McKenna Goes First in 2026 NHL Draft

As expected, left wing Gavin McKenna (Penn State) was the first overall pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs at this year's NHL Draft in Buffalo tonight.

Several other current NCAA players were selected in the first round on Friday night at KeyBank Arena. Keaton Verhoeff (North Dakota), a defenseman, was chosen ninth overall by the San Jose Sharks, while center Tyan Lawrence (Boston University) went 11th to the St. Louis Blues, and left wing Oscar Hemming (Boston College) went 14th to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Buffalo Sabres tabbed center Ilia Morozov (Miami) 20th overall.

As for incoming and future collegiate skaters, the Vancouver Canucks chose center Caleb Malhotra (Boston University) third overall, while defenseman Daxon Rudolph (Denver) was taken one spot later by host Buffalo. Carson Carels (North Dakota), another defenseman, went sixth to the Calgary Flames, while Chase Reid (Michigan State) went seventh to the Seattle Kraken. Left wing Wyatt Cullen (Minnesota) was tabbed 10th by the Nashville Predators, followed by right wing Nikita Klepov (Michigan State) at 15th to the Anaheim Ducks and left wing Ethan Belchetz (Michigan State) at 17th to the Utah Mammoth.

San Jose chose defenseman Ryan Lin (Denver) 21st overall, while right wing Liam Ruck (North Dakota) went to the Pittsburgh Penguins with the very next selection and left wing JP Hurlbert (Michigan) went 23rd to the Detroit Red Wings. The Philadelphia Flyers chose defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii (Maine) 27th overall, with center Jack Hextall (Michigan State) going three selections later to Calgary and defenseman Thomas Bleyl (Michigan State) right after to the Nashville Predators. The final pick of the first round was right wing Jaxon Cover (Penn State), who went 32nd overall to the Ottawa Senators.

The 2026 draft concludes Saturday with Rounds 2-7 (11 a.m. ET, NHL Network). The full list of college-related selections can be found here. 

NCAA Skaters Named to NHL All-Star Teams

Several former NCAA skaters were recently named to the 2025-26 NHL All-Star Teams:

First All‑Star Team

D – Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche (Massachusetts)

D – Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets (Michigan)

Werenski also claimed the Norris Trophy as the top defenseman in the NHL last season. 

Second All‑Star Team

LW – Cole Caufield, Montreal Canadiens (Wisconsin) 

Caufield also claimed the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship and gentlemanly play.

All-Rookie Team

G - Jakub Dobes, Montreal Canadiens (Ohio State)

F - Jimmy Snuggerud, St. Louis Blues (Minnesota)

Dobes led the Canadiens to the 2026 Eastern Conference final, while Snuggerud tied for second on his team with 51 points.

Rassey Takes the Helm at Harvard

Former Harvard assistant coach Rob Rassey (Northeastern) is returning to Cambridge, this time as the 12th head coach in Crimson men's hockey history. He succeeds Harvard alumnus Ted Donato, who stepped down earlier this year after 21 years at the helm.

Rassey, 41, from Shelby Township, Mich., spent the last four years as an assistant/associate coach at Michigan, where he helped the Wolverines to a Big Ten title and NCAA Frozen Four berth last season. Prior to that, he served as an assistant at Harvard from 2013 to 2019 after beginning his coaching career with two years at Youngstown (USHL), where he played in juniors when the franchise was in the NAHL.

Rassey played four years as a forward at Northeastern (2005-2009), where he tallied 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points in 123 career games while helping the Huskies to the NCAA tournament as a senior, their first national berth in 15 seasons.

Brady Tkachuk Traded to Florida Panthers

Brady Tkachuk (Boston University) is joining brother Matthew in the Sunshine State.

Tkachuk, 26, who has skated with the Ottawa Senators since turning pro in 2018-19, was traded Sunday to the Florida Panthers, where he will wear No. 8, for four draft choices. In 572 NHL regular-season games, the 6-foot-4, 212-pound left wing has tallied 213 goals and 250 assists for 463 points to go along with 821 penalty minutes. In 10 Stanley Cup Playoff contests, he has recorded 4-3—7 points and 19 PIM, and led Ottawa back to the postseason in 2025 after a seven-year drought. A four-time NHL All-Star Game selection, he captained the Senators the past five years.

A product of the St. Louis Blues AAA franchise and later the U.S. National Team Development Program, where he won a gold medal at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, Tkachuk played one year at BU, notching 8-23—31 points and 61 PIM in 40 outings with the Terriers while helping them to a Hockey East tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth. After being drafted fourth overall by the Senators that summer, he turned pro, and has been in the NHL ever since. He was also a member of the gold-medal winning American squad at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games earlier this year in Italy. 

Tkachuk is the younger son of former NHL and BU forward Keith Tkachuk, who was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday.

Jonathan Toews Retires from NHL

Jonathan Toews (North Dakota) has called it a career.  

