BC Edges Providence, 3-2, in OT

Ryan Leonard took a penalty in the third period that negated what would have been a Boston College power play, then scored the tying goal late in regulation and the game-winner in overtime to lift third-ranked BC to a 3-2 victory at No. 10 Providence last night.

After Gabe Perreault had put BC ahead in the first minute of play, the host Friars responded with second-period goals less than three minutes apart by Clint Levens and Ryan O'Reilly to put Providence ahead, 2-1. That lead stood up until Leonard tapped home a pass from the far wing with less than four minutes remaining in regulation to tie the contest, before he backhanded home a loose puck in front just over four minutes into OT to end it.

Jan Korec stopped 24 shots for the visiting Eagles (8-2-0 overall, 3-1-0 Hockey East) in making his first start of the 2024-25 NCAA season, while Philip Svedebäck made 36 stops for the Friars (7-3-2, 5-2-2). Leonard and Perreault tallied three points apiece for BC, while James Hagens set up two goals for the Eagles. The two Hockey East rivals will close out the season series on Jan. 17 at BC.

Bruins Dismiss Montgomery as Head Coach

Jim Montgomery (Maine) has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the Boston Bruins. The Montreal native was in his third season at the helm of the Bruins, who are currently 8-9-3 through their first 20 games of the 2024-25 NHL campaign and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division, where they sit outside a playoff spot. Succeeding Montgomery as interim head coach is assistant Joe Sacco (Boston University), who previously oversaw the Colorado Avalanche from 2009-2013.

Montgomery joined Boston for the 2022-23 season and led it to a league-best 65-12-5 record, setting NHL records for most wins and points (132) by a team in a single season while personally earning the Jack Adams Trophy as coach of the year. He then guided the Bruins to a 47-20-15 mark in 2023-24, although both of those seasons ended with a first-round loss to Florida in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

As an All-America forward, Montgomery led the University of Maine to its first-ever NCAA hockey title as a senior forward in 1993, earning him NCAA championship MVP accolades. He did likewise 24 years later with the University of Denver, as head coach of the Pioneers when he guided them to the national championship in Chicago in 2017. He left a year later to coach the NHL's Dallas Stars, with whom he compiled a 60-43-10 ledger in 113 regular-season outings before being dismissed by the club almost midway through the 2019-2020 season for "unprofessional conduct."

Montgomery, 55, also coached Dubuque to two Junior A titles in the United States Hockey League before signing on at Denver, after previously serving four seasons as an assistant coach at Rensselaer. He played in 122 NHL games between 1993 and 2003 with St. Louis, Montreal, Philadelphia, San Jose and Dallas, after recording 301 points over four seasons at UMaine, where his No. 19 jersey has been retired.

BC Goalie Fowler Suspended One Game

Boston College sophomore goaltender Jacob Fowler has been suspended by Hockey East for one game after earning a roughing penalty and a game misconduct in 5-4 loss at UConn on Friday. He will sit out tomorrow night's conference contest against Providence, and be eligible to return on Nov. 22 against Northeastern.

Fowler, 20, from Melbourne, Fla. stopped 25 of 28 shots against in just under 25 minutes of action at UConn. He is 7-1-0 so far this season with a 1.55 goals-against average and three shutouts in nine games, and 39-7-1 with a 2.04 GAA and six shutouts in 48 career NCAA appearances to date with the Eagles. He was selected in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens.

BC (7-2-0 overall, 2-1-0 HEA) dropped from second to third in this week's USCHO.com national poll, behind Denver and Michigan State.

AIC to Return to Division II Next Year

According to multiple online sources, American International College will be leaving the NCAA Division I men's hockey ranks at the end of the 2024-25 season to return to the Division II level, due to budgetary constraints. All other AIC athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division II level, although there is no women's varsity hockey team.

AIC has spent the past 27 years at the Division I level. It has posted six straight winning seasons, which included four Atlantic Hockey regular-season championships, three Atlantic Hockey playoff titles, and three NCAA tournament berths, all achieved under head coach and alumnus Eric Lang. In 2019, the Yellowjackets advanced to the NCAA West Regional Final after upsetting top-ranked St. Cloud State in the regional semifinals.

AIC moved to the Division I level in 1998-99 as part of the then-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), which became Atlantic Hockey in 2003-04. The program was established in 1948-49 at the Division II level, and moved to the MassMutual Center as its home ice in 2016-17 from the Olympia Ice Center.

AIC is currently 2-6-1 overall and 2-2 in the conference, which is now known as Atlantic Hockey America.

Big Green Remains Perfect at Princeton

Dartmouth College continued its winning ways with a 5-1 rout of host Princeton University on Saturday night at Hobey Baker Memorial Rink. The Big Green (4-0-0 overall, 3-0-0 ECAC Hockey) remains one of two unbeaten and untied NCAA Division I men's teams in the nation, along with defending national champion and top-ranked Denver.

No less than 10 Dartmouth players recorded at least one point in Saturday's win, with Sean Chisholm scoring two goals, including a power-play marker, with both tallies set up by Nikita Nikora. Emmett Croteau finished with 16 saves in net before losing his shutout bid with less than five minutes to go on a goal by Princeton's Ian Devlin, while Arthur Smith made 21 saves for the Tigers (0-2-0, 0-2-0). The two Ivy League rivals will meet again on Feb. 1 in Hanover, N.H. to close out their 2024-25 season series.

CHL Players Now Eligible for NCAA Hockey

Players from the major junior hockey leagues that are largely based in Canada are now permitted to play NCAA Division I men's ice hockey. 

The NCAA Division I council voted yesterday to make players from the Canadian Hockey League (made up of the Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League, and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League) eligible to skate for NCAA Division I schools. beginning on Aug.1, 2025. In the past, CHL players, with some exceptions, had been banned from playing at the top level of American college hockey, as they were considered to be professionals.

CHL players must also not have signed or agreed to professional contracts before enrolling at a Division I school, among other stipulations. They are also still not eligible to take part in NCAA Division III hockey, which also does not provide scholarships. 

More information can be found here.

NCAA Sweeps Abound in Early November

It was a weekend of two-step sweeps involving top teams in NCAA Division I men's college hockey (national rankings from last week, per USCHO.com) ...

- No. 1 Denver swept Yale (5-1, 6-0)

- No. 2 Boston College swept at No. 6 St. Cloud State (4-1, 2-1)

- No. 4 Minnesota swept No. 18 Penn State (3-1, 1-0)

- No. 7 Maine swept Merrimack (5-0, 6-0)

- No. 8 Colorado College swept Air Force (3-2, 6-1)

- No. 9 Cornell swept No. 6 North Dakota (4-1, 5-3)

- No. 11 Michigan swept No. 5 Boston University (5-1, 5-4/OT)

- No. 12 Providence swept New Hampshire (6-3, 3-0)

- No. 15 Ohio State swept Lake Superior (9-3, 6-2)

The home team won in each of those series, except for BC and CC.

Happy Hockey Halloween 2024

 

Princeton Blanks Waterloo in Exhibition

Princeton University is off to a good start under new head coach Ben Syer. The Tigers blanked Waterloo (Ont.) by a 6-0 count in an exhibition contest on Saturday evening at Hobey Baker Rink.

Princeton got goals from six different scorers, with three of them assisted by Jayden Sisson. Noah de la Durantaye and David Ma set up two goals apiece, while Alex Konovalov posted a goal and an assist. Princeton outshot Waterloo, 42-18, with Tiger goaltenders Ethan Pearson (seven saves) and Arthur Smith (11 saves) combining for the shutout. Dan Murphy finished with 37 stops for the visiting Warriors, who surrendered two Princeton power-play goals.

The result and individual/team statistics will not count in Princeton's official NCAA totals. The Tigers open the 2024-25 season for real at home against ECAC Hockey rival Harvard on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.

Nanooks Win First Game of Season

Alaska (Fairbanks) finally has its first victory of the 2024-25 NCAA campaign, and it has goaltender Nicholas Grabko to thank for that. 

A transfer from Bentley University, Grabko made 37 stops in Saturday's 1-0 win at Notre Dame, including 20 saves in the second period alone, to gain the series split. Broten Sabo scored the only goal of the penalty-filled contest for the Nanooks midway through the game. The two former CCHA rivals combined for 22 penalties and 87 penalty minutes at Compton Family Ice Arena.

UAF improved to 1-5-0 overall, while UND fell to 3-1-0. Nicholas Kempf made 22 saves for the Fighting Irish. 

Denver, Wisconsin Top USCHO Polls

Defending national champion Denver remains atop this week's men's NCAA Division I hockey poll at USCHO.com, followed by Boston College, Boston University, Michigan State and North Dakota in the top five. DU, BU and UND are all undefeated at this point, while BC and MSU split a two-game series in Michigan last weekend.

In USCHO's women's Division I poll, Wisconsin remains in the top slot with a perfect 6-0-0 record, followed by defending national champion Ohio State (5-2-1), Minnesota, Clarkson and Minnesota-Duluth. Clarkson is also 6-0-0 at this point of the season.

BC Blanks MSU in Season Opener

Will Vote scored twice and Oskar Jellvik added another goal, all in the second period and at even strength, as second-ranked Boston College blanked No. 4 Michigan State by a 3-0 count tonight at MSU's Munn Ice Arena. BC is now 1-0-0 overall on the 2024-25 season, while MSU fell to 2-1-0. 

BC goaltender Jacob Fowler picked up his first shutout of the season, and the fourth of his NCAA career, with 24 saves, while five different Eagles recorded assists on the night. Trey Augustine stopped 26 shots for the Spartans, who were outshot, 29-24, and went 0-for-2 on the power play before 6,555 on-lookers. MSU still leads the all-time series between the two schools, 17-12-1, although BC has now won the last six meetings, including a pair at home last year.

The Eagles and Spartans wrap up their two-game series tomorrow night at Munn (6 p.m. ET, B1G+).

ADDENDUM: In the rematch, MSU got two goals from Wisconsin transfer Charlie Stramel, the game-winner from Daniel Russell late in the second period, and 32 saves in all from Augustine as the Spartans edged BC, 4-3. It was the 600th victory all-time for MSU at Munn, which first opened its doors in 1974. Jellvik had two assists for the Eagles, while Fowler made 25 stops.

Denver Remains Atop National Poll

Defending national champion Denver remained atop this week's USCHO.com NCAA Division I men's hockey poll. The Pioneers opened their 2024-25 campaign with a two-game sweep at former WCHA opponent Alaska Anchorage over the weekend.

Rounding out the top five were Boston College, Boston University, Michigan State and Minnesota. BC opens its season this weekend at MSU, while BU topped Holy Cross in a single game and MSU swept a pair of outings at Lake Superior State. North Dakota, Cornell, Quinnipiac, Wisconsin and Michigan make up the rest of this week's top 10, with only Michigan having played this past weekend in a split with visiting Minnesota State.

Devils Sweep Sabres to Open NHL Season

Paul Cotter (Western Michigan) scored a goal in each game as the New Jersey Devils opened the 2024-25 NHL regular season with a two-step sweep of the Buffalo Sabres in the Czech Republic. The Canton, Mich. native tallied a goal and an assist in New Jersey's season-opening 4-1 win on Friday, and then added another goal in Saturday's 3-1 triumph. Owen Power (Michigan) and Tage Thompson (UConn) scored for the Sabres on the weekend, while Devon Levi (Northeastern) stopped 37 shots on Saturday.

Cotter played in eight games with WMU during the 2018-19 campaign, recording one assist before leaving Kalamazoo to play for London (OHL). He spent the last three seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights, notching career highs of 18 assists and 25 points last year in 76 outings. The Devils return to action at home in Newark on Thursday against Toronto, while the Sabres will visit Los Angeles that evening.

Wisconsin Women Rout BC, 7-1

Casey O'Brien and Kelly Gorbatenko each recorded four points, and Laila Edwards scored two goals as No. 1 Wisconsin improved to 3-0-0 overall with a 7-1 victory over host Boston College. Grace Campbell made 36 saves for BC, which was outshot, 43-16, and fell to 1-1-0 overall. The Badgers now lead the all-time head-to-head series, 10-0-0. The two NCAA Division I women's hockey schools will meet again at 6 p.m. ET tonight at Conte Forum.

ADDENDUM: Wisconsin completed the sweep with a 7-0 victory on Saturday, as O'Brien, Edwards and Lacey Eden registered three points apiece.

Bennett Hired as Quinnipiac Assistant

Former NCAA champion Rick Bennett (Providence) is back in college hockey and in ECAC Hockey. Bennett, 57, has been hired as an assistant coach at Quinnipiac University.

Bennett, who led Union College to the 2014 NCAA championship, the first in school history, compiled a 195-134-45 record in nine-plus seasons in charge of the Dutchmen, including six seasons of 20 or more wins, before resigning in early 2022. He also guided Union to eight ECAC Hockey regular-season or postseason titles in his tenure in Schenectady. He spent the past two season coaching the ECHL's expansion Savannah Ghost Pirates, where he fashioned an overall 58-68-0 regular-season record. 

A native of Springfield, Mass., and a 1990 graduate of Providence College where he recorded 50 goals and 134 points in 128 outings at forward for the Friars, Bennett played nine years professionally in the NHL, AHL, IHL and ECHL, and actually began his coaching career as a player-assistant coach in the ECHL in 1995-96. After four seasons he returned to the college ranks at his alma mater as an assistant coach for five seasons, before moving on to Union in 2005. He then served as an assistant for two years with the Dutchmen, and as associate coach for five campaigns more before taking the head coaching reins in 2011. 

2024-25 Preseason Polls Flowing

Preseason polls for three of the six NCAA Division I men's hockey conferences are in. 

Boston College has been tabbed to finish first in Hockey East, while defending national champion Denver has been slotted to top the NCHC, and St. Thomas chosen likewise in the CCHA by its coaches (tied for first with Bemidji State in the media poll). 

In Division I women's hockey so far, Penn State has been selected as the preseason regular-season champion in the new Atlantic Hockey America conference, as the 2024-25 NCAA campaign draws closer.

23 Years Later (Sept. 11, 2001)

 

Remembering Mark Bavis (Boston University), who would have been 54 years old now, on this day ... 

Johnny & Matthew Gaudreau 1993/94-2024

 

Michigan's McGroarty Dealt to Pittsburgh

Rutger McGroarty (Michigan) won't be returning to college—or playing for the Winnipeg Jets.

McGroarty, 20, had his NHL rights traded from Winnipeg to the Pittsburgh Penguins for center Brayden Yager. Drafted 14th overall by the Jets following two season with the U.S. National Development Team, McGroarty, a right wing, apparently did not wish to sign with Winnipeg.

A 6-foot-1, 200-lb. native of Lincoln, Neb., McGroarty tallied 16 goals and 36 assists for 52 points in 36 games last season as Michigan qualified for its third straight NCAA Frozen Four. In 75 career outings with the Wolverines over two years, he recorded 34-57—91 points and 12 power-play goals.

Riley to Step Down at Army After Season

Add Army West Point to the list of NCAA Division I men's hockey schools that will be introducing a new head coach following the upcoming season.

Brian Riley (middle, above), a West Point, N.Y. native who has guided the Black Knights since 2004-05, has announced that he will step down as Army's head coach following the 2024-25 NCAA campaign. In 20 seasons at the helm, he has complied an overall 242-359-92 mark, including the 2008 Atlantic Hockey regular-season championship. He has also been named Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year four times in his career. Riley follows Cornell's Mike Schafer and Notre Dame's Jeff Jackson, who will also retire next spring from their respective positions.

A 1983 graduate of Brown, Riley skated in 97 games in all at forward for the Bears, tallying 28 goals and 35 assists for 63 points. He began his coaching career as an assistant at SUNY-Plattsburgh in 1984-85, before spending one year at UMass Lowell in 1987-88, where he helped the then-Chiefs to the NCAA tournament. He then moved on to Army in 1989-90 and remained there for seven seasons. After a two-year stint as head coach at Shattuck St. Mary's in Minnesota, Riley returned to Army in 1999, where he again served as an assistant to his older brother, Rob, before ultimately taking the head coaching reins himself in 2004.

Riley, 65, is expected to be succeeded by current assistant coach and former Black Knights defenseman Zach McKelvie in 2025-26. It will mark the first time since 1949-50 that a Riley will not serve as the head hockey coach at Army, as Rob Riley guided the Cadets from 1986 to 2004, after father Jack Riley oversaw the program from 1950 to 1986.

Mike Sertich 1947-2024

Longtime men's college hockey head coach Mike Sertich (Minnesota-Duluth) passed away late last week at the age of 77 after battling pancreatic cancer.

A former Minnesota-Duluth defenseman from 1965 to 1969, Sertich went on to coach his alma mater for 18 seasons, from 1982 to 2000. In that time he guided the Bulldogs to two WCHA tournament titles, three WCHA regular-season crowns, and four NCAA tournament berths, including a national runner-up finish in 1984 when he also earned the Spencer Penrose Award as the nation's top collegiate head coach. A four-time WCHA Coach of the Year recipient, he also led UMD to eight seasons with 20 or more victories. He was inducted into the UMD Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.

A native of Virginia, Minn., Sertich finished his NCAA Division I head coaching career by guiding Michigan Tech from 2000 to 2003, before serving as a volunteer assistant coach at the College of St. Scholastica from 2010 to 2012. His career NCAA head coaching record stands at 375-397-53, while his overall mark at UMD was 350-28-44.

U.S Falls to Canada at Hlinka Gretzky Cup

The United States fell to rival Canada in a 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup semifinal contest last night in Edmonton. 

Sam Spehar, a 2026-27 University of Denver commit, tallied Team USA's lone goal, which cut Canada's lead to 2-1 at the time. 

The U.S., which went 2-1-0 in the preliminary round in Group B, will face Sweden in the bronze medal game today, while Canada will take on Czechia for gold.

ADDENDUM: Canada defeated Czechia, 2-1, while the U.S. fell to Sweden, 6-3.

Gilbert Joins MSU as Third Netminder

Michigan State has added a third goaltender for 2024-25. 

Dolan Gilbert has formally joined the Spartans as a junior, after practicing with them last season. A 6-foot-2 netminder from South Bend, Ind., Gilbert, 23, spent the 2022-23 season at NCAA Division III Concordia University/Wisconsin (NCHA), where he played in seven games, stopping 158 shots over 247 minutes. Prior to that, he played two seasons for the Texas Jr. Brahmas (NA3HL), where he fashioned a 40-7-2 record with a 2.07 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage in 52 total appearances. 

Gilbert will now back up Trey Augustine (23-9-2, 2.96, .915) and Luca Di Pasquo (2-1-1, 2.42, .910), who backstopped MSU to its first-ever Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles last year.

BC Announces 2024-25 Schedule

Boston College has announced its 2024-25 men's ice hockey schedule. Last season, the Eagles won both the Hockey East regular season and tournament crowns en route to posting a school-record 34 wins overall, while also appearing in their first NCAA title game since 2012. 

Wisconsin's Pavelski Retires from NHL

Joe Pavelski (Wisconsin) officially called it a career earlier this week. Pavelski, 40, has retired following a successful 18-year NHL playing career.

In 1,332 NHL regular-season appearances with San Jose and Dallas, Pavelski tallied 476 goals and 592 assists for 1,068 points. He also added 74-69—143 points in 201 Stanley Cup Playoff outings, establishing a postseason record for the most career goals scored by an American, and skated in both the 2016 and 2020 Stanley Cup finals.

A 6-foot-1, 196-pound center from Plover, Wis., Pavelski was drafted in the 7th round (205th overall) by San Jose in 2004 following a 36-goal season with Waterloo (USHL). After one more year in juniors, he played two seasons with Wisconsin, recording 39-62—101 points overall in 84 contests while leading the Badgers to the 2006 NCAA title. In international play, he played in two Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal with the United States in 2010 one year after skating in the World Championship, and he also captained Team USA at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Princeton Releases 2024-25 Schedule

The Princeton University men's hockey team released its 2024-25 schedule earlier this week. The Tigers are entering their first year under new head coach Ben Syer, after finishing 10-16-4 overall last year, and  in ninth place in ECAC hockey with an 8-11-3 regular-season mark.

Tony Voce 1980-2024

Three Rising Sophomores Sign with NHL Clubs

Two All-America selections and one national champion have moved on from college hockey after just one season apiece, surrendering their remaining NCAA eligibility in doing so.

Macklin Celebrini (Boston University), who claimed the Hobey Baker Memorial Award and was also an AHCA First Team All-America choice as a 17-year-old, has signed with the San Jose Sharks, who chose him first overall at last month's NHL Draft in Las Vegas after he turned 18. A native of Vancouver, Celebrini tallied 32 goals and 30 assists for 62 points last season to lead BU in scoring, while also earning Hockey East Rookie of the Year and Hockey East Player of the Year accolades. The six-foot, 190-pound center also helped BU to the Beanpot Tournament title game, the Hockey East championship game, and the NCAA Frozen Four while personally earning Hockey East First Team All-Star, Hockey East All-Rookie Team, and national rookie of the year recognition, among other tributes.

Artyom Levshunov (Michigan State) also decided to sign with an NHL club following being drafted last month, when he went second overall to the Chicago Blackhawks. A 6-foot-2, 198-pound defenseman from Zhlobin, Belarus, Levshunov recorded 9-26—35 points in 38 outings last season in helping MSU to its first Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles, along with the Spartans' first NCAA tournament victory since 2008. He also earned AHCA Second Team All-America status, along with All-Big Ten First Team, All-Big Ten Freshman Team, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.

Leaving for the NHL after winning this year's national title was Miko Matikka (Denver), who signed with the Utah Hockey Club that drafted him 67th overall in 2022 when the organization was still based in Arizona. A native of Helsinki, Finland, he registered 20-13—33 points in 43 appearances in helping DU to a record 10th NCAA championship. A 6-foot-3, 201-pound right wing, Matikka, 20, was a unanimous selection to the NCHC All-Rookie Team, and was also a four-time NCHC Rookie of the Week.

All three players signed standard three-year entry-level contracts with their respective NHL clubs, and all three also participated recently in development camps with those organizations.

Former NCAA Women's Players Attain NHL, Hockey Hall of Fame

The first female assistant coach in NHL history is an NCAA graduate. 

Jessica Campbell (Cornell), who spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the AHL's Coachella Valley Firebirds, was elevated this week to the same position with the parent club Seattle Kraken. In both her campaigns with the Firebirds, she helped them to two Western Conference titles and two Calder Cup Final appearances.

Campbell, 32, from Moosomin, Sask., began her coaching career in 2017-18 as an assistant with Pursuit of Excellence for two seasons, then moved on to Okanagan HA 1U18 Prep for one year. She also served as assistant with Malmo (Sweden), where she had completed her playing career in 2019-20, and then served with the Nürnberg Ice Tigers (Germany) and with Team Germany in 2021-22 before joining Coachella Valley.

A product of the Melville Prairie Fire organization, Campbell played forward at Cornell from 2010 to 2014, collecting 46 goals and 54 assist for 100 points in 131 NCAA games while helping the Big Red to six combined ECAC Hockey titles and four NCAA tournament berths, including two NCAA Frozen Fours. She then played three years professionally for the Calgary Inferno, notching 29-21—50 points in 63 outings.

Last month also saw two former NCAA women's forwards and college teammates named to the Hockey Hall of Fame, in Natalie Darwitz (Minnesota) and Krissy Wendell-Pohl (Minnesota). Both will be formally inducted in Toronto this November with the rest of the Class of 2024.

Darwitz, 40, from Eagan, Minn., scored 316 goals over four years playing for Eagan High School. At the University of Minnesota, she registered 102-144—246 points in three years, while also starring with the U.S Women's National Team, garnering five IIHF Women's World Championship silver medals, three Worlds gold medals, two Olympic silver medals and an Olympic bronze medal. She went on to work as an assistant college coach at her alma mater in two separate stints, sandwiched around a six-season tenure as head coach at Hamline University, and last year served as general manager with PWHL champion Minnesota.

