New York Islanders development camp was a great success, like Borat would say.

The young players from this past draft class and the few previous ones were all able to be together since the camp happened right after the draft, as opposed to a week before the start of training camp.

All the prospects got a taste of what being part of the Islanders organization is all about and a sneak peek at what it takes to be an NHL player. 

However, their development is just starting and picking the right offseason routine and offseason workout partners could be the difference in a good summer and a great one. 

This summer, No. 17 overall pick Kashawn Aitcheson has been skating with Islanders forward Bo Horvat, along with Ottawa Senators forward Dylan Cozens, free agent forward Nate Bastian, and others with Muskokah Hockey:

Bo Horvat and Kashawn Aitcheson training together this offseason 👀

📸: muskokahockey/IG pic.twitter.com/TnNI44jpMe

— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) July 14, 2025

Islanders captain Anders Lee skated with Horvat last summer and it did a world of good for him.

No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer told us he's skating this summer with Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech with Mark Giordano as his coach.

Defenseman Isaiah George, who got a cup of coffee in the NHL last season, is also training with them.

Having prospects train with NHLers, especially those in the same organization, is massive in acclimating these young players to the team, as well as in building relationships, chemistry, and providing firsthand insight into what it takes and what is expected of someone who dons the blue and orange. 

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PHOTO:  Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Another Ducks prospect will be making the transition from playing in Europe to playing in North America this upcoming season, but it won't be for college hockey just yet.

Latvian defenseman Darels Uļjanskis has decided to play for the Flint Firebirds in the OHL for the 2025-26 season. Previously, Uļjanskis was drafted by the Sioux City Musketeers in the eighth round of the USHL Draft in May and was expected to play in the USHL this season. He was then drafted fifth overall by the Firebirds in the CHL Import Draft two weeks ago.

"I was drafted in May to the USHL and Sioux City Musketeers, but I felt more for the CHL in Canada," Uļjanskis said in an interview with hockeysverige (translated from Swedish). "So I waited for it. Now in July, the Flint Firebirds (OHL) chose me, so that's where I'm going."

Committed to the University of Connecticut for the 2026-27 season, Uļjanskis will play one season in the OHL before transitioning to collegiate hockey.

Uļjanskis spent the last two seasons primarily playing in Sweden for AIK's J20 team. He was second among defensemen in scoring this past season. This came after the Ducks drafted him in the seventh round of the 2024 NHL Draft.

With two development camps now under his belt, Uļjanskis is currently in Florida, where he is competing in the SoFlo hockey summer league. He will continue training in Florida until the beginning of August, when he will report to Flint for training camp. 

"I feel much better without the puck and more confident in the defensive game," Uļjanskis said. "I play much tougher and more aggressive than last year, I think.

"(The Ducks) want to see a two-way defenseman who can be trusted in all zones, and be aggressive and able to handle all parts of that game, but also create offensively. I have the summer to get bigger and stronger, so that will also help me for the season. Then I just want to get used to North American hockey."

Making it to the NHL as a seventh-round pick is an uphill battle, but not impossible. With more developmental paths opening up for prospects, like being able to play in both the CHL and NCAA now, finding the right development techniques and systems has become more accessible for young players.

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Photo credit: Derek Lee-The Hockey News

Over the weekend, a report that Anton Frondell would play the 2025-26 season in Sweden after signing his ELC with the Chicago Blackhawks went viral in the hockey world. Overall, this is not a shocking piece of news. 

The Blackhawks have been careful lately when it comes to calling players up to the NHL. They only want truly ready guys, if not a little more than ready. Not everybody can be Connor Bedard and make an impact at 18 years old.

Playing for Djurgårdens of the SHL for another year will be great for Frondell’s development. Djurgårdens is moving up a level in that league, so the competition will be stiffer, which is magnificent for Frondell as a young forward trying to enhance the two-way game. 

Frondell will be joined on the team by one of his good friends in Victor Eklund, who the New York Islanders selected 16th overall in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Eklund isn’t the only notable teammate of Frondell with Djurgårdens either. He will suit up with former Blackhawks forward Marcus Kruger. Kruger is a tremendous elder player to have surrounding a young talent like Frondell.  

