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Blackhawks Prospects: Mustard, Sumpf, & Gajan Will Play in NCAA Tournament
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- Blackhawks Prospects: Mustard, Sumpf, & Gajan Will Play in NCAA Tournament
Blackhawks Sign Goalie Prospect To Entry-Level Contract
As the Chicago Blackhawks were facing off with the Nashville Predators on Sunday afternoon, the NCAA Division I Men's ice hockey committee announced the 16-team field that will compete for a National Championship. The 2026 NCAA Tournament begins on Thursday, Mar. 26, with the Regional Semifinals kicking off the road to the Frozen Four at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Every game of the men's hockey tournament will air on the ESPN networks and will stream live on the ESPN App. The Frozen Four semifinals will air on ESPN2, and the final airs on ESPN.
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Among the five Blackhawks' prospects playing college hockey this season, three are on programs that were named to the NCAA tournament on Sunday. Here's a quick breakdown of which prospects still have their National Championship hopes alive, and when they'll be in action during the Regional Semifinals.
Providence
The Providence Friars were named as the No. 2 seed in the Sioux Falls Region, where North Dakota holds the No. 1 seed and will have plenty of home-crowd support at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Quinnipiac (3) and Merrimack (4) are the final two teams in the region.
Providence finished the regular season ranked 7th in the USCHO Poll but had an early exit during the Hockey East Conference Tournament, falling 3-2 in overtime to Merrimack in the Quarterfinals. Still, the Friars proved worthy enough of a No. 2 seed and will face Quinnipiac in the NCAA Regional Semifinals on Thursday. The game is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT and will be streamed on ESPN+.
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The Blackhawks have two prospects on Providence's roster in 2025-26 — 2024 third-round pick (No. 67 overall) John Mustard and 2025 fourth-round pick (No. 98 overall) Julius Sumpf. Mustard, 19, is a sophomore in his second season with the Friars, while Sumpf, 21, is a freshman who spent the last two years playing in the QMJHL.
Mustard finished the regular season as Providence's leading goal-scorer (16) and point-getter (28), upping his production by 10 points from his freshman campaign. Listed at 6-foot, 190 pounds as a winger, Mustard plays a fast-paced game, has a strong release on his shot, and is a competent two-way player. There has been some speculation that he could forego his junior year and sign an entry-level contract with the Blackhawks this summer.
Sumpf, drafted as an overager in 2025, led all Friars' skaters with 17 assists and finished with 21 points in 35 games this season. That production was good for sixth-most on the team, despite being utilized in various roles at times. As a 6-foot-1, 195-pound forward who's set to turn 22 next January, it will be interesting to see whether the Blackhawks believe Sumpf should remain in college for one more year or make the jump to pro hockey.
Mustard and Sumpf have been two key pieces of the Friars success, and they'll look to keep their season alive on Thursday with a win over Quinnipiac. The Sioux Falls Regional Final will be held on Saturday, Mar. 28.
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Minnesota-Duluth
The Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs also secured a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, as they were named to the Albany Region, along with the top overall seed, the Michigan Wolverines. Penn State (3) and Bentley (4) are also in the region, with games being held at MVP Arena in Albany, New York.
UMD concluded the regular season with a No. 6 ranking in the USCHO Poll and came so close to claiming the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, losing 4-3 to Denver University in double overtime in the Championship on Mar. 21. The Bulldogs defeated St. Cloud State 2-0 and North Dakota 5-1 during their run to the Championship.
In perhaps the toughest region in the NCAA Tournament, Minnesota-Duluth will take on Gavin McKenna and Penn State in the Regional Semifinals on Friday. The game will be televised on ESPN2 and is scheduled for 8:00 pm. CT.
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Serving as the Bulldogs' No. 1 goaltender all season, Blackhawks 2023 second-round pick (No. 35 overall) Adam Gajan will have his hands full with McKenna, the projected No. 1 selection in the 2026 NHL Draft, suiting up for the opposing club. Gajan, 21, should be up for the challenge, as he's had a stellar sophomore season thus far. In 31 appearances, he's 18-12-1 with a 2.23 GAA, .908 Sv%, and two shutouts. While he didn't appear in a single game, Gajan was also the third netminder on Team Slovakia's roster at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in February.
While Gajan will turn 22 in May, there doesn't seem to be any rush to get him to the professional scene, and odds are that he'll spend one more season playing at the NCAA level. He's taken tremendous steps after struggling mightily as a freshman, and it would be nice to see him build off this year and return even better as a junior.
For any hope of a long tournament run, Gajan will need to be sensational for the Bulldogs in a stout region filled with talent. The Albany Regional Final will be held on Sunday, Mar. 29.
Just Missed: UMass-Amherst
Despite finishing at No. 15 in the USCHO Poll, the UMass-Amherst Minutemen did not receive a bid to the NCAA tournament on Sunday, meaning that Blackhawks 2025 first-round pick (No. 25 overall) Vaclav Nestrasil's freshman season has officially ended.
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Nestrasil had a spectacular first year of college hockey, although he did cool off in terms of production in the second half. Regardless, the 18-year-old forward still tallied 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points in 34 games, finishing second on the team in both goals and points. He also represented Czechia at the 2026 World Junior Championship, recording eight points (2G, 6A) in seven games.
After being drafted as still somewhat of a raw product, Nestrasil immediately jumped into a strong Hockey East Conference and handled a top-line role impressively well. With his robust 6-foot-5 frame and smooth skills to go along with it, a lack of experience didn't hold him back from producing at nearly a point-per-game rate. There were some concerns that Nestrasil wasn't quite ready for the jump from the USHL to high-level NCAA hockey. Those notions were brushed aside rather quickly.
After defeating Northeastern 4-1 in the Hockey East Conference Quarterfinals on Mar. 14, where Nestrasil scored one goal and added two assists, the Minutemen were defeated 2-0 in the Semifinals on Mar. 20, which turned out to be their final game of 2025-26. An appearance in the Conference Championship likely would have punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament.
There hasn't been much chatter about Nestrasil inking an entry-level deal anytime soon, as the expectation is for him to return to college for his sophomore year. Should all go well for him in 2026-27, then the time will come for him to transition to professional hockey. Now still seems a little too soon.
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