Hurricanes Advance, Wild Triumphs

Jackson Blake (North Dakota) scored two goals, including the game-winner in overtime, and added an assist as the Carolina Hurricanes edged the host Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2, early last night. The Hurricanes swept the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series, four games to zero, and are now 8-0 so far in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Trevor Zegras (Boston University) and Porter Martone (Michigan State) both assisted on Philadelphia's game-opening goal as the Flyers finished their longest playoff run since 2000. Carolina will now await the winner of the Buffalo-Montreal series, which is tied at one game apiece.

Late Saturday night, the Minnesota Wild climbed back into their Western Conference series with a 5-1 victory over the visiting Colorado Avalanche. Quinn Hughes (Michigan), Brock Faber (Minnesota) and Matt Boldy (Boston College) scored goals for the Wild, handing top-seeded Colorado its first loss so far this postseason, while Faber also posted two assists. Game Three will be held in St. Paul on Monday night, with the Avalanche still leading the series, two games to one.

Two More NHL Western Playoff Series End

Troy Terry (Denver) and Chris Kreider (Boston College) each scored a goal and set up two others, and Cutter Gauthier (Boston College) notched a goal and an assist as the host Anaheim Ducks eliminated the Edmonton Oilers from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 5-2 victory last night. Anaheim won the best-of-seven Western Conference series, four games to two, its first postseason series victory since 2017, ousting an Oilers club that had won the NHL's Western Conference the last two seasons. Edmonton's Zach Hyman (Michigan) had a goal disallowed for a kicking motion in the second period. The Ducks will now face the winner of the Utah-Vegas series in the conference semifinals.

The Minnesota Wild won their first Stanley Cup Playoff series since 2015 as Quinn Hughes (Michigan) recorded two goals and an assist in a 5-2 victory over the visiting Dallas Stars on Thursday. Minnesota won the best-of-seven Western Conference series, four games to two, and will now take on top-seeded Colorado in the second round. Matt Boldy (Boston College) sealed the win yesterday with two empty-net goals for the Wild, while Jake Oettinger (Boston University) made 16 saves for the Stars.

Top 10 Hobey Baker Award Finalists Named

The top 10 finalists for the 2026 Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the top player in NCAA Division I men's hockey have been announced (listed by last name with class, position, and 2025-26 stats to date): 

Trey Augustine, Jr., G, Michigan State (23-8-1, 2.09 GAA)

James Hagens, So., F, Boston College (23g-22a—45 pts.)

T.J. Hughes, Sr., F, Michigan (19-31—50)

Gavin McKenna, Fr. F, Penn State (15-36—51)

Max Plante, So., F, Minnesota Duluth (23-25—48)

Erik Pohlkamp, Jr., D, Denver (17-20—37)

Hayden Stavroff, So., F, Dartmouth (28-19—47)

Charlie Stramel, Sr., F, Michigan State (19-25—44)

Felix Trudeau, Sr., F, Sacred Heart (25-22—47)

Ethan Wyttenbach, Fr. F, Quinnipiac (24-34—58)

Wyttenbach leads the nation in points, while Stavroff is first in goals scored and McKenna is second in assists. Five of the finalist have already been drafted by National Hockey League teams, while McKenna is expected to go in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. 

This year's Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced next month during the NCAA Frozen Four in Las Vegas.

U.S. Men Claim 2026 Olympic Gold Medal

The Miracle on Ice finally got some company.

Exactly 46 years to the day that the Americans defeated the Russians at Lake Placid, the U.S. men's hockey team won its third goal medal ever with a 2-1 victory over Canada in overtime in the championship game Sunday at the XXV Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy.

Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils scored less than two minutes into the 3-on-3 overtime, assisted by Zach Werenski (Michigan), to give the U.S. the win and its first Olympic men's hockey title since 1980. Cale Makar (Massachusetts) had tied the game in the second period for Canada, which was seeking its first Olympic men's gold since 2014, the last time that NHL players participated in the Olympics. Matt Boldy (Boston College) scored Team USA's first goal of the day in the first period, assisted by Quinn Hughes (Michigan), on the Americans' first shot on goal.

Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) stopped 41 shots for the Americans, including a point-blank save on Devon Toews (Quinnipiac) in the second stanza. Toews later posted the lone assist on the goal by Makar, his teammate with the NHL's Colorado Avalanche. Canada outshot the U.S., 42-28, overall but went 0-for-3 on the power play, including a two-man advantage in the second period, while the U.S. finished 0-for-2.

It was America's first Olympic men's hockey gold medal won outside the United States, as the first came in California in 1960. The U.S. won both Olympic hockey gold medals this year, with the American women also defeating Canada, 2-1 in OT, on Thursday.