Was Kruger a key contributor offensively during Chicago’s dynasty years? No. As far as forwards go, they had Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, and Patrick Sharp for that. With that said, Kruger’s effort, character, and “do what I can for the team” attitude made him one of the best role players in NHL history. 

Kruger was skilled enough to play for an excellent Swedish Olympic team in addition to being a key player on a championship-caliber NHL team. He accepted his role and executed it. 

Having the countryman connection in addition to the Blackhawks connection should help Kruger pass some knowledge on to Frondell. When he comes to North America full-time for hockey, he will have learned his trade well. 

Throughout his 520 NHL games, Kruger played all but 48 with the Blackhawks. Those 48 came with the Carolina Hurricanes. Kruger had 38 goals and 85 assists for 123 points. When he was on the ice, despite his low offensive totals, Kruger was an effective player. He was so good defensively that he even earned some Selke Trophy love a couple of times. 

Frondell has infinitely more tools than Kruger did, but the mentality of being a good two-way hockey player is something that the elder can help the rookie with. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

Generations of kids spent their childhood trying to answer the question “Where’s Waldo?”, but that was an easy task compared to trying to answer the interrogation that’s on the mind of every Montreal Canadiens’ fan this offseason: Who will be the Habs’ second line center?

Depending on who you ask, the replies go from Kirby Dach to Zach Bolduc to “Kent Hughes is just about to pull a big trade, I can feel it!” or even to: Ivan Demidov would be the perfect fit at the second line pivot.

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But what does the man himself believe? Well, unlike what has been reported in the last day or so, Demidov has never said that it was outside of the realm of possibilities that he would play center and that it wasn’t something that interested him at all. According to RG.org’s Marco D’Amico, the young Russian said he would have to see if he could play at center. He has done it in the past, as a junior player, but never in the KHL.

PSA: Ivan Demidov never refused to work on his faceoffs this summer.

I was asked why he isn't an option for 2C and brought up a quote from Ivan back in February. He just wasn't confident in being able to play C because of faceoffs. https://t.co/bMvjWIfglvpic.twitter.com/iuH4dwGw1Q

— Marco D'Amico (@mndamico) July 14, 2025

Humble as they come, Demidov also added that face-offs would be the key factor, and he doesn’t always win them. The rookie will play wherever the Canadiens ask him to play, but he’s not confident that he could play center in the NHL. He didn’t say anything controversial, and any claims that he might have an attitude problem are false. He didn't refuse to work on his draws this offseason either. 

I don’t know how the idea could even be entertained given the fact that the player has elected to stay in Montreal this Summer and is diligently putting in the hours at the Canadiens’ Brossard training facilities instead of enjoying the sunshine and the scorching weather. Last weekend, he even appeared in a shootout showcase in Boisbriand to please the fans, and he’s also set to play in the Living Sisu LSHL three-on-three league this Summer.

Could Demidov end up being the Canadiens’ second-line center? Maybe, but right now, it doesn’t seem likely, especially given the fact that the youngster typically doesn’t lack confidence, and he confesses he doesn’t know how good he could be playing that position.

Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

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There were several interesting tidbits from Pittsburgh Penguins' GM and POHO Kyle Dubas's 2024-25 end-of-season press conference, which signaled the direction that the team might take over the summer and into the 2025-26 season and beyond.

And one of those tidbits was the suggestion that the Penguins may look to restricted free agency to capitalize on some opportunities to acquire young talent.

 "I think the areas that you probably would see us spend more would be acquisition by trade, and then signing players that other teams might not be able to fit," Dubas said at the time. "I think the effect in free agency is probably going to be somewhat of a spike in salary, and so it’ll dry up the cap space rather quickly for us, and those players are mostly into that late 20-early 30 category.

"It could do two things. Number one, I think it's going to allow us to maybe trade for players that other teams can't afford that are restricted free agents, and then sign them longer range ourselves, using that cap space that way. You're signing a player that's 23-24 for seven or eight years versus going into free agency for someone who's 27 to 32 and getting them for seven years. So, I think that would be the more likely route.”