Toews, 38, announced his retirement last week after playing last season with his hometown Winnipeg Jets, where he recorded 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points in 82 outings. He skated 16 full seasons in the NHL, all but one with the Chicago Blackhawks, whom he captained to three Stanley Cup titles after they drafted him third overall in 2006. He tallied 383-529—912 points in 1,149 NHL regular-season games overall with Chicago and Winnipeg, and added 45-74—119 points in 137 Stanley Cup Playoff contests, all with Chicago, while leading the Blackhawks to NHL titles in 2010, 2013, 2015, their first championships since 1961.

The Winnipeg native helped Team Canada to gold medals at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2006 and 2007, and at the Olympic Winter Games in 2010 and 2014. He also skated in two IIHF World Championships, and won a World Cup in 2016. As an NHL player,  he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Stanley Cup Playoff MVP in 2010, the Selke Trophy as best defensive forward in 2013, and the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2015. He sat out the 2023-24 and 2025-25 campaigns due to illness.

After prepping at Shattuck St. Mary's in Minnesota, Toews played two collegiate seasons at North Dakota, collecting 40-45—85 points in 76 games while helping UND to the 2006 WCHA conference championship and two NCAA Frozen Fours. He turned professional in 2007-08 with Chicago, was named Blackhawks captain the following season, and never a played game in the minor leagues.

Toronto Marlies Claim 2026 Calder Cup

The Toronto Marlies are American Hockey League champions for the second time in seven seasons. The Marlies defeated the visiting Chicago Wolves, 4-3, on Friday in Game Five of the 2026 Calder Cup Final to claim the best-of-seven series, four games to one. Vinny Lettieri (Minnesota) notched what turned out to be the Cup-clinching goal late in the second period, after Jacob Quillan (Quinnipiac) had given Toronto a 3-2 lead just over a minute before.

Other former NCAA players in the Marlies lineup for the final game of the 2026-27 campaign included: Matt Benning (Northeastern), Luke Haymes (Dartmouth) Marc Johnstone (Sacred Heart), Dakota Mermis (Denver), Marshall Rifai (Harvard), Henry Thrun (Harvard) and Ryan Tverberg (UConn). 

Chicago, which was seeking its fourth Calder Cup since joining the AHL in 2001, got a goal from Josiah Slavin (Colorado College), plus 19 saves in defeat from goaltender Cayden Primeau (Northeastern).

Everblades ECHL Champions Again

For the fourth time in five seasons, the Florida Everblades are ECHL champions. 

The Everblades claimed this year's Kelly Cup by defeating the Kansas City Mavericks in six games, including a 5-4 double-overtime victory in the clinching contest on Monday night in Missouri, after rebounding from a three-goal deficit after 40 minutes. Florida, which won the last four games of the series, including three in OT, previously defeated Kansas City in five games to win the Cup in 2024.

Anthony Romano (Clarkson) tied for Florida's playoff scoring lead with 17 points in 20 games, including a league-best 12 goals. Carson Gicewicz (UMass), who won an NCAA title in 2021, contributed 10 goals over 20 postseason outings. Everblades goaltender Cam Johnson (North Dakota) earned the Most Valuable Player award for a record third time in his career after posting a 16-4 record in 20 appearances this spring, including three shutouts and a 1.88 goals-against average, and has been a member of four Kelly Cup title teams.

Florida has now raised the Kelly Cup five times (2012, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026), extending its own ECHL record.

Carolina Hurricanes Win 2026 Stanley Cup

Jaccob Slavin (Colorado College) and Jackson Blake (North Dakota) both assisted on the first goal of the game early in the first period by Taylor Hall, before Blake added an insurance marker of his own in the second stanza as the Carolina Hurricanes cliched their first Stanley Cup championship in 20 years with a 3-0 blanking of the host Vegas Golden Knights tonight in Game Six of the 2026 NHL championship series. Eastern Conference champion Carolina won the best-of-seven title series, four games to two.

Brandon Bussi (Western Michigan) stopped all 22 shots he faced in winning his third game of the series for the Hurricanes, who last claimed the Stanley Cup in 2006, their first-ever NHL championship after moving from Hartford in 1997. Head coach Rod Brind'Amour (Michigan State) was the captain of that Carolina team, and becomes the seventh individual in NHL history to win the Cup as both a player and a coach with the same franchise. Bussi is the first NHL goaltender to make his first career playoff starts in the Stanley Cup Final, and won all three, leading the ‘Canes to the crown after a two games-to-one deficit in the series.

Other former NCAA players who suited up for Carolina in the clinching contest tonight included Shayne Gostisbehere (Union), Mark Jankowski (Providence), K’Andre Miller (Wisconsin), Eric Robinson (Princeton) and Sean Walker (Bowling Green). Nikolaj Ehlers added an empty-net goal in the final two minutes, after opening the series scoring back in the first minute of Game One. The Hurricanes outshot the Golden Knights, 23-22, on the night, and also won 33 of 63 faceoffs in what turned out to be the final NHL contest of the 2025-26 campaign.