Wendell-Pohl, 42, from Brooklyn Park, Minn., spent her women's scholastic career scoring 229 goals in 60 games over two years at Park Center High School. She then moved on to Minnesota, where in three seasons with the Golden Gophers she tallied 106-131—237 points while also serving as captain her junior year. Her trophy case with Team USA includes five IIHF World Championship silver medals, a Worlds gold medal, an Olympic silver medal and an Olympic bronze medal. Since 2021, she has served as an amateur scout with the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Both Darwitz and Wendell-Pohl played at Minnesota from 2002 to 2005. In that span they helped the Golden Gophers to three NCAA tournament appearances, the first two national championships in program history, and four WCHA crowns.

Happy Hockey Fourth of July

Former NCAA Players on Move in NHL

A number of former NCAA players were on the move with the beginning of NHL free agency on July 1 (players listed alphabetically by last name, not a complete list):

Player, Position (School) New Club Old Club

Zach Aston-Reese, F (Northeastern) Vegas Detroit

Cam Atkinson, F (Boston College) Tampa Bay Philadelphia

Brandon Biro, F (Penn State) Buffalo Seattle

Ian Cole, D (Notre Dame)                Utah            Vancouver

Devin Colley, G (Denver) Calgary San Jose

Jeremy Davies, D (Northeastern) Ottawa Buffalo

Collin Delia, G (Merrimack) Edmonton Winnipeg

Casey DeSmith, G (New Hampshire) Dallas Vancouver

Sheldon Dries, F (Western Michigan) Vancouver Detroit

Josh Dunne, F (Clarkson) Columbus Buffalo

Casey Fitzgerald, D (Boston College) NY Rangers Florida

Warren Foegele, F (New Hampshire) Los Angeles Edmonton

Adam Gaudette, F (Northeastern) Ottawa St. Louis

Dennis Gilbert, D (Notre Dame) Buffalo Calgary

Shayne Gostisbehere (Union)             Carolina        Detroit

Troy Grosenick, G (Union) Nashville Minnesota

Matt Grzelcyk, D (Boston University) Pittsburgh Boston

Danton Heinen, F (Denver) Vancouver Boston

Cameron Hughes, F (Wisconsin) Dallas Seattle

Tyson Jost, F (North Dakota) Vegas Buffalo

Cole Koepke, F (Minnesota-Duluth) Tampa Bay Boston

Tanner Laczynski, F (Ohio State) Vegas Philadelphia

Alec Martinez, D (Miami) Chicago Vegas

Ben Meyers, F (Minnesota) Seattle Anaheim

Tyler Motte, F (Michigan) Detroit Tampa Bay

Jordan Oesterle, D (Western Michigan) Boston Calgary

Jack Rathbone, D (Harvard) Buffalo Pittsburgh 

Eric Robinson, F (Princeton) Carolina Buffalo

Steven Santini, D (Boston College) Tampa Bay Los Angeles

Kiefer Sherwood, F (Miami) Vancouver Nashville

Devin Shore, F (Maine) Minnesota Seattle

Nate Schmidt, D (Minnesota) Florida Winnipeg

Joe Snively, F (Yale) Detroit Washington

Anthony Stolarz, G (Omaha) Toronto Florida

Billy Sweezey, D (Yale) Boston Columbus

Cam Talbot, G (Alabama-Huntsville) Detroit Los Angeles

Jason Zucker, F (Denver)                Buffalo         Nashville

Three NCAA Skaters Go in NHL First Round

The first round of the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas is in the books, after three current NCAA skaters were selected among the top 12 choices on Friday evening. 

Chosen first overall, as expected, was center Macklin Celebrini (Boston University), this year's Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner, who went first overall to the San Jose Sharks. Celebrini is the first overall choice from a U.S. college since Owen Power (Michigan) in 2021, and just the fourth college player ever selected first in the history of the NHL draft. 

Right behind Celebrini in the number two slot was defenseman Artyom Levshunov (Michigan State), who was chosen by the Chicago Blackhawks after helping MSU win both the Big Ten regular-season and conference crowns. Coming in 12th overall was defenseman Zeev Buium (Denver), who was tabbed by the Minnesota Wild after being a part of DU's NCAA championship team this year. 

Seven future NCAA players were then chosen among the final 18 selections of the first round. The draft concludes on Saturday at the Sphere, beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET (NHL Network).

More NCAA Head Coaching Changes Occur

Two more NCAA Division I schools have or will be making head coaching changes.

Jeff Jackson (Michigan State) will step down from college coaching following the 2024-25 season at the University of Notre Dame, after helming the Fighting Irish for a full 20 years. Since taking over in South Bend in 2005-06, Jackson, 69, has led UND to an overall record of 407-266-73, including 12 NCAA tournament berths, eight combined conference regular-season and tournament titles over three leagues (CCHA, Hockey East, Big Ten), four NCAA Frozen Four berths, and two NCAA championship game appearances. 

Prior to joining the Irish, Jackson spent six seasons as head coach at Lake Superior State University, winning two NCAA championships while also leading the Lakers to six NCAA tournament appearances, four CCHA tournament crowns and two CCHA regular-season titles. A native of Roseville, Michigan, Jackson has also served as head coach with St. Clair (NAHL), the U.S. National Team Development Program, and Guelph (OHL), while also working as an assistant with LSSU and the New York Islanders. He is also a two-time winner of the Spencer Penrose Award as the top head coach in college hockey, and has fashioned an overall NCAA record of 589-318-98.

Dave Shyiak (Northern Michigan) has returned to his alma mater as head coach after serving the past four years as associate head coach at St. Cloud State, where he helped the Huskies to the 2021 NCAA championship game. A native of Brandon, Manitoba, Shyiak previously served as head coach at the University of Alaska Anchorage from 2005 to 2013, where he compiled a record of 80-177-33 with the Seawolves. 

Shyiak, 57, first worked as a head coach in the BCJHL with both Kimberley and Merritt, then spent 10 seasons as assistant/associate head coach at NMU, before later serving as associate head coach at Western Michigan for six seasons after coaching at UAA. He was also a member of NMU's 1991 NCAA championship team, and tallied 20 goals and 22 assists for 42 points to go with 217 penalty minutes in 125 career games as a forward with the Wildcats. 

