.

The Blackhawks’ 2025 draft class appears to be enjoying their second development camp. All of them are very happy to skate with their peers for the first time, since last year’s camp was gone. However, a few players talked about the upcoming cooking class. We will have to follow that up in our development camp.

Stay tuned!