Blackhawks Prospect Showcase Day 2, hear from Roobroeck, Misiak, Harding & more

The Blackhawks prospects are in the midst of their prospect showcase, and Rockford IceHogs head coach Jared Nightingale is pushing the pace. Day 1 was intense, with a very physical practice. The players were on the ice for over an hour, getting back up to speed after a whole summer off. Brooke gave us the details on this intense start to this showcase.

Day 2 was much of the same, but there was more game prep, including line rushes. We also got to speak with a plethora of prospects after practice. Let’s dive into the highlights.

Forward Lines and defensive pairings set

Here are the forward lines and defensive pairings we saw in practice.

When Nightingale was asked about this after practice, he indicated these are indeed the lines and pairings we’ll see for the upcoming games on Monday and Tuesday. He further said the Ryan Roobroeck, Sacha Boisvert, A.J. Spellacy combination was obviously three top prospects that management wants to get a closer look at.

“That comes from management. They want those lines, so they created those lines. Obviously, three high prospects. What lines you saw today are the lines that are going to be played in the game.”

Boisvert, in particular, stood out in practice. The puck just seemed to find him. It’s obvious his seven games with the Blackhawks last season served him well. He and Spellacy also seemed to have some immediate chemistry. After practice, we had a chance to speak with 2026 draftee Ryan Roobroeck about playing with Boisvert and Spellacy.

Roobroeck taking it all in

Roobroeck is the youngest and newest player at the showcase this year, so it must be a bit daunting to be inserted on the top line with the Blackhawk’s top two prospects. He was asked if all this had hit him over the last few days, to which he responded,

“Yeah, I mean, obviously you walk through those doors, and obviously, kind of starts when you step on the flight, and you end up landing here and stuff. But you walk through those doors. Yesterday, we finished practice. You see the pro guys out there skating and stuff. It's just a whole different atmosphere.”

On playing with Boisvert and Spellacy, Roobroeck said, “I enjoyed it so far. So those guys got a lot of experience between both of them, so just being able to play alongside those guys is great, and just take away any information I can.”

I further asked him if he’s gotten any good tips from them. “Yeah, just a little bit in the defensive zone, just how the structure is and how they want it to be played and stuff. So just that, and a little bit off the offensive rush and how those guys play and stuff. Just figuring out how they are and where they are on the ice is going to be huge."

The 18-year-old felt their line could produce offensively when they play against the Blues. It’s a great opportunity for Roobroeck, and this should be a fun line to watch in the games.

Misiak will be building from last season

Martin Misiak is another prospect to watch. He’s was drafted in the second round (55th overall) in 2023, and played 63 games with the IceHogs last season. He tallied four goals and 15 points, and will be featured on the right wing of the second line in the showcase games.

He admitted it was a tough transition going from juniors (the OHL Erie Otters) to the IceHogs last season, but that things got better as he went along. The good news is Coach Nightingale called him one of the most improved players over the season, so Misiak will be trying to build on that. Here’s a little more from him on his mindset.

“Playing using my body, protecting my puck, and like I said, I'm not really a power forward, but I played kind of that way in Rockford last year. So the biggest part for me in Rockford was figuring out what my game is and what my game will be coming, in Rockford (or the) NHL. Just figuring out what player I need to be to make the next step.”

Misiak also mentioned getting to the net more and scoring more goals, which goes along with the power forward theme. Assuming he ends up in Rockford this season, it should be a big year for him.

Ludwinski wants to rebound after his injury

Forward/center Paul Ludwinski suffered a left knee injury in his third game with the IceHogs last year, forcing him to be sidelined for the rest of the campaign. But he started skating again at the end of March, so was able to get in a full offseason of training. He says he’s super excited and grateful to be participating in this showcase.

One interesting thing about this 2022 draft pick (39th overall) is that he took to the IceHogs broadcast booth a number of times while he was recovering from injury. I asked him how this all came about.

“I think just sitting around, like trying to make myself useful to the team, not just being dead weight. So I think it kind of helped me to see the game from up top and pick apart things. You know, it's the full eyes from up there, so I think it helped me with the vision of the game and kind of develop my hockey IQ a little bit. But it was kind of Dana (Grey) just saying, Hey, do you want to come up? I think it'd be good.’ So I did my first game and it was fun. I was actually more nervous there than actually playing (laughs).”

Ludwinski stressed that he definitely wants to be back on the ice though, despite this experience. He "knocked on wood" that he can remain healthy and have a productive season.

Cumby hoping to crack the IceHogs squad

Moving on to defensemen, we spoke with Ashton Cumby, who was selected in the sixth round (162nd overall) in the 2025 draft. This past May he signed a two-year AHL contract, which he’s hoping will turn into a spot on the blue line with the IceHogs this coming season (versus the Indy Fuel of the ECHL). He talked about what he wants prove in this showcase and training camp to “crack the squad”, as he put it.

“I'm just hoping to prove, like, show them that I'm just gonna go out there, work, give it my all. Just show them that my compete level is always there, and that I can be reliable on defense, and just being able to get the work in everywhere.”

Cumby will add some size and physicality on the back end; he’s 6’5” and 216 pounds. However, he won’t be the biggest defenseman if he does make the team. That honor still goes to Taige Harding.  

Harding on growing his game

Harding is an impressive specimen at 6’7”, 237 pounds. He’ll be headed into his second full season with the IceHogs, having contributed three goals and nine points in 47 games last year. Like Misiak at forward, Coach Nightingale lauded Harding for being one of the most improved players. I asked him what felt right to him personally, and he immediately credited the coaching staff.

“I think I was really lucky that the staff there really helped me kind of mold my game and really helped me develop. Obviously an older prospect (he’s 24 years old), but I still think there's little details I continue working on. So I just really focus in every practice day, every game, me just trying to pick one thing to improve and to slowly get better.”

On what he wants to improve on, he said, “I think for me, it's obviously being a big guy and skating. At this level everyone skates so well. I think I do skate pretty well, but it's obviously being more fluid, being a little quicker in some areas. So continue working on that and just using my brain. Make sure I don't get caught.”

It’s hard for larger players to skate fluidly, so it’s admirable that Harding recognizes this area for improvement. I was at the IceHogs game where he scored his first goal (Feb. 14 versus the Milwaukee Admirals), and it was super neat to see how excited his teammates and coaches were for him. He’s obviously a player with high character, and someone that’s easy to root for.

Gajan looking to simplify

Finally, we talked with goaltender Adam Gajan at camp. The 22-year-old signed a two-year entry-level contract with the organization last April, and will start his first pro season after two years with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He discussed his focus in growing his game from last season to this season.

“On the ice (last season), I improved a lot of stuff. Just playing calmer, reading the game better, playing a little deeper, not like, you know, flying all over the place. Or just like simplifying the game, because I mean, I was always way too fast. Which is a good thing, but I gotta learn how to slow down. I think I made a huge step last year, but there is still so much I can improve on just still slowing down. So yeah, hopefully the next year is the same.”

Gajan was very detailed and articulate in his responses. It’s obvious he has a solid understanding of the game and how he can improve. He should have a big future ahead of him.

Coach Nightingale indicated Sunday’s practice would be a little lighter so the players can be fresh for Monday night. The game versus the Blues starts at 6 p.m. and will take place at the USG Arena in the Blackhawks Ice Center. Ticket are available via Ticketmaster for $10 apiece.

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