Former NMU head coach Grant Potulny (Minnesota), who left the Wildcats earlier this month after seven years in Marquette, has been announced as head coach of the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, the top affiliate of the New York Rangers. He guided NMU to a 128-113-17 mark overall, including their transition from the WCHA to the new CCHA, as just the third head coach in program history.

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.

Florida Wins First-Ever Stanley Cup

Evan Rodrigues (Boston University) assisted on the game-opening goal, and the host Florida Panthers went on to a 2-1 victory in the deciding Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night to win the 2024 Stanley Cup. Edmonton had won the previous three games in the best-of-seven series, after Florida had claimed the first three contests. The Cup win was the first in Florida's 30-year history, while Edmonton was seeking its sixth NHL title all-time, and first since 1990. 

Florida's Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart sandwiched goals around one by Edmonton's Mattias Janmark through the first 40 minutes of play, while the third period was scoreless before 19,939 on-lookers at Amerant Bank Arena. Sergei Brobovsky made 23 saves in net for the Panthers, while Stuart Skinner finished with 19 stops for the Oilers.

Besides Rodrigues, other players with NCAA ties on this year's Panthers' roster included William Lockwood (Michigan), Ryan Lomberg (Maine), Brandon Montour (Massachusetts), Kyle Okposo (Minnesota), Mike Reilly (Minnesota), Mackie Samoskevich (Michigan) and Anthony Stolarz (Nebraska-Omaha). Lomberg, Montour, Okposo and Stolarz all played in the Cup final along with Rodrigues. Also in the Panthers' lineup was Spencer Knight (Boston College), as the third-string goaltender, although he spent the entirety of the 2023-24 season playing for Charlotte (AHL).

The Oilers came up one game short of becoming the first Canadian team to win the Cup since 1993, and the first NHL club to rebound from an 0-3 deficit in the final since 1945. Edmonton's Connor McDavid still won this year's Conn Smythe Trophy as NHL playoff MVP, just the sixth player from the losing team in the final to do so, and the first since 2003. He also led all NHL skaters in this year's postseason with 42 points, including a league-record 34 assists.

Houle Returns to Clarkson as Head Coach

Clarkson University has turned to one of its own in hiring a new men's hockey head coach, in alumnus Jean-François Houle. He succeeds Casey Jones, who returned to Cornell after 13 years of helming the Golden Knights.

Houle, 49, has spent the last nine seasons coaching in the American Hockey league, six as an assistant with Bakersfield, and the last three as head coach of Laval where he led the Rocket to 105 regular-season wins and two Calder Cup playoff berths. Prior to his time in the AHL, he served one season as an ECHL head coach, and five years as a head coach in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). 

Houle started his coaching career at his alma mater in 2003-04, where he spent seven years. In that time helped the Golden Knights to an ECAC Hockey Whitelaw Cup playoff championship (2007), an ECAC Hockey Riley Cup regular-season championship (2008), and an NCAA Tournament berth in both of those campaigns.

A native of Charlesbourg, PQ, Houle was drafted 99th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 1993 after starring at the Northwood School in Lake Placid, N.Y. He then skated four years at left wing at Clarkson, tallying 49 goals and 81 assists for 130 points in 143 career contests, winning two Riley Cups and playing in three NCAA tournaments, while also earning ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team accolades as a freshman, and serving as team captain as a senior. He then turned pro, where he played five seasons between the ECHL and AHL, notching a total of 84-148—232 points in 288 regular-season outings overall before beginning his coaching career at Clarkson.

Oilers Knot 2024 Stanley Cup Final

The 2024 Stanley Cup Final will come down to a seventh game.

The Edmonton Oilers, who dropped the first three games of the best-of-seven series, won their third straight contest against the Florida Panthers on Friday night, this time by a 5-1 count in Game 6. The series is now tied, three to three, with Edmonton having outscored Florida, 18-5, over the last three contests.

Warren Foegele (New Hampshire) opened the scoring last night, just over seven minutes into the first period, as Edmonton ultimately went ahead, 3-0, after 40 minutes before 18,347 at Rogers Place. Zach Hyman (Michigan) tallied his playoff-leading 16th goal late in the second stanza, his second goal in two games, before Foegele help set up one of two empty-net Edmonton goals in the final frame.

Game 7 is slated for Monday night in Sunrise, Fl., at 8 p.m. ET (ABC, CBC). Edmonton is seeking to become the first NHL team to rebound from a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Final since 1942, and just the second club ever to do so.

Hershey Ties Up Calder Cup Final Again

The 2024 Calder Cup Final is all tied up. Again.

The Hershey Bears rebounded for a 3-2 victory at Coachella Valley in Game Four on Thursday night to knot the best-of-seven series, two games to two. Joe Snively (Yale) notched the game-winning goal early in the third period, less than four minutes after the host Firebirds had knotted the game at two. Snively also drew an assist on Hershey's second goal of the contest, which gave the Bears a 2-1 lead late in the second stanza before 10,087 on-lookers at Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms, Ca.

Hunter Shepard (Minnesota-Duluth) stopped 22 of 24 shots for the Bears, who will attempt to take their first lead of the series in Game 5 on Saturday night at Coachella Valley.

Oilers Win Again in Stanley Cup Final

Zach Hyman (Michigan) finally got a goal in this year's Stanley Cup Final—and now the Edmonton Oilers are one win away from tying the series, after losing the first three games. 

Hyman, who scored a career-high 54 goals during the NHL regular season, notched his league-leading 15th goal of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Tuesday on a power play as the Oilers raced out to a three-goal lead and held on for a 5-3 win over the host Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Fla. The Panthers still lead the best-of-seven series, three games to two, but failed to close it out and win the Cup for the second straight game, this time at home before 19,956 spectators at Amerant Bank Arena.

Florida rebounded to make it a 4-2 contest by the end of the second stanza, with Brandon Montour (Massachusetts) setting up Evan Rodrigues (Boston University) for his league-best fourth goal of the final late in the period. The Panthers then closed to within a goal just over four minutes into the final frame, but Edmonton held on to close out matters with an empty-net goal in the final half-minute by NHL leading scorer Connor McDavid, who has recorded eight points (3g-5a) for the Oilers over the last two games.

