Former NCAA Players Still Changing NHL Clubs

A number of NCAA-trained players have changed NHL clubs recently, via trades or free agency. Below are some of them (not an all-inclusive list):

Player School          Old Team/New Team

Andrew Cogliano Michigan         Dallas/San Jose

Blake Coleman Miami          Tampa Bay/Calgary

Aaron Dell North Dakota     New Jersey/Buffalo

Ryan Dzingel Ohio State       Ottawa/Arizona

Derek Forbort North Dakota     Winnipeg/Boston

Erik Haula Minnesota        Nashville/Boston

Danton Heinen Denver          Pittsburgh/Anaheim

Jon Merrill Michigan         Montreal/Minnesota

Derek Stepan Wisconsin        Ottawa/Carolina

Matt Tennyson Western Michigan New Jersey/Nashville

Miami's Coleman, Tampa Bay Lightning Win Stanley Cup

 

A Texas boy helped make it Tampa Bay's night on Monday in Edmonton.

Blake Coleman (Miami), a forward from Plano, TX scored a second-period insurance goal and the Tampa Bay Lightning went on to defeat the Dallas Stars, 2-0, in Game 6 of the best-of-seven series and claim the 2020 Stanley Cup. It was the Lightning's second Cup in three Final appearances all-time, and its first NHL playoff title since 2004.

Drafted 75th overall by New Jersey in 2011, Coleman, who grew up as a Stars fan, played parts of four NHL seasons with the Devils before being traded to Tampa Bay in February. After tallying one assist in nine regular-season outings, he finished with five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 25 Stanley Cup playoff contests over the last two months in the postseason bubbles of Toronto and Edmonton. Those sites were made necessary by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that canceled the remainder of the NHL regular season in March.

Coleman, 28, prepped with Tri-City and Indiana in the USHL before skating for Miami from 2011 to 2015, where he notched 60 goals and 107 points in 143 NCAA games. He also led the Red Hawks to the 2013 CCHA regular-season title, the 2015 NCHC postseason crown, and the 2015 NCAA tournament. A bronze medal winner with the U.S. at the 2018 World Championship in Denmark, he has already registered 57-38—95 points in 246 NHL regular-season games.

Also on Tampa Bay's roster this season from the NCAA ranks were Alexander Killorn (Harvard), Kevin Shattenkirk (Boston University), Ryan McDonagh (Wisconsin), Luke Witkowski (Western Michigan), Cory Conacher (Canisius) and Curtis McElhinney (Colorado College).

Hanley, Oleksiak Put Stars Ahead in Cup Final

Joel Hanley (Massachusetts) opened the scoring and Jamie Oleksiak (Northeastern) tallied what turned out to be the game-winning goal as the Dallas Stars opened the 2020 Stanley Cup Final with a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Edmonton. 

Hanley took a pass in the slot and wristed the puck home just 5:40 into regulation for his first career NHL goal. After Tampa Bay forged a 1-1 tie before the end of the first period, on a goal set up by Blake Coleman (Miami), Oleksiak picked up his own rebound and then fired the puck into the top of the net with 12:30 elapsed in the second period to put the Stars back ahead for good.

Tampa Bay outshot Dallas, 36-20, overall while both teams combined to go 0-for-5 on the power play. Game Two is Monday night in Edmonton (NBC TV). 

Hanley played at UMass from 2010 to 2014, where he registered 17 goals and 75 points to go with 127 penalty minutes in 131 career games with the Minutemen. He formerly played in the NHL with Montreal and Arizona, and spent the majority of the past two seasons with Texas (AHL).

Oleksiak, who was drafted 14th overall by Dallas in 2011, has spent his entire NHL career with the Stars, except for parts of two seasons in Pittsburgh. He posted four goals and nine assists for 13 points along with 57 PIM in his lone season at Northeastern (2010-11), and in 313 career NHL regular-season outings has collected 18-40—58 points and 255 PIM.

Coleman, a Texas native who played his first 3 1/2 NHL seasons with New Jersey, skated at Miami (Ohio) from 2011 to 2015 where he recorded 60-47—107 points and 276 PIM in 143 NCAA appearances. He has also notched 57-38—95 points and 204 PIM in 246 NHL regular-season contests with New Jersey and Tampa Bay.

Devils Deal Greene and Coleman

A pair of former Miami (Ohio) Red Hawks are now former New Jersey Devils.

The Devils traded longtime captain and senior defenseman Andy Greene to the New York Islanders on Sunday, shortly before dealing forward Blake Coleman to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Both players were dealt for draft picks, with Green going to Long Island for David Quenneville plus a second-round draft choice in 2021, while Coleman went to Tampa Bay for Nolan Foote along with a conditional first-round draft choice from Vancouver in 2020 or 2021. Both Green and Coleman had spent the entirety of their NHL careers with the Devils.

