Blackhawks make first roster moves of training camp

The Chicago Blackhawks have made their first set of training camp roster moves. As mentioned by Darren Pang during last night’s Chicago Sports Network broadcast, the Canadian Hockey League players were going to head back to their respective junior clubs after the game. Forwards Nathan Behm, Parker Holmes, Jack Pridham, and Marek Vanacker are all heading back to Canada.

Since the new CHL/AHL agreement doesn’t take effect until next season, it’s the NHL or CHL for them, as they are all under 20. Next year, each team will be able to loan one 19-year-old CHL player to their AHL affiliate. There were reports earlier in the summer that this change would be fast-tracked for this season, but general manager Kyle Davidson confirmed it’s not happening until next season.

Holmes and Vanacker are returning to the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League. They have a very talented squad in Brantford, and Vanacker will be a key player for the Bulldogs. He is definitely a candidate to get some games with the Blackhawks or Rockford IceHogs once his OHL season ends this spring.

Pridham will return to the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL instead of attending Boston University, where he initially committed. He scored 27 goals and 54 points in 48 games for the Rangers last season, and will be a pivotal part of their offseason. There is still a chance he plays for Boston U next season, if he doesn’t sign his entry-level contract before then.

Behm will head back to the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League. The 2025 third-round pick scored 31 goals and 66 points in 59 games last season. He will play for Arizona State University next season as he continues down his development path.

The only other junior players left on the roster are defenseman Ty Henry and forward AJ Spellacy. Henry is recovering from knee surgery and will be out for a significant amount of time. Spellacy suffered a shoulder injury at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase and has yet to participate in training camp. I’d imagine they will get him a couple of practices and at least one preseason game before sending him back to the OHL.

The IceHogs will open their training camp on Monday, so expect more roster moves after the pair of games over the weekend with the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild.