DENVER – The University of Denver hockey program has 22 current and former players that are attending 2026 NHL prospect development camps during the month of July. Most camps are held this week, typically in the days following the NHL Draft, which occurred last weekend in Buffalo, New York.
The Pioneers have 18 current players and four alums that were invited to 16 different NHL camps. Denver has three players each at the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks respective camps, with
Kristian Epperson, Brendan McMorrow and
James Reeder in Southern California with the Kings while
Max Heise, Ryan Lin and
Eric Pohlkamp are in the Bay Area with the Sharks.
Two other NHL clubs have multiple Pioneers at their camps, as juniors
Jake Fisher and
Tory Pitner are staying local with the Colorado Avalanche while
Clarke Caswell and
Blake Fiddler are in the Pacific Northwest with the Seattle Kraken. Three undrafted DU players also grabbed spots on camp rosters as invitees, with
Kieran Cebrian going to the Toronto Maple Leafs,
Kyle Chyzowski with the Dallas Stars and
Johnny Hicks at the Edmonton Oilers.
Additionally, four committed Denver players for the future are attending camps with the New York Rangers, Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals.
Development camps are a time where teams can get prospects and invitees familiarized with the professional level of the sport, so the players are prepared for the transition to the pro game in the future. Camps tend to range from three to five days and usually focus on different aspects of being a professional, including on-ice skill work, nutrition and meal preparation, off-ice training and finances.
Each camp usually has a fun aspect each day as well, such as escape rooms, golf and bowling, and many of the prospects also take part in community service project during the week. In Colorado, Fisher and Pitner and the other campers were joined by the Avalanche's Devon Toews in dedicating a sports court as well as playing games with the kids at the William E. Cope Boys & Girls Club on Tuesday.
Below is a full list of Pioneers at 2026 development camps.
Current Pioneers at 2026 NHL Prospect Development Camps
Mikey Berchild – Carolina Hurricanes
Garrett Brown – Winnipeg Jets
Clarke Caswell – Seattle Kraken
Kieran Cebrian – Toronto Maple Leafs
Kyle Chyzowski – Dallas Stars
Kristian Epperson – Los Angeles Kings
Blake Fiddler – Seattle Kraken
Jake Fisher – Colorado Avalanche
Max Heise – San Jose Sharks
Johnny Hicks – Edmonton Oilers
Ryan Lin – San Jose Sharks
Ben MacBeath – New York Rangers
Brendan McMorrow – Los Angeles Kings
Ryan Miller – Pittsburgh Penguins
Tory Pitner – Colorado Avalanche
Jack Pridham – Tampa Bay Lightning
James Reeder – Los Angeles Kings
Daxon Rudolph – Buffalo Sabres
Alumni
Kent Anderson – Calgary Flames
Boston Buckberger – Columbus Blue Jackets
Rieger Lorenz – Minnesota Wild
Eric Pohlkamp – San Jose Sharks
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