Top American 2010-born prospect MJ Campbell joins Chicago Steel, commits to Notre Dame

MJ Campbell joined the Chicago Steel and committed to Notre Dame, giving one of the nation’s top 2010-born American forwards a clear junior-to-college path before he has even reached his junior hockey ceiling. The Frankfort, Illinois, left-shot forward was Chicago’s first pick in the 2026 USHL Phase I Draft on May 4, then signed a Standard Player Development Agreement after a season in which he piled up 101 points in 51 games at Mount St. Charles Academy.

Campbell’s profile already matched the billing. Puck Preps ranked him among the top 15 American 2010-born prospects and listed him at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, while another scouting post called him a 4.5-star forward. Neutral Zone listed his birth date as April 3, 2010, and identified him as a left-shot forward from Frankfort, a detail that underscores how early the Steel and Notre Dame moved to secure him.

The Chicago fit is not accidental. Notre Dame hired former Chicago Steel head coach and general manager Mike Garman as associate head coach on May 16, 2025, and Chicago later named Scott Gomez its head coach on June 2, 2025. That staff overlap has deepened the bridge between Geneva and South Bend, and Campbell’s commitment now sits right in the middle of it.

Chicago also made its belief in Campbell public when it selected him with its first pick in the 2026 USHL Phase I Draft and later said he had signed with the club. In a social post, the Steel pointed to his 100-plus-point season at Mount St. Charles and described him as a first-round pick, a sign of how quickly his stock has risen.

Mount St. Charles gave Campbell a profile built for this level of attention. The academy calls itself a national powerhouse and says it won three national championships across the 2021-2022 U18 USA Hockey season, the 2023-2024 U14 season and the 2024-2025 U15 season. An Aug. 2 transaction listing on Elite Prospects also recorded Campbell’s move to Notre Dame from Mount St. Charles Academy 15U AAA, closing the loop on a path that now runs from Rhode Island to Chicago to South Bend.