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. 

More NCAA Players Sign with NHL

The annual exodus of college talent to the NHL has begun in the wake of the recently-completed NCAA Frozen Four.

The first-round University of Michigan trio of Owen Power, Kent Johnson and Matty Beniers have all signed NHL contracts, with Buffalo, Columbus and Seattle, respectively. Power and Beniers are expected to make their pro debuts this week. All three had two years of college eligibility remaining. 

Bobby Brink, the nation's top scorer and a Hobey Hat Trick finalist who just helped Denver to its ninth NCAA title overall, inked a deal with Philadelphia. Nathan Smith, a Florida native who led Minnesota State to its first-ever NCAA Division I national championship game this season, has signed with Arizona, which had recently acquired his rights from Winnipeg. Brink and Smith both had one year of NCAA eligibility left. 

All those players signed with the NHL clubs that had drafted them, or, in Smith's case, had traded for them. Ohio State freshman Georgii Merkulov bypassed his last three seasons with the Buckeyes to sign with Boston as a free agent, and will report to Providence (AHL).

More to come ...

ADDENDUM: Power was a plus-2 in Buffalo's 5-2 win at Toronto, Beniers notched an assist in Seattle's 5-3 loss at Calgary, Brink recorded an assist in Philadelphia's 9-2 defeat at Washington, and Smith had one shot on goal and two hits in Arizona's 6-2 loss to New Jersey, all on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, Hobey Hat Trick finalist Ben Meyers (Minnesota) signed with Colorado as a free agent.

UMD Wins 2019 NCAA Men's Division I Hockey Title

For the second straight season, Minnesota-Duluth is the NCAA Division I men's ice hockey national champion.

The Bulldogs scored once in each period Saturday to blank the University of Massachusetts, 3-0, in the 2018-19 national title game at Key Bank Center in Buffalo. Minnesota-Duluth (29-11-2 overall), which played in its third consecutive NCAA championship game, is the first back-to-back Division I men's hockey national champion since Denver in 2004 and 2005.

Parker Mackay (power-play goal), Mikey Anderson, and Jackson Cates scored for the Bulldogs, while Hunter Shepard stopped all 18 shots by UMass (31-10-0 overall). UMD outshot UMass, 31-18, and also snuffed all four power play attempts by the Minutemen, who were the top power play team in the nation this season.

Mackay, who also assisted on Anderson's second-period goal, was named Most Outstanding Player of this year's Frozen Four after playing in his final collegiate contest Saturday. Filip Lindberg finished with 28 stops for the Minutemen, who suffered the fourth shutout loss of their most successful  season ever.

The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) has now won the last four consecutive NCAA Division I men's ice hockey national championships, after its formation in 2013. It will try for five straight national titles next April at the 2020 NCAA Frozen Four in Detroit.

UMass, Minnesota-Duluth to Play for NCAA Title

Marc Del Gaizo scored in overtime just after midnight to send Massachusetts to its first-ever NCAA Championship game with a 4-3 win over Denver. The Minutemen will face defending national champion Minnesota-Duluth, which ousted Providence, 4-1, in the early Frozen Four semifinal on Thursday at Key Bank Center in Buffalo.

Del Gaizo's slapshot from above the left circle 15:18 into sudden death pulled out the victory for UMass, which had held a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes on three power-play goals, only to have
Denver's Cole Guttman score twice in the third period for the Pioneers to force the extra session. DU, which was looking to play in its second NCAA title game in three seasons, outshot UMass, 40-28,
although Filip Lindberg made 37 saves for the Minutemen.

Minnesota-Duluth overcame two disallowed first-period goals to earn a spot in its third consecutive national championship game, as Justin Richards scored twice for the Bulldogs in their win over the Friars. UMD broke a 1-1 tie in the third period on a goal by Billy Exell midway through the final stanza, before the Bulldogs added two late empty-net tallies to seal the contest. Hunter Shepard made 28 stops for the Bulldogs, who became the first team to advance to three straight men's hockey NCAA title contests since Boston College (2006-2008).

UMass and UMD will face off at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday (ESPN2) to decide this year's Division I men's national champion. It will be the first time ever that a Hockey East school meets a
National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) school with the national title at stake.

2019 Hobey Baker Award Finalists Announced

The Hobey Hat Trick has been announced for 2019.

All three finalists this year for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as college's hockey top player are defensemen, in Harvard junior Adam Fox, Massachusetts sophomore Cale Makar, and St. Cloud State senior Jimmy Schuldt. The winner will be announced at 6 p.m. ET on April 12 in Buffalo, site of this year's men's Frozen Four.

The night before the unveiling, Makar and his Minutemen will face Denver in one national semifinal, following defending NCAA champion Minnesota-Duluth against Providence. The two winners will then meet on April 13 for the national title.

2019 Men's Frozen Four Field Set

The 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Frozen Four field is set, thanks to the last two NCAA Regional finals that were held on Sunday.

East Regional Final (Providence, R.I.): Providence 4, Cornell 0

Midwest Regional Final (Allentown, PA): Minnesota-Duluth 3, Quinnipiac 1

Minnesota-Duluth is the first defending NCAA champion to return to the Frozen Four since Denver in 2005, and will appear in its third straight Frozen Four. Denver won the 2017 NCAA title, while Providence won in 2015 and Massachusetts is making its first national semifinal appearance.

SEMIFINALS - THURSDAY, APRIL 11 (BUFFALO, N.Y.)

Providence vs. Minnesota-Duluth
Denver vs. Massachusetts

CHAMPIONSHIP - SATURDAY, APRIL 13  (BUFFALO, N.Y.)

Providence/Minnesota-Duluth vs. Denver/Massachusetts

Team USA Wins World Juniors Opener

Casey Mittelstadt (Minnesota) and former Boston University forward Kieffer Bellows each scored two goals as the U.S. National Junior Team opened the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship with a 9-0 victory over Denmark on Tuesday night in Buffalo.

Mittelstadt and Bellows were two of seven players who recorded two points apiece for the U.S. in its opening game, and were also two of the seven American players who tallied a goal on Tuesday. Team USA led 5-0 after one period of play, and then added two goals in each of the final two stanzas.

Joseph Woll (Boston College) stopped all 17 Danish shots, as the U.S. outshot Denmark, 36-17. Team USA will next face Slovakia, a 6-0 victim of Canada earlier today, on Thursday.