Blackhawks NCAA Prospect Update, 1/8: Gajan bounces back at UMD

It\'s been a while since we\'ve checked in on the Blackhawks prospects playing college hockey this winter. Let\'s fix that.

Forwards

Sacha Boisvert, Boston

Stats: 11 points (2 G, 9 A), 14 PIM, 25 SOG in 12 games

The first half of Boisvert\'s sophomore season at Boston -- after transferring there from North Dakota -- has been marked by a nagging shoulder injury that won\'t quite go away. Boisvert has missed one-third of Boston\'s 18 games so far this season and, while he is near a point-per-game pace when he\'s played, seven of those 12 points came in just two games. The good news is that Boisvert\'s had three weeks to rest up while Boston had a break in their schedule from mid-December until this week, so his health could be better now than it\'s been all season.

Here\'s a goal Boisvert scored in December on a rush that he started and finished:

MIH: BU GOAL - Sacha Boisvert ties the game at 2-2. #GoBU

Watch on NESN and ESPN+: https://t.co/or9fJ3SzTC @hockey_east | @NESN | @espn pic.twitter.com/NkAxlBjBls

— BU Game Day (@BUGameDay) December 14, 2025

Boisvert also had a pair of power-play goals in an exhibition game against Simon Fraser on Saturday night as Boston prepares for its post-World Juniors schedule.

Here was one of those PPGs from last weekend:

People are forgetting how good Sacha Boisvert really is. He is going to be a stud #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/1YVTUh6Ud4

— Riz (@RizNHL) January 4, 2026

It\'s also worth noting that Boisvert was on the top line for Boston during that exhibition game, based on the pregame lineup:

The games come fast and furious for Boisvert and BU over the second half of the season, so the hope here is that a clean bill of health for Boisvert allows him to flourish in ways that he didn\'t quite do during his initial slate of games with Boston.

John Mustard, Providence

Stats: 15 points (8 G, 7 A), 25 PIM, 77 SOG in 18 games

Mustard leads the Friars in goals through the first half of his sophomore season, already surpassing the seven goals he tallied as a freshman. That eighth goal was scored during Providence\'s first game of 2026:

A Musty short side snipe 🎯

Rybakov and McQueen with the assists on Mustard's team-high eighth of the season! https://t.co/zX2f9BbyOo x @ESPNPlus https://t.co/SiQ9W2eUCX pic.twitter.com/3e1YhW2lmv

— PC Men's Hockey (@FriarsHockey) January 3, 2026

Scrolling through Providence\'s lineup cards suggests that the speedy forward started this season as the Friars\' second-line left wing, jumping up to the top line in December and residing there in games since, including the Friars most recent game last Friday:

Blackhawks assistant GM Mark Eaton was effusive in his praise of Mustard in a Sun-Times article from one month ago, saying that Mustard\'s speed isn\'t the only thing that\'s been evident in his game:

“Every time I see him play, he creates three or four chances off the rush just based on speed and his ability to distribute,” Eaton said. “He always has a knack for getting himself in good shooting positions and being a dangerous shooter, as well.”

Overall, a strong first half of the season for Mustard. A similar level of production would be good, although a breakout back half of the calendar would be even better. Mustard and the rest of the Friars are currently ranked No. 18 in the most recent NCAA poll and have a pair of games this weekend against No. 12 Maine.

Julius Sumpf, Providence

Stats: 8 points (2 G, 6 A), 4 PIM, 36 SOG in 18 games

Sumpf has had the inverse of Mustard\'s experience this season, starting off as the team\'s top-line left wing before being dropped down to the third line in December. His production did pick up after a slow start, with Sumpf notching six points (2 G, 4 A) during a seven-game stretch in late November and early December.

Here was one of Sumpf\'s goals from the season:

Clean faceoff win by Kivi and Sumpf makes no mistake for his second of the season to give us the lead! https://t.co/mBaJWK1ruV x @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/Ay1Waer8CW

— PC Men's Hockey (@FriarsHockey) November 23, 2025

We\'ll keep an eye on Sumpf to see if the 2025 fourth-round pick (No. 98 overall) has a second-half surge in him.