Greene, 37, had served as the Devils captain since the 2015-16 NHL campaign, after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant captain. A member of New Jersey’s 2012 Eastern Conference championship club, he had recorded two goals and nine assists for 11 points in 53 games so far this season. He has also collected 49-197—246 points and 259 penalty minutes in 923 career NHL regular-season games, plus nine points and 22 PIM in 50 Stanley Cup Playoff contests, after signing with the Devils as a free agent in 2006. A native of Trenton, Mich., Greene played the four seasons prior (2002-2006) at Miami, where he posted 27-87—114 points and 256 PIM in 159 outings, and led the Red Hawks to two NCAA Tournament appearances and a CCHA regular-season title.

A third-round draft choice (75th overall) of New Jersey in 2011, Coleman, 28, was second on the Devils so far this season with 21 goals and fourth with 31 points. In 237 career NHL regular-season games since 2016, he has registered 57-37—94 points and 188 PIM, to go with two goals in five Stanley Cup Playoff appearances. In four seasons at Miami (2011-2015), Coleman produced 60-47—107 points and 276 PIM in 143 outings, while leading the Red Hawks to an NCHC tournament championship and an NCAA Tournament berth as a senior assistant captain.

Devils Edge Coyotes in Shootout

The New Jersey Devils put a damper on the Arizona Coyotes' playoff hopes on Saturday afternoon at the Prudential Center.

Drew Stafford (North Dakota) scored the Devils' only goal in regulation, assisted by Miles Wood (Boston College), and Blake Coleman (Miami) added a shootout goal as New Jersey outlasted Arizona, 2-1, in a shootout in Newark, N.J.

The Coyotes (36-32-7) dropped one point out of the second wild-card spot in the NHL's Western Conference with the loss, their fourth straight setback. The Devils (28-39-9) have already been eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff consideration.

Devils Top Kings, 6-3

The New Jersey Devils snapped a six-game losing streak that stretched back to just after Thanksgiving with a 6-3 win at Los Angeles on Thursday night in NHL action.

Leading the way against the host Kings were former NCAA players Kyle Palmieri (Notre Dame), who scored twice for the Devils, and Travis Zajac (North Dakota), Will Butcher (Denver) and Blake Coleman (Miami), who notched single tallies. Zajac and Butcher also recorded assists as the Devils won for the first time since Nov. 21. Keith Kinkaid (Union) made 29 saves in net for New Jersey, which improved to 10-12-5 overall.

New Jersey will continue its western swing on Sunday night at Anaheim.

Red Wings Bounce Devils, 4-3

Michigan State and Michigan teamed up to knock down the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night in Detroit.

With the game at Little Caesar's Arena tied at 2-2 in the third period, Detroit Red wings forward Luke Glendening (Michigan) blocked a pass by Devils defenseman Will Butcher (Denver) while the Red Wings were killing off a penalty. Glendening then skated down the left side before letting go with a shot at Devils netminder Cory Schneider (Boston College). Schneider made the save, but the rebound was put home by Justin Abeldelkader (Michigan State) with 7:10 remaining in regulation to give the home team the lead for good in a 4-3 victory, Detroit's third straight triumph overall. New Jersey has lost five of its last six outings after winning its first four games this fall.

Schneider finished with 27 saves in his first NHL start since undergoing off-season hip surgery, which was followed by three rehabilitation appearances with Binghamton (AHL). Travis Zajac (North Dakota) posted two assists for the Devils on Thursday, including one on a second-period goal by Blake Coleman (Miami). Jimmy Howard (Maine) finished with 25 stops for Detroit, while Dylan Larkin (Michigan) set up two goals for the Red Wings.

The two teams will meet again on Nov. 18 in New Jersey.

Devils Win Game Three Versus Tampa Bay

The New Jersey Devils aren't dead just yet, thanks to several former NCAA standouts.

A third-period goal by rookie defenseman Will Butcher (Denver), his first ever in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, tied the contest at two goals apiece as the Devils ultimately clawed their way back into their NHL Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with a 5-2 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night at the Prudential Center. Tampa Bay still leads the best-of-seven series, two games to one, with Game Four coming up on Wednesday in Newark, N.J.

Butcher's goal forged a 2-2 tie and was part of a four-goal third period outburst by the Devils. Team captain Andy Greene (Miami) assisted on the game-winning goal by Stefan Noesen, before Blake Coleman (Miami) and Ben Lovejoy (Dartmouth) scored unassisted empty-net goals in the final minutes of regulation, with Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy having been pulled both times for an extra attacker.

Cory Schneider (Boston College), making his first start in the NHL postseason since 2013 when he was with Vancouver, stopped 34 shots to earn the win for New Jersey. Alex Killorn (Harvard) notched a goal and an assist for the Lightning, which was outshot, 41-36, by the Devils.

ADDENDUM: Tampa Bay ultimately won the series in five games.