U.S. Men Edge Sweden to Reach Semis

Two former Michigan Wolverines made it Team USA's night.

Dylan Larkin (Michigan) scored the first goal of the game in the second period, and Quinn Hughes (Michigan) wristed home a shot early in overtime to lift the United States over Sweden, 2-1, in a men's ice hockey quarterfinal matchup at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy.

Hughes helped set up Larkin's deflection goal midway through regulation to open the scoring. After Sweden tied the contest on an extra attacker goal with less than 90 seconds remaining in regulation, Hughes won it just over three minutes into the 3-on-3 extra session with a shot from the slot after taking a pass from Matt Boldy (Boston College). Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) finished with 28 saves in the American net.

The U.S. now moves on to face Slovakia in one semifinal on Friday, while Finland will take on Canada in the other one. Canada outlasted Czechia, 4-3, in OT in the quarterfinals thanks to a goal and two assists from Macklin Celebrini (Boston University).

ADDENDUM: Team USA routed Slovakia, 6-2, and will face Canada, a 3-2 winner over Finland, in Sunday's gold medal game.

U.S. Men Top Latvia in Olympic Opener

Brock Nelson (North Dakota) scored two goals, including the game winner, as the U.S. men's hockey team opened its 2026 Olympic Winter Games with a 5-1 win over Latvia on Thursday in Milan, Italy.

Jack Eichel (Boston University) and Quinn Hughes (Michigan) set up two goals apiece for the Americans, who also got their opening goal from Brady Tkachuk (Boston University). Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) made 17 saves in net for Team USA.

In other Olympic men's hockey action, Macklin Celebrini (Boston University) scored a goal off an assist from Cale Makar (UMass), and Canada went on to blank Czechia, 5-0. Canada takes on Switzerland today, while the U.S. will face Denmark on Saturday.

WMU, BU Advance to 2025 NCAA Title Game

Owen Michael's second goal of the game less than 30 seconds into the second overtime period propelled Western Michigan to a 3-2 victory over defending national champion Denver in the first NCAA Frozen Four semifinal tonight at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. 

WMU (33-7-1 overall), making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I national semifinals, outshot DU by a 47-22 count overall, including 32-8 through the first two periods of play. The Pioneers (31-12-1), who had been seeking their third NCAA crown in four seasons and 11th overall, tied the game with two third-period goals, and got 44 saves in all from Matt Davis in his final appearance for DU.

In the nightcap, Jack Hughes recorded a goal and an assist, and Mikhail Yegorov made 32 saves to lead Boston University to a 3-1 win over Penn State. The Terriers (24-13-2), playing in their third consecutive Frozen Four, are now headed to their first national title game since 2015. Nicholas DeGraves scored for the Nittany Lions (22-13-4), who were skating in their first-ever Frozen Four since the program was elevated to varsity/NCAA status in 2013.

WMU and BU will now meet on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2) in the 2025 national championship game. The Broncos are seeking their first-ever NCAA championship, while the Terriers are after their sixth overall and first since 2009.

Hershey Wins Second Straight Calder Cup

The Hershey Bears are back-to-back Calder Cup champions.

The Bears won their record 13th American Hockey league postseason title with a 5-4 overtime victory over the visiting Coachella Valley Firebirds on Monday night, before a record crowd of 11,013 at Giant Arena. Matt Strome's unassisted goal just over a minute into the extra session proved to be the deciding score. Hershey won the best-of-seven series in six games, one year after topping Coachella Valley in seven games in the AHL final. 

Cale Fleury forced overtime for the Firebirds on a goal with just under three minutes remaining in regulation, after Hershey had established leads of 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3. Pierrick Dubé scored three times for the Bears, while Chase Priskie (Quinnipiac) and Joe Snively (Yale) both recorded assists on the evening, and Hunter Shepard (Minnesota-Duluth) finished with 17 saves in net for Hershey in winning his second straight Calder Cup as starting goaltender. 

Cameron Hughes (Wisconsin) set up three goals on the night for Coachella Valley, including Fleury's late game-tying goal, while Ryan Winterton scored twice. The Firebirds have made the AHL final in each of the first two years of their existence, falling to Hershey both times in OT.

Monday also marked the final game behind the Firebirds bench for head coach Dan Bylsma (Bowling Green), who is leaving to take the helm of Coachella Valley's NHL parent club, the Seattle Kraken.

