Three Bemidji State hockey players invited to NHL development camps

Three Bemidji State men’s hockey players have landed invitations to NHL development camps, putting Maxon Vig, Oliver Peer and Max Hildebrand into a summer proving ground that reaches well beyond campus in Bemidji. Vig will report to Montreal, while Peer and Hildebrand are headed to Winnipeg, a development step that gives the Beavers another visible link to the professional game.

Vig’s invitation carries the clearest direct line to an NHL organization. The sophomore defenseman was selected by Montreal in the seventh round, No. 209 overall, in the 2025 NHL Draft after skating for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL. Montreal’s development camp was scheduled for June 30 to July 2, placing the 2026 invite in a tightly defined evaluation window rather than a vague offseason workout.

Peer and Hildebrand will spend the same stretch in Winnipeg’s system. Peer is Bemidji State’s senior center and captain, while Hildebrand is a sophomore goaltender. The Jets’ 2026 development camp ran from June 29 to July 3 at hockey for all centre, where prospects are evaluated on the physical, technical and mental standards each club wants to see before a player advances further in the pipeline.

For Bemidji State, the three invitations matter because they show the program continuing to produce players NHL organizations are willing to pull into their development track. Development camps are not just ceremonial stops. They are the first detailed look many prospects get at what a pro club expects in skating, strength, puck management and decision-making, and they can shape how a player is handled over the next year.

That helps explain why the news resonates in Beltrami County as more than a summer roster note. Bemidji State’s hockey program remains one of the university’s most recognizable athletic brands, and the school continues to promote hockey among its camp offerings, keeping the sport tied to the campus economy and the local sports identity. When BSU players show up on NHL camp lists, it reinforces the idea that the Beavers are still part of the national hockey conversation.

For local fans who track the program long after the college season ends, the invitations are a tangible marker of progress. Vig has already been drafted, and Peer and Hildebrand now get the same chance to test themselves in a professional setting.