Proud Affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights
Hope Springs eternal. Every Autumn.
As the Vegas Golden Knights hit the ice during their first week of training camp at City National Arena, a roster that lists 64 players certainly includes a handful of players vying for the final spots on the NHL roster. But it also includes many young players who know their task to start the 2025-26 campaign will likely be further development across town in Henderson.
The Silver Knights will open their training camp at the end of the month looking to take the next step forward for the organization, particularly making their way back to the playoffs. That’s a journey that figures to rely heavily on the next phase of the youth movement in Henderson.
Despite not having the results in the win column that they wanted last year, the Silver Knights enjoyed very encouraging seasons from some of their highly-touted youth. Kai Uchacz scored the second-most goals ever by a Silver Knights rookie and Braeden Bowman recorded the third-most points ever by a Silver Knights rookie, with both undrafted prospects earning NHL contracts with the Golden Knights in the process.
Matyas Sapovaliv appeared in 71 of 72 games last season, and Carl Lindbom posted the best season by a Silver Knights goaltender since Logan Thompson in the team’s inaugural campaign.
Those players were standouts for the Golden Knights during their perfect weekend at the 2025 Rookie Showcase in Denver last week. Uchacz scored three goals, Bowman and Sapovaliv had a goal and an assist each, and Lindbom gave up just one goal in his start.
While all of these players hope to make the Golden Knights in the coming weeks, several may very well be back in Henderson to push the program forward.
“There’s a little bit more confidence, knowing the staff and the people here. It helps a lot,” said Bowman. “Last year, I came in and nobody really knew who I was. I wanted to put my best foot forward and I was lucky enough to stay in Henderson last season. I’m looking forward to the start of this year.”
The Silver Knights will certainly have significant veterans on the roster, but with the summer departure of some tenured players like Gage Quinney, Jake Bischoff, and Dysin Mayo, the Silver Knights could benefit from some of their relied-upon rookies from last season experiencing a sophomore surge this October.
“On the on-ice, you can see the maturity. At that age, whether you’re 24 or 19 after your first year of pro, you’re going to come back much more comfortable,” said Silver Knights Head Coach Ryan Craig at Rookie Camp.
“It’s the same in anything – second year on the job, second year in school, whatever it may be. You’re going to come back with more confidence and knowing how things work. With our coaching staff coming back, there isn’t much to change and the expectations grow with that.”
That maturity won’t just come in handy on the ice. The Henderson youth movement this season also is likely to include another wave of promising rookies, with players like Mathieu Cataford, Tuomas Uronen, and Jackson Hallum just a few of the youngsters at VGK camp who are ready to turn pro.
“Players like Bowman and Sapovaliv are great guys that played their first years last season, and obviously you’re trying to ask them questions,” said Cataford. “It’s going to be my first time living in an apartment. There are a lot of life changes off the ice.”
That could be an impressionable young group looking to learn the ropes in front of a fan base eager to win. The first goal of every player at Golden Knights camp is to make a strong impression and give Bruce Cassidy’s staff a hard decision to make, but having young players in Henderson who are both familiar with individual success and still looking to grow will provide a valuable wrinkle to the leadership in Coach Craig’s locker room.
“There’s a lot of energy from the young guys, and a lot of humility. They’re all looking to learn and listen to what the coaches say, which was what I thought was so important for me last season,” said Bowman. “Listening to what the coaches say and being a player that is coachable, hopefully that can help the young guys coming in. I’ve only been here one year, but hopefully I can help a bit.”
“It’s a young team so we’re going to be a really energetic group. I think we can get out to a good start, and it’s really important to do that and build off it.”