Two Series End, Two Go On in 2024 NHL Playoffs

Two first-round NHL playoff series were extended, and two other series ended tonight in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The visiting Toronto Maple Leafs stayed alive with a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins in overtime Tuesday. Matthew Knies (Minnesota) notched the game-winning goal in the extra session, while Joseph Woll (Boston College) made 27 saves in all for Toronto, which had lost the last two games to the Bruins. Jeremy Swayman (Maine) had 31 stops for Boston, which now leads the Eastern Conference series, three games to two. The winner will take on the defending conference champion Florida Panthers, who eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning last night in Game Five of that series.

The visiting Nashville Predators edged the Vancouver Canucks, 2-1, to stay alive in their Western Conference series. Quinn Hughes (Michigan) assisted on the Canucks' lone goal, while Gustav Nyquist (Maine) helped set up Nashville's game-winning goal in the third period. The road team has won the last four games so far in the series, with Vancouver now leading, three games to two. The victor will meet the winner of the Edmonton Oilers-Los Angeles Kings series, with Edmonton currently ahead there, three games to one.

The Winnipeg Jets saw their 2023-24 campaign come to a close with a 6-3 loss to the visiting Colorado Avalanche in Game Five of their Western Conference tilt. The Avalanche, who won the last four games of the series after dropping the opener nine days prior, got two assists from Devon Toews (Quinnipiac) and one apiece from Cale Makar (UMass) and Casey Mittelstadt (Minnesota). Kyle Connor (Michigan) notched one goal for Winnipeg, while Vezina Trophy finalist Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) made 26 saves for the Jets, who outshot, outhit and won more faceoffs on the night than Colorado. The Avs will await the winner of the Dallas Stars-Vegas Golden Knights series, which is tied at two games apiece.

The host Carolina Hurricanes ousted the New York Islanders with a 6-3 win in Game Five of their Eastern Conference series. Jack Drury (Harvard) scored the game-winner early in the third period for the Hurricanes, who tallied the game's final three goals after the Islanders had rebounded to force a three-all tie after 40 minutes of play. Brady Skjei (Minnesota) had two assists in the final 20 minutes for Carolina, which scored eight seconds apart in that stanza to regain the lead. Brock Nelson (North Dakota) scored one goal and set up another for New York, which was eliminated by the Hurricanes in the first round for the second straight spring. Carolina will now face the top-seeded New York Rangers, who swept the Washington Capitals in their first-round matchup.

Penguins Rebound to Down Devils, 6-3

Bryan Rust (Notre Dame) set up two goals, and Jack St. Ivany (Boston College) notched his first NHL point with an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied in the third period to defeat the host New Jersey Devils, 6-3, last night in Newark.

Down by a 3-1 score after two periods of play, the Penguins responded with five goals on nine shots over the final 20 minutes, including a empty-net tally, before 16,514 at the Prudential Center. Pittsburgh (34-30-11 overall), which missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year for the first time in 17 seasons, is now three points ahead of New Jersey in the race among several teams for the second and final wild card spot in the NHL's Eastern Conference.

John Marino (Harvard) assisted on both Devils' goals in the second period, after Luke Hughes (Michigan) set up New Jersey's first period power-play score. New Jersey (36-35-4) outshot Pittsburgh on the night, 26-21, but fell to 17-19-2 at home this season. The Penguins are 5-3-2 in their last 10 outings overall.

Hughes, Woll, Beniers Star in NHL Playoffs

Several former NCAA players shined on Sunday in the second round of the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Luke Hughes (Michigan) made his professional postseason debut with two assists as the New Jersey Devils upended the visiting Carolina Hurricanes, 8-4, to climb back into that best-of-seven Eastern Conference series. John Marino (Harvard) also had two assists for the Devils, who now trail the series, two games to one. Miles Wood (Boston College) scored a goal for the second straight game for New Jersey.

Joseph Woll (Boston College) stopped 18 of 21 shots in relief as the Toronto Maple Leafs fell, 3-2, in overtime to the host Florida Panthers. Florida now leads that Eastern Conference series, three games to none. Woll came on in relief of injured starter Ilya Samsonov in the first period.

Matty Beniers (Michigan) notched a goal and an assist, and was also a plus-3, as the Seattle Kraken routed the visiting Dallas Stars, 7-2. Ryan Donato and Jaden Schwartz (Colorado College) each posted an assist for the Kraken, who took a two games to one lead in that Western Conference series.

ADDENDUM: Jack Eichel (Boston University) scored one goal and set up another, and Zach Whitecloud (Bemidji State) also scored as the visiting Vegas Golden Knights dismantled the Edmonton Oilers, 5-1, on Monday night to take a two games to one lead in their Western Conference semifinal series. Warren Foegele (New Hampshire) tallied Edmonton's lone goal.