Game Six is Friday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

Bears Bounce Back to Tie Calder Cup Final

The 2024 Calder Cup Final will not be a sweep.

Two days after falling short in a 4-3 loss in the series opener on Friday, the Hershey Bears rebounded with a 5-2 win over the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The best-of-seven series, which shifts to California for the next three games, is now tied, one to one.

Mike Vecchione (Union) set up two goals for the Bears on Sunday, while Hunter Shepard (Minnesota-Duluth) stopped 32 of 34 shots against before 10,507 spectators at Hershey's Giant Center. Shepard was named first star of the game, while Vecchione was third star.

Game Three is slated for Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms, Cal., tonight at 10 p.m. ET. 

ADDENDUM: Coachella Valley took a two to one lead in the Calder Cup Final with a 6-2 victory over Hershey in Game Three. Max McCormick (Ohio State) scored three goals for the Firebirds, who outshot the Bears, 42-24. Coachella Valley will host Game Four on Thursday evening.

Oilers Explode in Game Four to Stay Alive

Dylan Holloway (Wisconsin) and the Edmonton Oilers refused to go away Saturday night.

Down three games to none to the visiting Florida Panthers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers scored three times in each of the first and second periods, and twice more in the third stanza, en route an 8-1 victory in Game Four to stave off elimination. 

Holloway led all players with two goals, and also assisted on the Oilers' final goal of the night before 18,347 on-lookers at Rogers Arena. Zach Hyman (Michigan) assisted on two Edmonton goals for his first points of the series, while Warren Foegele (New Hampshire) also recorded an assist for the Oilers. Florida netminder Anthony Stolarz (Nebraska-Omaha) made 16 saves on 19 shots in relief for the Panthers.

Game Five of this year's NHL championship series will be Tuesday night in Sunrise, Fla.

Coaching Changes at NCAA Division I Level

College hockey will have a different look at several NCAA Division I men's schools next season.

Grant Potulny has stepped down at Northern Michigan University after seven seasons to pursue a professional hockey job. Potulny, 44, who scored the game-winning power-lay goal in overtime for Minnesota in the 2002 NCAA championship contest, guided the Wildcats to a 128-113-17 mark overall, including their transition from the WCHA to the new CCHA, as just the third head coach in program history. Following a five-year professional playing career, the Grand Forks, N.D. native served as an assistant coach at his alma mater from 2009 to 2017 before taking over at NMU. Athletic director and former head coach Rick Comley, who led the Wildcats to the 1991 NCAA title, will serve as interim head coach until Potulny's successor is selected.

Clarkson is also in the market for a new men's hockey head coach, as Casey Jones is returning to Cornell University as associate head coach for next season. He will then transition to head coach next summer, when Mike Schafer retires following the 2024-25 campaign after 30 years at the helm of the Big Red. 

Jones, 56, from Temiscaming, PQ compiled a 234-185-56 overall record at Clarkson over the past 13 years, while leading the Golden Knights to the 2019 ECAC Hockey playoff crown and two NCAA tournament berths. Prior to taking over at Clarkson, he served as an assistant or associate coach at Clarkson and Ohio State, a stretch that was bookended by two stints at his alma mater. He skated four years as a Big Red center (1986-1990), helping them to 62 wins overall.

Schafer, 61, from Durham, Ont., has overseen the Big Red since the 1995-96 season, accumulating an overall mark of 542-289-111. A former Cornell defenseman (1982-1986), he served four years as an assistant coach at his alma mater before moving on to Western Michigan for four more years. He then took over the Big Red and has since led it to 13 Ivy League crowns, six ECAC Hockey Cleary Cup regular-season titles, and six Whitelaw Cups as conference tournament champion, including this past season. Cornell has also qualified for 14 NCAA tournaments under Schafer's watch, including a berth in the 2003 NCAA Frozen Four.

Hersey Earns 2024 AHL Eastern Conference Crown

Garrett Roe (St. Cloud State) whipped home a rebound less than eight minutes into overtime Wednesday night to lift the Hershey Bears to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Cleveland Monsters in Game 7 of the 2024 AHL Eastern Conference final. Hershey wins the best-of-seven series, four games to three, with three of those victories coming in OT. Cleveland forced a deciding contest by winning the previous three games of the series, after originally falling behind three games to none.

Hunter Shepard (Minnesota-Duluth) stopped 42 of 44 shots before 10,520 on-lookers last night for the Bears, who also got two points from Logan Day (Endicott), including the primary assist on Roe's game-winner. The Bears are looking to repeat as Calder Cup champions, and will face the Western Conference champion Coachella Valley Firebirds, whom they topped in seven games in last year's AHL final. Game One is slated for Friday night at Hershey's Giant Center.

BU's Rodrigues Powers Panthers to Two-Game Lead

Evan Rodrigues (Boston University) scored a goal in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers to lift the Florida Panthers to a one-game lead in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. He scored twice tonight in the third period in a 4-1 victory that enabled the Panthers to put stranglehold on the series it shifts to Alberta later this week.

A center who hails from Toronto, Rodrigues picked off a clearing pass and wristed home a shot from the left circle early in the final frame on an expiring Florida power play to break a 1-1 tie, and then scored on a deflection less than nine minutes later to make it 3-1. Florida, which is playing in its second straight Stanley Cup Final after falling to Vegas last year, now leads this year's best-of-seven series, two games to none, in pursuing its first NHL championship ever. Game Three will be held on Thursday at Edmonton's Rogers Place.

Rodrigues, 30, who was a member of BU's 2015 NCAA national runner-up squad, tallied 42 goals and 121 points in his four-year college career with the Terriers. He now has six goals and five assists in 19 postseason games so far this spring with the Panthers, and has recorded 10-12-22 points in 35 career Stanley Cup Playoff outings with Pittsburgh, Colorado and Florida.

Everblades Win Third Straight ECHL Playoff Title

For the third year in a row, the Florida Everblades are ECHL playoff champions. 

