A rookie debut requires one (1) Intense Stats Uncle telling you the guy you're facing off with is the second best faceoff guy in the league, and one (1) Amused Wolf Mother Who Is Also One Of The Greatest Russian Players Of All Time watching you bungle the faceoff and then gently asking if you were nervous.
rmnb: Ryan Leonard on his rookie dinner performance of “Uptown Funk,” which has become the team’s postgame locker room win song: “Me and Sourdy had to sing a karaoke song, and that was what I chose, and then it kind of stuck.”
Most helpful to me was this article which gives the full list. The Sharks have yet to publish anything about it 😒
2026 Rookie Showcase Roster on July 28-30 at Blackhawks Ice Center in Chicago:
Kashawn Aitcheson (New York Islanders)
Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings)
Carter Bear (Detroit Red Wings)
Sacha Boisvert (Chicago Blackhawks)
Filip Bystedt (San Jose Sharks)
Justin Carbonneau (St. Louis Blues)
Charlie Cerrato (Carolina Hurricanes)
Trevor Connelly (Vegas Golden Knights)
Andrew Cristall (Washington Capitals)
Cole Eiserman (New York Islanders)
Liam Greentree (New York Rangers)
James Hagens (Boston Bruins)
TJ Hughes (Colorado Avalanche)
Cole Hutson (Washington Capitals)
Roman Kantserov (Chicago Blackhawks)
Porter Martone (Philadelphia Flyers)
Gavin McKenna (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Roger McQueen (Anaheim Ducks)
Quentin Musty (San Jose Sharks)
Sam O’Reilly (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Bill Zonnon (Pittsburgh Penguins)
More from the article about the Showcase:
"“NHLPA Rookie Showcase marks an important milestone for players entering the NHL,” Marty Walsh, NHLPA Executive Director, said in a statement. “A player’s first official NHL trading card highlights that they’re achieving a lifelong dream of playing in the best league in the world. Being invited to attend the Rookie Showcase and ultimately receiving their Upper Deck rookie card is a moment that a player will never forget.”
Per an NHLPA press release:
This unique event serves as an entry point for the players into the business of professional hockey, where player identity, content creation, and commercial opportunity begin to take shape, connecting the players with NHLPA partners Upper Deck, Electronic Arts, Fanatics and CIBC.
Over the course of the event, Upper Deck – the official trading card partner of the NHL and NHLPA – will work directly with players to capture photos and video in their official team jerseys for upcoming trading cards, memorabilia, and promotional materials. The content collected will be used by Upper Deck to create the players’ first NHL and NHLPA licensed rookie trading cards, as well as additional promotional materials throughout the season and beyond.
NHLPA Rookie Showcase gives Upper Deck access to the league’s next generation of talent while giving players a first look at how their name, image, and likeness can connect with fans and collectors beyond the ice. The players will also get an opportunity to connect away from the ice, at the “Welcome to Chicago” dinner, hosted by CIBC.
The showcase, which normally takes place in September before NHL training camps, coincides with the National Sports Collectors Convention, which is occurring July 29 through August 2 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.
The timing will allow players to interact with fans as part of Upper Deck’s activations at the NSCC — the largest sports collectibles show in North America, which brings together collectors, brands, dealers, and industry leaders." ///////
So it sounds like they switched the location from the Caps practice rink to Chicago to capitalize on some more fan engagement, which makes sense. I assume if you go to that convention you'll get to meet some of them.