Hughes, Faber, Knies Sign with NHL Clubs

The exodus of NCAA hockey underclassmen to the NHL continues.

Luke Hughes (Michigan) signed an entry-level contact with the New Jersey Devils last week after Michigan was eliminated by Quinnipiac in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals on Thursday. The 19-year-old defenseman from Canton, Mich. leaves Michigan having tallied 27 goals and 60 assists for 87 points in 80 career games over the last two years. A first-team All-America choice this season as a sophomore, he led the Wolverines to two Big Ten Tournament titles and two Frozen Four appearances, and was drafted fourth overall by New Jersey in 2021.

Brock Faber (Minnesota) left college hockey after three seasons by signing with the Minnesota Wild shortly after the Golden Gophers fell to Quinnipiac in overtime in the NCAA title game on Saturday. A 20-year-old defenseman from Maple Grove, Minn., who was drafted 45th overall in 2020, Faber notched 7-46—53 points in 97 career outings with the Golden Gophers. He was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year the last two seasons in helping Minnesota to two Frozen Fours, earned 2022-23 First Team All-America accolades, and also represented the United States at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China.

Also signing recently was sophomore Matthew Knies (Minnesota), who inked an entry-level deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Drafted 57th overall in 2021, the 20-year-old forward from Phoenix, Az. collected 36-39—75 points in 73 career appeaances with the Golden Gophers, and along with linemate Logan Cooley was a top-three finalist this season for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as college hockey's top player. Knies was also named the Big Ten Player of the Year and a First Team All-American this season, and was a 2022 U.S Olympian.

Hughes and Faber are both products of the U.S. National Team Development program in Plymouth, Mich., while Knies played junior hockey with Tri-City (USHL). All three skaters are expected to make their NHL debuts this week as the league's regular season concludes, with the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs beginning next Monday.

ADDENDUM: Hughes made his pro debut in New Jersey's 6-2 win over visiting Buffalo on April 11. Two nights later, he tallied his first NHL goal/point, scoring the game-winner in overtime to lift the Devils to a 5-4 victory at Washington. Faber went scoreless in his first two games with the Wild, while Knies had one assist over his first three appearances with Toronto.

Four Games, Four Routs on 2nd Day of NCAA Regionals

Four teams won in the NCAA Division I men's ice hockey regionals on Friday—and none of the games were even close on the scoreboard.

In Manchester, Ohio State annihilated Harvard by an 8-1 score, as Cam Thiesing notched two goals and an assist, and Jake Wise set up four goals for the Buckeyes. In the nightcap in New Hampshire, Quinnipiac blanked Merrimack, 5-0, as Jacob Quillan scored twice, Sam Lipkin had three points, and Yaniv Perets stopped all 15 shots he faced for the shutout. Ohio State will face Quinnipiac in the regional final on Sunday afternoon.

In Allentown, host Penn State cruised to an 8-0 victory over Michigan Tech, as Liam Souliere earned the shutout on 24 stops. A total of seven Nittany Lion skaters registered two points each, including leading goal scorer Kevin Wall. In the late game in Pennsylvania, Michigan used seven second-period scores to rout Colgate, 11-1. Luke Hughes led the way for the Wolverines with two goals and three assists for five points, while T.J. Hughes and Seamus Casey set up three goals apiece. Michigan meets Big Ten rival Penn State Sunday night for the right to go to the NCAA Frozen Four in Tampa next month.

Team USA Wins First Two at Rescheduled World Juniors

The United States National Junior Team is off to a solid start at the revamped 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton. Team USA defeated Germany, 5-1, in its opening game, and then pasted Switzerland, 7-1, in its next outing.

Luke Hughes (Michigan) leads all defensemen in the tournament, and is fifth overall among all skaters so far, with five points through two games, on a goal and four assists. Mbereko Kaidan (Colorado College) is 2-0-0 in net for the Americans, with a 1.00 goals-against average and .943 save percentage to date. 

This month's tournament (Aug. 9-20) replaces the original event that was canceled shortly after it began in December, due to COVID-19/Omicron variant concerns. The U.S. won the last World Junior championship that was played to completion in 2020, which was also held in Canada.

The U.S. will now face Switzerland in in its next contest today (2 p.m. ET, NHL Network), before meeting Sweden on Sunday night to close out the preliminary round.

ADDENDUM: After routing the Swiss by a 7-1 count, Team USA held on to defeat Sweden, 3-2, to finish with a 4-0-0 record in group play. Matthew Coronato (Harvard) scored two goals, including the game-winner, for the Americans, who will now face Czechia in a quarterfinal contest on Aug. 17.