The Everblades claimed their third straight Kelly Cup, and fourth overall, with last night's come from behind 4-3 overtime win over the visiting Kansas City Mavericks before 7,910 on-lookers at Hertz Arena in Estero, Fl. Florida won the best-of-seven final series, four games to one, while the third straight title and fourth overall are both league records. The Everblades have also bested the ECHL's Brabham Cup regular-season champion in each of the past three Kelly Cup finals, according to ECHL.com.

Matt Senden (North Dakota) tallied two goals in the third-period for Florida, including the game-tying goal in the final two minutes of regulation, while Will Reilly (Rensselaer) assisted on the game-winner early in sudden-death OT. Bobo Carpenter (Boston University) notched a goal and two assists, while Chad Johnson (North Dakota) made 29 saves in goal in winning his second straight Kelly Cup. David Cotton (Boston College) scored the first goal of the game for Kansas City, which got 35 stops from Jack LaFontaine (Minnesota).

Florida forward Oliver Chau (Quinnipiac), who won an NCAA title with UMass in 2021 and last year's Kelly Cup crown with the Everblades, earned this year's June M. Kelly Playoffs MVP Award after tallying nine goals and 23 points in 23 ECHL playoff contests this spring, including six goals in the final round.

NCAA Skaters Dot 2024 Stanley Cup Rosters

More than a dozen former NCAA players in all are listed on the rosters of the two competing teams in this year's Stanley Cup Final. Per hockeydb.com:

Edmonton Oilers

• Vincent Desharnais (Providence)
• Warren Foegele (New Hampshire)
• Dylan Holloway (Wisconsin)
• Zach Hyman (Michigan)
• Philip Kemp (Yale)
• Troy Stecher (North Dakota)

Florida Panthers

• William Lockwood (Michigan)
• Ryan Lomberg (Maine)
• Brandon Montour (Massachusetts)
• Kyle Okposo (Minnesota)
• Mike Reilly (Minnesota)
• Evan Rodrigues (Boston University)
• Mackie Samoskevich (Michigan)
• Anthony Stolarz (Nebraska-Omaha) 

Game One of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final is on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET (ABC, CBC). Florida returns to the final for the second year in a row, and the third time ever, but is still seeking its first-ever NHL playoff championship. Five-time Cup champion Edmonton is back in the final for the first time since 2006 and is after its first NHL title since 1990, along with Canada's first Stanley Cup crown since 1993.

BC's Smith Signs with San Jose

 

The Boston College men's hockey team has lost its top scorer to the professional ranks. Rising freshman forward Will Smith signed an entry-level NHL contract this week with the San Jose Sharks, who drafted him fourth overall last summer, forgoing the final three seasons of his college career. 

Smith, from Lexington, Mass., led all NCAA Division I skaters last season with 46 assists and 71 points, and was sixth nationally with 25 goals. He also set BC freshman records for assists and points in a single season, passing former NHL player Ken Hodge, Jr., and is now 10th all-time for most points recorded in a single season among all classes, edging out former NHL player Kevin Stevens.

As a collegiate rookie last season, Smith, 19, guided BC to a school-record 34 total wins and both the Hockey East regular-season and tournament titles, including a personal four-goal, five-point outing in a 6-2 victory over rival Boston University in the conference championship game. He also earned Hockey East All-Rookie, First All-Star Team, All-Tournament, and Tournament MVP accolades, and was a First Team All-America selection and a top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award given to the nation's top Division I player.

Smith also helped the Eagles to the Providence NCAA regional championship this spring, recording assists in wins over Michigan Tech and Quinnipiac, and then scored two goals in a triumph over Michigan at the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Paul. BC then fell to Denver in the national championship game, the Eagles' first appearance in the NCAA title contest in 12 years.

A six-foot, 181-pound product of the U.S. National Team Development Program in Michigan, with whom he tallied 51 goals and 127 points in 2022-23, Smith was also a member of this year's World Junior Championship gold medal U.S. squad in Sweden, and recently skated for the fifth-place American team at the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Czechia.

Minnesota Earns Inaugural PWHL Title

A second-period goal by Liz Schepers (Ohio State) stood up as the game-winner, and Minnesota won the first-ever Professional Women's Hockey League playoff title with a 3-0 victory over Boston in Game 5 of the inaugural PWHL final last night in Lowell, Mass. Minnesota won the best-of-five series, three games to two, to lift the Walter Cup.

Michela Cava (Minnesota-Duluth) made it 2-0 in the third period, and later set up Kendall Coyne-Schofield (Northeastern) for an empty-net insurance goal. Mellissa Channell (Wisconsin) finished with two assists for Minnesota, both in the final frame, while Nicole Hensley (Lindenwood) made 17 saves for the shutout. Aerin Frankel (Northeastern) recorded 41 stops in defeat for Boston.

Minnesota's Taylor Heise (Minnesota) earned the first-ever Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP award after tallying five goals and eight points in the postseason.

Lee Earns 2024 King Clancy Memorial Trophy

New York Islanders captain Anders Lee (Notre Dame) is the recipient of the NHL's 2023-24 King Clancy Memorial Trophy. The award is given annually to the NHL player "who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community." Lee is the third Islander to be so honored all-time, following Bryan Trottier (1989) and Doug Weight (2011), and will receive a $25,000 donation from the NHL that will benefit a charity or charities of his choice.

Lee, 33, has long supported Jam Kancer in the Kan, which is a foundation committed to fundraising for families dealing with cancer, and has helped the event raise more than $2.5 million in all to date, according to the Islanders web site. He also founded and continues to fund the Fenov Scholars college scholarship, which is awarded to graduating high school students who provide help and sympathy to an individual who is battling cancer.

Lee, who hails from Edina, Minn., has tallied at least 20 goals in an NHL campaign eight times so far in his professional career, including this season, and has tallied 260 career regular-season goals in all. A sixth-round draft choice of the Islanders in 2009, he skated at Notre Dame for three years, scoring 61 goals in NCAA play, and captained the Fighting Irish to the championship of the original CCHA in his final season at UND. Lee also helped the U.S. to bronze medals at the IIHF World Championships in 2015 and 2018.