The Chicago Blackhawks have a good goalie prospect in Adam Gajan, who could be a great pro as soon as this year.
The Chicago Blackhawks have a good goalie prospect in Adam Gajan, who could be a great pro as soon as this year.
The Chicago Blackhawks selected Adam Gajan in the second round, 35th overall, in the 2023 NHL Draft. Since then, he’s been working on his game and trying to become a full-time pro. He will reach that goal of becoming a pro in 2026-27, as he’s expected to be part of the Rockford IceHogs tandem.
The Blackhawks have the resources, including other good goalies, to allow Gajan all the time he needs to develop before throwing him into the fire of the NHL.
Gajan knows that his improvement in college (University of Minnesota Duluth) had lots of variables involved. Between that and some other experiences that he’s had so far, there is a lot to build on. During prospect camp over the past weekend, he touched on a lot of that, starting with what went right in year two of his NCAA career as opposed to year one:
“My numbers were better, but my team was also a lot better,” Gajan said of his improved stats from a year ago. “My numbers are not just my stats, but also the team’s. I improved a lot of stuff, not just at the rink, but outside of the rink. I was a lot better teammate and spent a lot more time with the guys.”
Like most goalies, Gajan is a very team-oriented guy. He believed that his subpar play and excellence were both, in part, because of his team. It’s not a jab at the team the year prior; it’s admitting that they are a unit and everything must come together for them to have success.
The University of Minnesota Duluth was not the only team that Gajan played for in 2025-26, either. He didn’t start any games, but he was the third-string goalie for Team Slovakia at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina. Although he didn’t see the ice during any games and there wasn’t much short-term gain, it was a valuable time for him in his long-term development plan.
“It was a great experience,” Gajan said. “I would never change anything, but I came back to Duluth and played just 1 game before jumping into the playoffs. That was pretty tough, but I feel like the break from playing games also helped me be hungrier.”
Gajan seemed to enjoy, whether it was off the ice or not, being around some of the most elite hockey players that the world has to offer.
“Seeing players, not just on my team, being around the best players in the world every day,” Gajan said when talking about what made the experience valuable for him.
Gajan did get in one game with the Rockford IceHogs to end his 2025-26 season, and he played well, so he has that to build on as he prepares to continue on in his pro hockey journey.
“I think it was great to get in a game,” Gajan said. “I thought I played a really good game. They had 40 shots, so I was pretty busy. Part of me thinks it’s easier to know what I’m getting into.”
Adam Gajan came into this prospect challenge knowing what to expect, according to him. He believed it would be faster and more skillful than what he had seen before, and he plans to use that level of competition to make himself better.
When asked about what he’s looking forward to most in 2026-27, his first answer was pure humor with a hint of truth, but also very thoughtful:
“Not having to worry about school,” Gajan said with laughter. “I’m excited for a new challenge. In college, I knew I’d be playing every game no matter what. Now, there are a lot of guys and only one net. Just compete and get better every day. Hopefully we get a lot of wins. Just focus on getting better every day and working on that next step of making it to the NHL.”
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