NCAA Players Shine in 2020 Stanley Cup Start

Some notes on several former NCAA players from the qualifying round/round robin portion of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs contested in Edmonton and Toronto that began this month:

- Chicago captain Jonathan Toews (North Dakota) had four goals and seven points in four games in the Blackhawks' qualifying round victory over Edmonton.

- Quinn Hughes (Michigan) recorded five assists and six points for Vancouver as the Canucks outlasted Minnesota in four contests.

- Cam Atkinson scored twice and set up three other goals for Columbus as the Bluejackets rebounded to overcome Toronto in five games, the only series in the qualifying round that went the distance.

- Cam Talbot (Alabama-Huntsville) registered three victories in goal, and also posted a 1.51 goals-against average and a shutout for Calgary as the Flames eliminated Winnipeg in four games.

- Kevin Hayes (Boston College) assisted on all four Philadelphia goals in a 4-1 win over Tampa Bay that clinched the first seed in the Eastern Conference for the Flyers.

The NHL's usual Stanley Cup round of 16 began on Tuesday. Four series will be played in each city (Edmonton and Toronto), with each series a best-of-seven affair.

Three BC Freshmen Chosen in 2019 NHL First Round

Three incoming Boston College Eagles were selected in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft on Friday in Vancouver.

Matthew Boldy of Millis, Mass. was selected 12th overall by the Minnesota Wild. Last season with the U.S. National Team Development Program out of Michigan, the 6-foot-2 left wing tallied 33 goals and 48 assists for 81 points in 64 games. He more than doubled his output from the 2017-18 campaign, when he finished with 12 goals and 35 points with the NTDP.

Spencer Knight went 13th overall to the Florida Panthers. The 6-foot-3 goaltender from Darien, Conn. compiled a 15-1-0 record with a 2.21 goals-against average and .903 save percentage against USHL clubs, and finished 17-3-1 in exhibition contests against NCAA and similar competition. He is expected to step into the Eagles' starting goaltender slot with the departure of three-year starter Joe Woll to the Toronto Maple Leafs organization earlier this year.

The 16th NHL choice on Friday went to the Colorado Avalanche, who used it on Alex Newhook from St. John's, Newfoundland. The 5-foot-10 center collected 38-64—102 points in 53 outings last season with Victoria (BCHL), and added five goals and 10 points in five appearances with Canada's U-18 squad.

NTDP all-time leading scorer Jack Hughes, one of seven players from that organization chosen on Friday, went first overall to the New Jersey Devils, but he is not expected to play college hockey like his older brother Quinn Hughes (Michigan) and father Jim Hughes (Providence). The top player with NCAA ties chosen in the first round this year was forward Alex Turcotte, also from the NTDP, who will play at Wisconsin starting this fall.

A full list of this year's NHL's draft selections can be found here. Rounds 2-7 will be televised starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday (NHL Network).

Larkin Re-Signs, Berenson Earns Latest Honor

Two former University of Michigan players made headlines over the weekend—one an up-and-comer, and the other a living legend.

Dylan Larkin, who played one season with the Wolverines before turning pro, has signed a five-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings. A restricted free agent, Larkin, 22, will receive an average of $6.1 million per season, according to NHL.com. Drafted 15th overall by Detroit in 2014, the Waterford, Mich. native has notched 56 goals and 84 assists for 140 points in 242 regular-season appearances over three full NHL campaigns, all with Detroit. He registered 15-32—47 points in 35 outings with U-M in 2014-15, his lone year in Ann Arbor and the inaugural season of the current Big Ten Conference.

Longtime Michigan head coach Gordon "Red" Berenson, who manned the Wolverines for 33 seasons and also won two NCAA Division I titles at the U-M helm, will be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in December. The Regina, Sask. native starred at Michigan as a forward before going on to play in the NHL from 1962 to 1978. He later coached the St. Louis Blues for three seasons.

Berenson guided his alma mater from 1984 to 2017, and recorded an 848-426-92 overall mark with the Wolverines while winning national titles in both 1996 and 1998. He also led the Maize and Blue to 10 Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular season championships, nine CCHA Tournament crowns, one Big Ten tournament title, and 22 consecutive NCAA Tournament berths from 1991 to 2012.

Also, in late July, Michigan defenseman Quinn Hughes announced he will return to U-M for his sophomore season. Drafted seventh overall by the Vancouver Canucks in June, the Orlando, Fla. native earned 2017-18 Big Ten All-Freshman Team accolades in collecting 5-24—29 points in 37 games as a rookie, while also helping the Wolverines to the NCAA Frozen Four.