Yales Tabs Alumnus Hamilton as Head Coach

Yale University has turned to one of its own behind the bench, as former Bulldog forward Jeff Hamilton has been named as the Ivy League school's new men's hockey head coach. He succeeds Joe Howe, who served as interim head coach last year following the retirement of longtime head coach and Yale alumnus Keith Allain.

Hamilton, 48, returns to Yale after coaching with the Connecticut Jr. Rangers and Mid Fairfield Rangers programs from 2017 to 2024. He is also the owner of 203 Sports Group, a youth athletic development group.

A native of Englewood, Ohio, Hamilton was a three-time 20-goal scorer at Yale after prepping at Avon Old Farms. In 127 career collegiate games with the Bulldogs from 1996 to 2001, he tallied 80 goals and 94 assists for 174 points, and earned All-America accolades three times. He also led Yale to an ECAC regular-season title and an NCAA tournament berth in 1998, was a two-time Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist, and remains the top scorer in school history.

An undrafted free agent, Hamilton went on to play in 157 NHL regular-season games with the New York Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs from 2003 to 2009, collecting 32-45—77 points. He also recorded 131-139—270 points in 292 American Hockey League regular-season appearances with Bridgeport, Hartford, and Albany, and also played professionally in Finland, Russia and Switzerland while earning a bronze medal with the United States at the 2004 IIHF World Championship. 

NCAA Skaters Stars in NHL Playoff Openers

The NHL's 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs got underway this weekend, with several former NCAA players playing key roles in Game One first-round victories.

•  Jackson Blake (North Dakota) had two assists as Carolina topped Ottawa, 2-0.

• Matt Boldy (Boston College) scored two goals and set up another as Minnesota routed host Dallas, 6-1.

• Porter Martone (Michigan State) notched his first career NHL playoff goal, the game-winner in Philadelphia's 3-2 victory at Pittsburgh.

• Logan O'Connor (Denver) scored the game-winner in Colorado's 2-1 triumph over Los Angeles, assisted by Jack Drury (Harvard).

• • Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) notched two assists, both on the power play, and Jakub Dobeš (Ohio State) made 20 saves in Montreal's 4-3 overtime win at Tampa Bay.

• Tage Thompson (UConn) scored two goals and added an assist as Buffalo rebounded for a 4-3 victory over Boston.

• Nic Dowd (St. Cloud State) collected the game-winner as Vegas outlasted Utah, 4-2.

The eighth series, between Anaheim and Edmonton, gets underway tonight.

Princeton Endows Men's Hockey Coach Position

Princeton University recently announced that it has endowed the men's hockey head coaching position. 

According to goprincetontigers.com, a group of alumni have made gifts that will endow the position in honor of Hobart Amory Hare “Hobey” Baker, the former early 20th century Princeton hockey star for whom Princeton's Hobey Baker Memorial Rink is named, along with the Hobey Baker Memorial Award that is annually bestowed upon the top player in NCAA Division I men's hockey.

Hockey alumni contributors to the endowment include Gavin Colquhoun ’95, Craig Dahl ’77, Rob Engel ’86, John Hepburn ’72, David Johnson ’78, David Kelley ’79, Kris Kollevoll ’77, Dan Maze ’90, Chris Mitchell ’93, Robin Pierson ’78, Mike Pritula ’78, Frank Techar ’78, Bill Tresham ’78, John Van Siclen ’78 and Philip Webster ’68.

Princeton and head coach Ben Syer went 18-13-3 overall in the 2025-26 season, including an 11-9-2 mark in ECAC Hockey play to finish fourth in the conference standings. The Tigers also set a program record by finishing 14-2-1 at home, and came within an overtime goal of both an ECAC hockey championship and the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2018. 

UMass Alum Quick Retires from NHL

Three-time Stanley Cup champion goaltender Jonathan Quick (Massachusetts) has called it a career.

Quick, 40, from Milford, Conn. played the final game of his 18-year NHL career by making 14 saves for the New York Rangers in a 3-2 loss at Florida on Monday. He finished his league tenure with a 410-307-90 record, a 2.51 goals-against average, and 65 shutouts in 829 regular-season outings with the Los Angeles Kings, who drafted him 72nd overall in 2005, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Rangers, from 2008 to 2026. He also earned the Williams Jennings Trophy twice for lowest goals against, and posted 23 assists offensively, while also skating in two Olympic Winter Games with the United States.

Quick also fashioned a 49-43 mark over 92 career Stanley Cup playoff outings, backstopping Los Angeles to its first-ever NHL championships in both 2012 and 2014 while earning Conn Smythe Trophy playoff MVP accolades the first time. He won his third Stanley Cup as a backup in 2023 in his sole campaign with Vegas, and also played professionally with Manchester (AHL) and Reading (ECHL).

