T-Birds Head to NHL Development Camps
WHL Seattle Thunderbirds

T-Birds Head to NHL Development Camps

Published on June 29, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Seattle Thunderbirds News Release


KENT, Wash. - Eight current or former Seattle Thunderbirds have been invited to attend NHL Development Camps this week. Among the eight are three players selected in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, held this past weekend.

Defenseman Jonas Kemps is at camp with the Florida Panthers. The Panthers selected Kemps in the fourth round of the draft on Saturday. Goaltender Marek Sklenicka, a fourth round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers this past weekend, will be joined in Flyers camp by T-Birds center Matthew Gard. This will be Gard's second time participating in Flyers development camp after being chosen by Philadelphia in the second round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

Forward Noah Kosick is down in Southern California at camp with the Anaheim Ducks who drafted him in the sixth round on Saturday. Meanwhile, Ashton Cumby, who finished up his T-Birds career this past spring, is attending his second camp with the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago drafted the big defenseman in round six of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

Defenseman Radim Mrtka is at his second development camp with Buffalo after the Sabres made him the ninth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

Two former T-Birds, forwards Jordan Gustafson and Nathan Pilling, will participate at development camp with the Vegas Golden Knights. Gustafson, a member of the T-Birds 2023 WHL championship team, was a third round draft pick by the Knights in 2022. Pilling, a T-Bird from 2023-25, is an undrafted free agent who played last season with the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

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Western Hockey League Stories from June 29, 2026


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