It’s hot in Chicago right now, but the abnormal heat wave hasn’t hindered the first impressions of any Chicago Blackhawks prospects.
“It’s a sick city, I love it here,” said Ryan Roobroeck, 18, the No. 35 pick of this year’s NHL draft. “There hasn’t been one point where I said, ‘Wow, it’s not a place I want to be.'”
The next era of the Hawks skated at the Blackhawks Ice Center to begin their development camp on Monday. Training in an NHL practice facility exceeded the expectations of the Hawks’ second-round draft picks.
“Beautiful rink out there, little bit of a different experience than what I’ve done in the past,” Roobroeck said. “It’s a great experience, everybody’s very welcoming out there (which) makes it a whole lot easier.”
Added No. 34 pick Xavier Villeneuve: “It’s really nice, just a dream come true. So exciting to be here, I can’t wait for what’s next.”
The Hawks picked Villeneuve with their first selection of the 2026 NHL draft after trading for a two-player package highlighted by defenseman Bowen Byram. The 18-year-old had quality conversations with the Hawks and general manager Kyle Davidson.
“I wanted to go (to the Hawks), I think (Davidson) liked my personality off the ice,” Villeneuve said. “We had good conversation, so I had a feeling.”
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The Laval, Québec, native scored 38 points (six goals, 32 assists) in 37 games with the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in 2025-26. He’s committed to Boston University for the 2026-27 campaign.
There was plenty of chatter surrounding the Hawks’ first pick — mainly his 5-foot11, 163-pound stature. Assistant general manager of player development Mark Eaton, much like the rest of the front office, isn’t too concerned about Villeneuve’s size.
“(Boston U) has a pretty good track record for undersized D-men and developing them in a way that allows them to be successful at the next level,” Eaton said. “He’ll have BU’s great program as far as strength and conditioning goes — he’ll get as much as you can physically during the season.”
The No. 34 pick received praise on scouting reports, noting his scoring ability, mobility and hockey IQ. It echoed the defenseman’s high regard for himself and what he can bring to the Hawks.
“I think (my confidence) comes from hard work on the ice,” Villeneuve said. “When I was young, even now, spending two hours every day on the ice and practicing all those crazy skills that you see in games that are like: ‘How is he doing that? Why is he doing it?’
“(What) I can do with the puck in the offensive zone (and) the vision I have is something pretty rare. I hate to be cocky talking about how good I am, that’s not me, but I think it’s something pretty rare that makes who I am on the ice.”
Villeneuve believes in his game, but noted, “I’ve got to get bigger.” He has a similar figure to Hockey Hall of Famer Duncan Keith — he clocked in at 6-foot, 168 pounds before the 2002 NHL draft.
Keith bulked to 192 pounds, leading to his legendary career. It’s one of the reasons Villeneuve idolizes the Hawks legend.
“(Keith’s) really the guy that made me fall in love with the position of defenseman,” Villeneuve said. “It’s awesome (that) I’ll be here and hopefully do a little bit of what he did.”
The defenseman shared the ice with Roobroeck, who was also next to him in the draft order. The Hawks traded up to No. 35 to select the center, who spent last season with OHL’s Niagara IceDogs but was traded earlier this month to the Guelph Storm.
“Niagara is a good spot, (I’m) thankful for my time there and them giving me the opportunity to play in the OHL and proceed as a player,” Roobroeck said. “I’m looking forward to what we have in Guelph and opportunities that are to come.”
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The London, Ontario, native scored 58 points (30 goals, 28 assists) in 49 games last season. Like Villeneuve, he had a hunch that the Hawks would select him.
“I had a good feeling (and) a good interview with them at the combine,” Roobroeck said. “They’re definitely the top team that I had a feeling that would end up choosing me.”
Davidson praised the center’s ability to find the back of the net — an attribute the Hawks are looking to master. His overall game, though, is a priority in the near future.
“(Being) more of an overall player this year (with) a huge emphasis on defensive first before offense,” Roobroeck said. “Playing a full 200-foot game, and alongside that just keeping my feet moving is a huge thing for me. The game doesn’t slow down at the next level, so (I need to be) able to keep up with the pace.”
Hawks hopefuls like Sacha Boisvert, John Mustard, Mason West and others will be active this week for the development camp. Overall, day one was as good as it gets.
“The first day is always a tough day — quick turnaround from last night’s welcome meeting and early morning with the medicals,” Eaton said. “But it’s a great group, they’ve gotten to know each other well in the previous camps and they’re all smiles, joking with each other.
“A long day with some of the physical testing and some of the on-ice stuff that we were doing that took a couple of hours, but they handled it like pros. Wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Hawks qualify four restricted free agents
The Hawks have tendered qualifying offers to center Connor Bedard, goaltender Drew Commesso and defensemen Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro, retaining their negotiating rights. Offers were not made to 2021 third-round draft pick Dmitri Kuzmin or sixth-round pick Ryan Mast, making both unrestricted free agents.
The offer was expected for Bedard as he and the Hawks continue to negotiate a contract extension. Del Mastro and Korchinski are presumed to be a part of next year’s blueliner core, while Commesso is expected to play another season in Rockford.