A product of Hamden (Conn.) High and Avon Old Farms, Quick spent two NCAA seasons at Massachusetts before turning pro in 2007. He went 23-22-6 with 2.79 GAA in 54 appearances with the Minutemen, earning Second Team All-America honors as a sophomore while also backstopping UMass to the NCAA tournament that same season.

Oliver Takes Over at St. Cloud State

St. Cloud State alumnus Nick Oliver is the new head coach of the Huskies men's hockey program. He succeeds Brett Larson, who took the head coaching job at Minnesota. 

Oliver, 34, served the last three years as an assistant at Wisconsin, helping the Badger to this year's NCAA title game. He began his coaching career as an assistant with Sioux Falls (USHL) in 2016-17, then moved back to his alma mater in 2018-19 as an assistant for a four-stint, where he helped the Huskies to the 2021 national championship contest. He then spent one year as head coach with Fargo (USHL), compiling a 40-14-8 record in his one year while leading the Force to the Clark Cup final before joining the Wisconsin staff.

A native of Roseau, Minn., Oliver was drafted 110th overall by the NHL's Nashville Predators after his first of three junior seasons skating for Fargo. He played on defense for SCSU from 2011 to 2015, tallying seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points in 145 career games while helping the Huskies to a WCHA regular-season title, an NCHC regular-season championship, and three NCAA tournament appearances, including the 2013 Frozen Four.

DU Wins 11th NCAA Men's Hockey Title

Outshot and even outplayed over the first two periods, the University of Denver managed to rebound over the final 20 minutes tonight in Las Vegas to claim its latest NCAA hockey national title.

Rieger Lorenz and Kyle Chyzowski scored just under seven minutes apart in the third period, the first one off a rebound and the second on a deflection, to lift Denver to a 2-1 comeback victory over Wisconsin in the 2026 NCAA Division I men's hockey national championship game. It is the 11th NCAA crown in DU's hockey history, its second in three years, and its third in five seasons.

Vasily Zelenov staked Wisconsin to a 1-0 lead just over 13 minutes into regulation on a wrist shot from the left circle, but the Badgers went scoreless the rest of the way despite outshooting DU, 21-5, through the first 40 minutes of play, and by a 30-15 count overall. Daniel Hauser finished with 13 stops in goal for Wisconsin (24-13-2 overall). 

Denver (29-11-3) finished the campaign on a 16-0-1 run, all with goaltender and 2026 Frozen Four MVP Johnny Hicks (29 saves) in net. It was the first time DU defeated Wisconsin in the NCAAs in four tries all-time, and it also prevented the Badgers from winning their first men's hockey national title in 20 years. Next year's Frozen Four will be held in Washington, D.C.

Major College Hockey Awards Handed Out

Four major college hockey awards were handed out Friday night at the NCAA Frozen Four in Las Vegas.

Sophomore forward Max Plante (Minnesota-Duluth) earned this year's Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the top player in NCAA Division I men's college hockey. Hailing from Hermantown, Minn., he paced the Bulldogs with career-high totals of 27 goals and 25 assists for 52 points in 40 games, while also leading UMD to the NCAA tournament. He is the 11th player from the state of Minnesota to win the Hobey Baker, and the seventh Bulldog, both tops among the award's 44 winners all-time.

Junior netminder Trey Augustine (Michigan State) claimed this year's Mike Richter Award as the nation's top goaltender. A native of South Lyon, Mich., he fashioned a 24-9-1 record in 34 games this past season, with a 2.11 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage, while earning Big Ten Goaltender of the Year accolades. He is now a member of the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins. 

Senior forward Meg Simon (Middlebury) was the 2026 recipient of the Hockey Humanitarian Award. Originally from East Grand Rapids, Mich., she is the fifth skater from the NCAA Division III ranks to earn the award. She serves as the Co-Chair of Volunteering for Middlebury's women’s hockey program, and has worked with the Middlebury Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) and Special Olympics Vermont, among other organizations, both on and off campus. Simon tallied two assists in 39 career games with the Panthers while helping them to three NCAA tournament berths and two semifinal appearances.

Senior forward Kevin Anderson (Princeton) was this year's recipient of the Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award, named for the late Army skater, and which is bequeathed to the player judged to best exemplify sportsmanship, competitiveness, intelligence and work ethic. Anderson, from Regina, Sask., has helped create and cultivate the “Tiger Pals” program that pairs Princeton student-athletes with local children who need strong, consistent mentorship, and has also hosted his “Tiger Pals” program at Hobey Baker Rink for skates, games and social gatherings with the Tigers, while also serving with Team IMPACT. He finished his college career with 7-11-18 points in 87 games for Princeton, which came within an overtime goal of this year's NCAA tournament.

