Blackhawks prospect Vaclav Nestrasil blowing away his own expectations at UMass

Blackhawks prospect Vaclav Nestrasil is surprising himself with how well he's playing during his first stretch of college hockey.

The Czechia native and 25th overall pick from the 2025 NHL Draft, now a freshman at UMass, leads his new team with 10 goals and ranks second with 20 points in 18 games.

"To be honest, I was going into the season hoping for 15 minutes a game and [to be on the] second power play," Nestrasil said with a chuckle. "And I basically jumped right into it. I'm playing around 20 minutes, as of right now. I played 23 minutes last game, which was crazy for me. ... So my expectations were a little bit small, but I cannot complain about that at all.

"Everything is clicking for me right now. As I'm playing more than I was playing in Muskegon [in the USHL last season], I can express my game. I'm getting on the [penalty kill], on the power play. I can show my full potential here."

The Hawks didn't set such specific expectations, and they did select him in the first round for a reason. But assistant general manager Mark Eaton, who oversees the prospects, has also been amazed by Nestrasil's rapid development.

"I couldn’t be more impressed, to be honest," Eaton said. "He’s super competitive. Even in games when UMass has been down...he’s still out there playing with some anger. He gets a chip on his shoulder and doesn’t like losing. That’s a foundation that’s going to carry him far."

Nestrasil agreed with that assessment of his competitiveness.

"I probably hate losing more than I love winning," he said. "It's definitely something I was born with."

He was described as a raw prospect entering the draft this past summer. That's partially because it will take him a while to fill out his tall, broad 6-5 frame. He weighs about 190 pounds right now — up from 185 during the summer — but his ideal weight is significantly higher than that.

He chose the college route with that fact very much in mind. With fewer games jammed into the college season, he has more time to grind in the gym and build up strength.

In the meantime, he doesn't exactly play like a traditional power forward. Instead, he has generated most of his offense this season off the rush.

"He finds open ice and attacks defenders to set up passing lanes," Eaton said. "[He's] really good through the neutral zone with good vision. He plays a good give-and-go game. He’s able to make subtle little slip passes but also crisp cross-ice passes.

"He can generate speed and back off defenders. He knows when to get it deep, when to pull up and hit late guys potentially [or when] keep it himself and try to get a good shot off. His skill set and decision-making really shine off the rush."

Nestrasil's next step, unsurprisingly, will involve creating more offense down low around the net and off extended offensive-zone possessions.

Considering he admitted he wasn't a physical player whatsoever before his USHL jump a year ago, he has held up remarkably well to the physicality and toughness of college hockey. But he's not yet a difference-maker in that regard.

As he gets stronger, he should be able to win more battles, assert himself in dirty areas and protect the puck with defenders on his back for longer stretches of time.

"I'm trying to be the best at it, because with my body, keeping pucks away from the other team and protecting it is going to be a huge part of my game," Nestrasil said. "That's something I'm working on."

Nestrasil will play for Czechia at the world junior championships coming up, but he knows his season at UMass is "way more important." He projects to play there for another year or two before turning pro.