Jack Pridham helped the Kitchener Rangers win the Memorial Cup championship on Sunday. Derek Cain / Getty Images
June 1, 2026 11:43 am EDT Updated
The Chicago Blackhawks traded the draft rights to forward prospect Jack Pridham to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2027 third-round draft pick on Monday.
The 20-year-old Pridham, who was drafted by the Blackhawks with the No. 92 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, needed to either sign an NHL entry-level contract or commit to a college by 5 p.m. ET on Monday to avoid re-entering the 2026 draft. The Lightning announced after the trade that Pridham has committed to a college to be revealed later, permitting them to retain his rights for longer.
Pridham, who turns 21 in October, was committed to Boston University when he was drafted from West Kelowna in the BCHL and was expected to play college hockey. When the NCAA announced during the 2024-25 season that CHL players would be eligible to play college hockey, Pridham left his BCHL team and joined the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL for the remainder of the season. He produced 27 goals and 27 assists in 48 games with the Rangers.
After his first season in the OHL, Pridham decided he would remain with Kitchener and decommitted from Boston University.
“After a long decision with my family, I decided I’m not going to go to Boston anymore,” Pridham said at the Blackhawks development camp in July 2025. “I liked my game in Kitchener this year and I want to put my best foot forward to try to earn a contract with Chicago, and if not, then the plan will be back in Kitchener for one more year.”
Pridham attended the Blackhawks NHL training camp at the beginning of the 2025-26 season and was assigned back to Kitchener on Sept. 24, 2025. He spent this past season in the OHL and was one of its top offensive players, finishing second in the league with 46 goals and 90 points in 65 games. He helped Kitchener to the OHL championship and, on Sunday, the Memorial Cup championship.
Pridham, whom The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked as the 13th-best prospect in the Blackhawks’ system in April, is the son of former Toronto Maple Leafs assistant general manager Brandon Pridham.
Jun 1, 2026
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