Freshman forward Ethan Wyttenbach (Quinnipiac) was named the winner of the 2026 Tim Taylor Award, which is named after the former longtime Yale head coach and goes to the Rookie of the Year in NCAA Division I men's hockey. A native of Roslyn, N.Y., Wyttenbach  paced all Division I men's scorers with 59 points (25g-34a) this past season while also leading the Bobcats to the NCAA tournament. He was drafted 144th overall by the Calgary Flames in last year's NHL Entry Draft.

Wisconsin, Denver to Meet in NCAA Title Game

Wisconsin scored twice in 27 seconds in the opening period, with Ryan Botterill's goal standing up as the game-winner, and the Badgers also killed off five power plays to top North Dakota, 2-1, in the early semifinal game of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey Frozen Four in Las Vegas.

In the nightcap, Denver's Johnny Hicks made 49 saves in all, and Kent Anderson scored midway through the second overtime to lift the Pioneers to a 4-3 victory over No. 1 Michigan.

Wisconsin and DU will now meet on Saturday (5 p.m. ET, ESPN) at T-Mobile Arena for the national title, in another battle of former WCHA schools. The Badgers (24-12-2 overall) are after their first NCAA crown since 2006, while the Pioneers (28-11-3) are seeking their second NCAA title in three seasons, and third in five campaigns. 

More 2026 NCAA Skaters Joining NHL

More NCAA Division I players, some with college eligibility remaining, are making the jump to the professional hockey ranks.

Charlie Stramel has left Michigan State after two seasons with the Spartans to sign a three-year entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild, who drafted him 21st overall in 2003. A native of St. Paul, Minn., he tallied 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points this past season in helping MSU to its third straight Big Ten conference regular-season title. Stramel, who began his NCAA tenure with two years at Wisconsin, finished his college career with 36-55—101 points.

The brother combination of Hampton and Grant Slukynsky, who led Western Michigan to its first-ever NCAA title last spring, is taking its act to California. Hampton has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings, who inked brother Grant to a similar deal for one year. Both natives of Roseau, Minn. will report to the AHL's Ontario Reign for the rest of the 2025-26 campaign. Hampton Slukynsky, who was drafted 118th overall by the Kings in 2023, fashioned a record of 46-16-2 with a 2.14 goals-against average and five shutouts in 64 career games with the Broncos over two years, while Grant, who began his college career at Northern Michigan, tallied 26-59—85 points in 115 outings over three seasons. 

James Hagens of Boston College has inked a three-year deal withe Boston Bruins, who drafted him seventh overall last summer. He had earlier signed an amateur tryout agreement with Providence (AHL), the Bruins' top affiliate, and tallied a goal and four points in his first six AHL outings. The Hauppauge, N.Y native paced BC with 23-24—47 totals this season, and was also named MVP as the Eagles won their first Beanpot Tournament in 10 years. He finished with 34-50—84 points in 71 career NCAA games.

Notre Dame forward Cole Knuble signed earlier on with the Philadelphia Flyers, who drafted him 103rd overall in 2023, and has been skating with Lehigh Valley (AHL), notching a goal and an assist through his first five games. The son of former NHL player Mike Knuble, the East Grand Rapids, Mich. native spent the last three seasons with the Fighting Irish, compiling 30-60—90 points in 106 appearances.

 

25 Years Ago Today ... BC 3, UND 2

A quarter-century ago today, Krys Kolanos scored 4:43 into overtime to lift Boston College to a 3-2 win over North Dakota in the 2001 NCAA Division I men's hockey national title game in Albany, lifting the Eagles to their first NCAA title since 1949.

Shasby Steps Down as UAA Coach

Former Seawolf defenseman Matt Shasby has stepped down as head coach at Alaska Anchorage, after four seasons at the helm of his alma mater.

Shasby, 45, from Eagle River, Alaska, took over the UAA program in 2021, after it had been reinstated following budget cuts. He fashioned a 34-86-9 record in that time as an NCAA Division I independent, including a 5-27-1 mark this past year. His best campaign came in 2023-24, when he led UAA to a 15-17-2 finish.

Shasby joined the Seawolves as a player after winning a Clark Cup with Des Moines (USHL) in 1999 and being drafted 150th overall that same year by the Montreal Canadiens. In four seasons on the blueline at UAA, he collected 12 goals and 53 assists for 65 points to go with 158 penalty minutes over 127 outings. 

He spent the majority of his six-year professional career with the ECHL's Alaska Aces, winning a Kelly Cup in 2005-06 while recording 46-186—232 points and 408 PIM in 364 career regular-season ECHL appearances. 

UAA is expected to conduct a national search for his successor.

Hockey Easter 2026

BC's Perreault Gets First NHL Hat Trick

Gabe Perreault (Boston College) has notched his first NHL hat trick. 