Canes Tie Stanley Cup Final at Two

Jackson Blake (North Dakota) tallied a goal and an assist in the first period, and Brandon Bussi (Western Michigan) stopped 18 of 21 shots in his first-ever NHL playoff start as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the host Vegas Golden Knights, 5-3, last night in Nevada. The best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final is now tied at two games apiece, with Game Five slated for tomorrow night in Raleigh (8 p.m. ET, ABC, SN).

Carolina jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first 20 minutes, with Vegas having a potential late goal waved off as it entered the net after time expired. The Golden Knights then tied the contest with two goals in the second stanza, before Jordan Staal scored his second goal of the game in the third period to lift the Hurricanes back into the lead, prior to Carolina tallying an empty-net goal for insurance late in regulation. Carolina outshot Vegas, 28-21, on the night, and also finished 1-for-3 on the power play.

ADDENDUM: Bussi stopped 23 shots, and Shayne Gostisbehere (Union) set up two goals as Carolina moved within a win of the Stanley Cup with a 4-2 victory in Game Five. Game Six is Sunday night in Las Vegas.

Vegas Takes Game Three in Double OT

Brandon Bussi (Western Michigan)  stopped 18 of 19 shots in relief, but couldn't prevent the game-winning goal as the Vegas Golden Knights rebounded for a 5-4 win over the Carolina Hurricanes last night in double overtime in Game Three of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final. Vegas now leads the series, two games to one.

Bussi took over in net for the Hurricanes at the start of the third period, with Carolina down 4-0, and backstopped them to a 4-4 tie before a Shea Theodore carom off the end boards glanced off his left pad and into the Hurricanes net to end Bussi's first appearance in this year's playoffs. Carolina scored three goals in 39 seconds in the third period and then added a power-play goal to force overtime, after Vegas had forged a four-goal lead in the second stanza, with Mitch Marner scoring three of those goals and assisting on the other.

Game Four of the best-of-seven NHL championship series is Tuesday night in Nevada.

Vegas Takes Early Lead in 2026 NHL Final

Shayne Gostisbehere (Union) tied the game midway through the third period, but the visiting Vegas Golden Knights got the last goal of the evening to edge the host Carolina Hurricanes, 5-4, last night in Game One of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final in North Carolina.

Carolina took a 2-0 lead just over 12 minutes into regulation on two goals by Nikolaj Ehlers, with Jacob Slavin (Colorado College) picking up an assist on the first goal, and later just missing out on a goal of his own when his shot from in close hit the crossbar. Vegas rebounded to take a 3-2 lead early in the second stanza, with Jack Eichel (Boston University) assisting on the Golden Knights' second goal, before K'Andre Miller (Wisconsin) set up the tying goal for the Hurricanes. 

The teams than traded goals again, with Gostisbehere scoring off a faceoff with just over 11 minutes expired in the third session to make it 4-4, before Tomas Hertl decided matters just over five minutes later on a clean shot from the low slot. The Hurricanes outshot the Golden Knights, 27-23, overall, while the two teams combined to go 0-for-5 on the power play.

It was just the second loss for Carolina in these playoffs, and its second straight loss in a series-opening contest, both coming at home. Game Two is Thursday night in Raleigh.

ADDENDUM: Eric Robinson (Princeton) helped set up a tying goal by Mark Jankowski (Providence) in the third period, and Gostisbehere assisted on both the go-ahead goal and the eventual game-winner in OT as the Hurricanes evened the series with a 4-3 victory in Game Two. Game Three is Saturday night in Nevada,  

 

Former NCAA Skaters in 2026 Stanley Cup Final

The 2026 Stanley Cup Final will feature a number of former NCAA players between the Vegas Golden Knights, who are seeking their second NHL title in four years, and the Carolina Hurricanes, who are pursuing their first crown since their last final appearance in 2006. Game One is tonight in North Carolina.

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

Nic Dowd, F (St. Cloud State)

Jack Eichel, F (Boston University) #

Noah Hanifin, D (Boston College)

Ben Hutton, D (Maine)

Tanner Laczynski, F (Ohio State)

Jaycob Megna, D (Omaha)

Reilly Smith, F (Miami) #

CAROLINA HURRICANES

Jackson Blake, F (North Dakota)

Brandon Bussi, G (Western Michigan)

Shayne Gostisbehere, D (Union) *

Mark Jankowski, F (Providence) *

K'Andre Miller, D (Wisconsin)

Mike Reilly, D (Minnesota)

Eric Robinson, F (Princeton)

Jaccob Slavin, D (Colorado College)

Sean Walker, D (Bowling Green)

Only players who played for either team during the 2025-26 NHL season are included above

# Won Stanley Cup as a player

* Won NCAA title as a player 

Finland Claims 2026 World Championship

Finland won its fifth gold medal ever at the IIHF World Championship, defeating host Switzerland on Sunday by a 1-0 count in overtime. Norway took bronze with a 3-2 OT win over Canada.

Canada's Macklin Celebrini (Boston University) finished second among all scorers with 14 points on six goals and eight assists in 10 games. Devin Cooley (Denver) of the United States was fourth among all goaltenders with a 1.76 goals-against average over seven outings.