While it is only Jul. 14, and there is a lot of summer left - everyone should know by now about Dubas’s tendency to make a random higher-profile trade in the month of August - the Penguins, up to this point, haven’t given too much indication that they’re being active in the RFA market. There was some rumored interest in Utah Hockey Club forward Jack McBain before he signed a five-year contract at $4.25 million average annual value, but, other than that, it’s been pretty quiet.

In all fairness, Dubas and the rest of the Penguins’ organization keeps things pretty close to the vest. Oftentimes, moves happen out of nowhere - as was the case with both goaltending trades this summer involving Alex Nedeljkovic going to the San Jose Sharks and Arturs Silovs being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks - and there isn’t much that even the NHL’s most renowned insiders are aware of.

But, given the field of RFA targets remaining - players like McBain, Dallas Stars center Mavrik Bourque, and Buffalo Sabres left defenseman Bowen Byram are now off the board - it’s fair to wonder not only if Dubas will still dabble in the RFA market, but also if he should dabble in it.

When looking at the list of names left, there are definitely some higher-end targets, mostly at forward. Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi comes to mind, as does Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish and Winnipeg Jets center Gabriel Vilardi. There are also lower-profile players such as Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nicholas Robertson and Nashville Predators forward Luke Evangelista, both of whom could be more realistic, upside-potential targets for the Penguins that wouldn’t cost nearly as much.

The fact of the matter is, however, that there are a few factors that may or may not weigh into whether or not the RFA market is still a sensible avenue for Dubas and the Penguins.

For one, Dubas has made it clear that he is not particularly interested in offer sheets due to the rising cap. So any offer sheet-eligible RFA is, likely, not going to be acquired that way. Instead, it would probably happen in an RFA trade-then-sign scenario for rights acquisition. This could, conceivably, be part of a bigger return for one of the Penguins’ top trade candidates in Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, and Erik Karlsson.

But the Penguins need to be wary of overpayment. They’re not in any kind of organizational position right now to be overpaying for players - even if they are young players who will, presumably, be part of their future. The time to pay up would have been prior to the 2025 NHL Draft, when the Penguins were initially going into it with two first-round picks. And the reality of the rising salary cap is that player salaries are also rising, which could muddy the market a bit in terms of player value. 

However, that’s not the only consideration. It is also worth noting that the Penguins already have 13 forwards listed on their active roster per Puckpedia - and it doesn’t include young players such as Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen, both of whom made an impression in a small sample at the end of the 2024-25 season and should push for roster spots. 

Is Nick Robertson Worth A Look From The Penguins?One of the stated goals of Pittsburgh Penguins' GM and POHO Kyle Dubas at the end of the 2024-25 was to begin the "execution" phase of the organization's rebuild. He said part of that "execution" would, likely, involve young RFAs that other teams other couldn't afford or who needed a change of scenery. 

There is already a bit of a roster logjam at the forward position - especially after the signings of Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau and the decision to bring back RFAs Philip Tomasino and Connor Dewar - that would only get more complicated with the acquisition of another young forward. Of course, the Penguins could always ship out a forward in return, but there is such a thing as “too many” when it comes to trying to give some of your most promising young forwards the necessary space to develop.

Finally, there is this, too: There is the distinct possibility that Dubas might not want to try to make this roster any better at this point in time. WIth a consensus generational prospect waiting to, inevitably, be drafted first overall in 2026, Dubas might want to hold off on any moves that would markedly improve the roster and, possibly, take them out of real contention for the draft lottery.

Whether or not tanking is the right perspective is up for debate. But the fact of the matter is that the Penguins are still pretty weak on the blue line, their goaltending is a question mark, and their forward group is already better than it was heading into last season. Adding to that forward group even further may set them back just enough to miss out on the lottery but not enough to make the playoffs.

If the Penguins to look into the RFA market, perhaps dialing it back and targeting a lower-profile player is the right call right now. Regardless, all eyes will be on the Penguins for the rest of the summer to see if Dubas has anything else up his sleeve.

Penguins' Potential Trade Target Signs Extension With UtahOver the past couple of weeks, it was reported by Josh Yohe of The Athletic that the Pittsburgh Penguins had interest in one of the Utah Mammoth's young RFA forwards.

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Feature image credit: Charles LeClaire - Imagn Images