Vaclav Nestrasil, UMass

Stats: 20 points (10 G, 10 A), 6 PIM, 55 SOG in 18 games

We touched on Nestrasil\'s performance at the World Juniors earlier this week , and combining that with the first portion his freshman season at UMass all adds up to a northward trajectory for the 2025 first-round pick (No. 25 overall). Nestrasil announced his presence early on, posting a hat trick against Stonehill on Oct. 10, followed by a three-point game (1 G, 2 A) against Bentley on Oct. 18. His production remained consistent throughout, with at least one point in 12 of his 18 games. Nestrasil hasn\'t played for UMass since Dec. 7 while away for the World Juniors, but he should be back on the ice when Boisvert and the rest of the BU Terriers arrive for a pair of games this weekend, starting on Friday night.

Here\'s Nestrasil completing his aforementioned hat trick from October by hanging around the net:

Vaclav Nestrasil (CHI) completes the hat trick for @UMassHockey pic.twitter.com/oZfShQDB5a

— Ryan Sikes (@rms_hockey) October 11, 2025

And here\'s another Nestrasil goal off a nice give-and-go:

With two goals and an assist in yesterday’s game, Václav Nestrašil is picking up form ahead of the #WorldJuniors .

With 19 points in 16 games, he’s had a smooth start as an NCAA freshman and could be a secret weapon for Czechia at the WJC. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/EhXtmNfDxn

— Honza Zoufal (@HZoufal) November 30, 2025

This goal came with a possible nickname for Nestrasil:

"THE LOCH NESS MONSTER!!"

Our radio highlights from UMass' 5-4 win over Bentley on Saturday, including a new nickname for Václav Nestrašil as he tucks his 5th of the season. pic.twitter.com/eKTdzklMn3

— Nathan Strauss (@NathanPStrauss) October 19, 2025

Really good start for Nestrasil and yet another player to watch closely during the second half of this hockey season.

Goalies

Adam Gajan, Minnesota-Duluth

Stats: 14-6-0 record, .919 save percentage, 1.92 goals-against average in 20 games

Among Blackhawks prospects, there may not be a bigger turnaround season than the one Adam Gajan has put together so far. As a freshman at Minnesota-Duluth last season, he posted a 7-12-1 record with a .885 save percentage and 3.33 goals-against average. The numbers above detail his drastic improvement as a sophomore, raising hopes that the 2023 second-round pick (No. 35 overall) still has a professional future ahead of him. Gajan has started every game for the Bulldogs is one of the biggest reasons why UMD enters 2026 as the No. 5 team in the nation according to the most recent USCHO.com poll.

Gajan also played with the US Collegiate Selects team at the Spengler Cup in late December, posting a 1-1 record, .873 SV% and 4.03 GAA while guiding that team to a runner-up finish. According to this post from college hockey reporter Matt Wellens , this was the first time a college team had won a game in that tournament in over 40 years.

Adam Gajan gets tested early in this one. #SpenglerCup pic.twitter.com/44sxRjjM0E

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 31, 2025

Here\'s an example of Gajan\'s lateral movement with UMD that\'s helped him have such a successful sophomore season so far:

Adam Gajan 😮💨 #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/9Qe7IhWccH

— HockeyWithZak (@HockeyWithZak) December 7, 2025

And here\'s a clip of Gajan remaining poised despite some chaos unfolding in front of him:

Blackhawks fans should be excited about Adam Gajan #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/ZG8Mj60rbE

— HockeyWithZak (@HockeyWithZak) November 9, 2025

We\'ll see if Gajan keeps this up over the remainder of the season. The Hawks are obviously in a good spot at goalie with Spencer Knight at the NHL level and Drew Commesso in the AHL. But a hockey organization can never have too many good goalies.

Forwards

Sacha Boisvert, Boston

Stats: 11 points (2 G, 9 A), 14 PIM, 25 SOG in 12 games

Talking Points