NHL Prospect Watch: Chicago Blackhawks

Ahead of the 2025-26 hockey season, we’re diving into the WHL prospect pool for each of the NHL’s 32 teams. This series will highlight current and former WHLers who are signed to an NHL contract, have recently been drafted by an NHL team, or meet the NHL’s definition of a rookie.

Next up, we’ll check in on the youngsters with eyes on joining former WHL superstar Connor Bedard on the Chicago Blackhawks.

Colton Dach

Twenty-two-year-old Colton Dach had an NHL debut to remember as he took to the ice against his brother, Kirby, and the Montreal Canadiens on January 3, 2025. He ended up getting 25 looks with the Blackhawks in 2024-25, netting two goals and five assists for seven points. The 6-foot-4, 193-pound winger only played a handful of games in the AHL following his first NHL twirl, totalling 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in 33 AHL games. A shoulder injury sidelined the promising youngster for nearly two months, but the Hawks’ second-round pick from 2021 managed to score in his return to the AHL Playoffs. The Saskatoon Blades chose Dach with the sixth overall pick in the 2018 WHL Prospects Draft. The Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. product played two seasons in the Bridge City before joining the Kelowna Rockets (and earning the captaincy), before heading south for the Seattle Thunderbirds’ incredible 2023 Playoff run. Dach totaled 63 goals and 92 assists for 155 points and a +43 rating in 166 career regular-season games but did his best work in the postseason, tallying three goals (including two game-winners) and 11 assists en route to Seattle’s second WHL championship and tacking on two goals in five games at the 2023 Memorial Cup.

Enjoy the moment, Colton Dach! 👏 pic.twitter.com/YuCYVuCdJ1

— NHL (@NHL) January 4, 2025

Ashton Cumby

Clocking in at 6-foot-5, 216 pounds, Cumby cuts an intimidating figure on the ice- a big part of why the Blackhawks selected him with the 162nd overall pick in the sixth round of the 2025 NHL Draft. The 20-year-old picked up two goals and 11 assists for 13 points in 68 games in his first full season with the Seattle Thunderbirds. Cumby also buried his first WHL Playoff goal- the game-tying mark- in a 6-3 win over the regular season champion Everett Silvertips in Game 3 of their first-round series. Originally drafted by the Winnipeg ICE/Wenatchee Wild in the fourth round of the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, Cumby has netted two goals and 17 assists for 19 points in 197 regular-season games over parts of four seasons.

SAVING ONE FOR THE RIGHT OCCASION 🚨

Ashton Cumby ties things up with his first career #WHLPlayoffs goal!@SeattleTbirds | #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/BCH2ruLLqP

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) April 2, 2025

Nathan Behm

Kamloops Blazers forward Nathan Behm ended the 2024-25 season with a bang as the 66th overall pick in the third round of the NHL Draft. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound winger erupted for 31 goals and 35 assists for 66 points in 59 games. Behm finished second on the Blazers in points and goals and tied for second in goals while leading the squad with five game-winning strikes. The Calgary, Alta. product was named Tempo WHL Player of the Week in early October after potting four goals and six assists in just three games, highlighted by a three-goal, three-assist effort in a 6-3 win over the eventual B.C. Division champion Victoria Royals. Behm, 18, is poised to hit major milestones in 2025-26 as he sits on 43 goals, 55 assists and 98 points in 133 career regular-season games with Kamloops.

Fun fact: Nathan Behm won a National Long Drive Championship last August with a 340-yard drive 🤯

Behmer can blast it on the ice, too.@NHLBlackhawks | @blazerhockey | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/pupCf3LWOg

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) June 28, 2025