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).

DU's Benning Lifts Charlotte in OT

Mike Benning (Denver) scored from the left point in overtime on Sunday to lift the Charlotte Checkers to a 3-2 win over the visiting Abbotsford Canucks in Game Two of the 2025 Calder Cup Final. The AHL's championship series is now tied at one game apiece. John Leonard (Massachusetts) and Wilmer Skoog (Boston University) scored Charlotte's other goals.

Benning, 23, from St. Albert, Alberta, was a member of DU's 2022 NCAA championship team, and tallied 31 goals and 52 assists for 83 points in three seasons on defense with the Pioneers. He has spent the last two seasons with Charlotte, his first two campaigns as a pro, and has notched 4-4—8 points in 13 AHL playoff games so far this spring.

The next three games of this year's best-of-seven final are slated for the Abbotsford Centre in British Columbia, starting Tuesday night.

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.

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.