The right wing from Sherbrooke, Quebec. tallied three goals in the New York Rangers' 4-1 win over visiting Detroit today. He collected his first goal late in the second period, added another midway through the third, and completed the trifecta by scoring into an empty net with just under two minutes remaining in regulation. He now has 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points in 45 outings so far this season for the Rangers, who had been previously eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff consideration for this year.

Perreault, 20, made his NHL debut last spring by going scoreless in a five-game audition with the Rangers, who drafted him 23rd overall in 2023 out of the U.S. National Team Development Program. He spent two years at BC, collecting 35-73—108 points in 73 appearances with the Eagles, while helping them to two Hockey East regular-season titles and two NCAA tournament berths, including the 2024 national championship game.

Three MSU Spartans Turn Pro

Michigan State will have to do without three key contributors going forward, all of whom recently signed NHL contracts.

Freshman right wing Porter Martone was the first to go, signing on Sunday with the Philadelphia Flyers, who drafted him sixth overall last year. Martone, 19, paced the Spartans this past year with 25 goals and 50 points in his only NCAA campaign, after skating three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League. The Peterborough, Ont. native, who played in two IIHF World Junior Championships for Canada, made his NHL debut on March 31 at Washington, and picked up his first pro point with an assist against Detroit tonight. 

Junior goaltender Trey Augustine has signed with the Detroit Red Wings, who selected him 41st overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, and has been assigned to Detroit's top minor-league affiliate in Grand Rapids (AHL). Augustine, 21, from South Lyon, Mich. fashioned a 24-9-1 record in 34 games this past season, with a 2.11 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage, while earning Big Ten Goaltender of the Year accolades. In three years with the Spartans, he went 66-25-7 with a 2.40 GAA over 99 career outings while notching nine shutouts and backstopping MSU to three consecutive Big Ten conference regular-season titles and two tournament crowns. He also won two gold medals with the U.S. at the WJCs, after prepping with the U.S. National Junior Team Development Program, and is a finalist this year for both the Mike Richter Award (top NCAA goalie) and the Hobey Baker Memorial Award (top NCAA player). 

Junior defenseman Maxim Strbak has signed with the Buffalo Sabres, who drafted him 45th overall in 2023, and has been assigned to Rochester (AHL). Strbak, 20, from Kosice, Slovakia, notched three goals and 15 assists for 18 points in 37 games this past season with MSU, and in three years in East Lansing collected 8-38—46 points over 102 appearances. A product of Sioux Falls (USHL), he also participated in four consecutive WJCs for Slovakia. 

MSU's 2025-26 campaign ended with a 4-3 overtime loss to Big Ten rival Wisconsin in the NCAA Worcester (Mass.) Regional final on March 29, one game short of the Frozen Four. 

ADDENDUM: Michigan State sophomore defenseman Colin Ralph and senior forward Daniel Russell have also signed pro contracts, with the St. Louis Blues and Wilkes-Barre Scranton (AHL), respectively. Ralph, 20, from Maple Grove, Minn., collected 2-16—18 points in 69 career games with St. Cloud State and MSU, after being drafted 48th overall by the Blues in 2024. Russell, from Traverse City, Mich., totaled 43-70—113 points in 140 career outings at MSU, after playing three years in the USHL and one in the NAHL. 

Mercyhurst Dropping Men's Ice Hockey

Mercyhurst University, which has iced a varsity men's hockey team since 1987-88, is apparently putting that program on ice. The university administration announced last week that it will discontinue men's ice hockey at the conclusion of the current academic year.

The Lakers have competed at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels since their inception. After spending their first five years in Division III, they elevated to Division II in 1992-93, one year after moving into the on-campus Mercyhurst Ice Center in Erie, Pa. They made the jump to Division I in 1999-2000 with the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), winning two conference titles and making two NCAA tournaments, before moving to Atlantic Hockey (now Atlantic Hockey America) in 2003-04, winning the conference playoff title and earning an NCAA tournament bid the following season.

Head coach Rick Gotkin, who retired following the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, had led the Lakers since 1988-89, fashioning a record of 617-579-114 overall. He also compiled 23 winning seasons, the last coming in 2017-18 when the Lakers claimed their second of two Atlantic Hockey regular-season championships. Although men's hockey moved up to the NCAA Division I level in 2003, the entire university athletic program did not did so until 2024. The Mercyhurst women's hockey team, which began play in 1999-2000, will continue to play on.

Mercyhurst becomes the third Atlantic Hockey America men's program to leave Division I in the last several years. AIC dropped back down to Division II following the 2024-25 campaign, and did not compete this past season. Robert Morris eliminated its men's and women's programs in 2021, but both were reinstated in 2023-24.