Lee Earns 2024 King Clancy Memorial Trophy

New York Islanders captain Anders Lee (Notre Dame) is the recipient of the NHL's 2023-24 King Clancy Memorial Trophy. The award is given annually to the NHL player "who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community." Lee is the third Islander to be so honored all-time, following Bryan Trottier (1989) and Doug Weight (2011), and will receive a $25,000 donation from the NHL that will benefit a charity or charities of his choice.

Lee, 33, has long supported Jam Kancer in the Kan, which is a foundation committed to fundraising for families dealing with cancer, and has helped the event raise more than $2.5 million in all to date, according to the Islanders web site. He also founded and continues to fund the Fenov Scholars college scholarship, which is awarded to graduating high school students who provide help and sympathy to an individual who is battling cancer.

Lee, who hails from Edina, Minn., has tallied at least 20 goals in an NHL campaign eight times so far in his professional career, including this season, and has tallied 260 career regular-season goals in all. A sixth-round draft choice of the Islanders in 2009, he skated at Notre Dame for three years, scoring 61 goals in NCAA play, and captained the Fighting Irish to the championship of the original CCHA in his final season at UND. Lee also helped the U.S. to bronze medals at the IIHF World Championships in 2015 and 2018.

2024 NHL Stadium Series Stars Former NCAA Skaters

The 2024 NHL Stadium Series has come and gone, and former NCAA players played their part.

John Marino (Harvard) tallied two assists and Erik Haula (Minnesota) set up another goal as the New Jersey Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 6-3, outdoors on Saturday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. It was the Devils' first game in their original home of the Meadowlands since 2007, and came before a crowd of 70,328 at the current home of the NFL's Jets and Giants. Nick Seeler (Minnesota) notched the third goal for the Flyers.

On Sunday afternoon, Chris Kreider (Boston College) tipped home a power-play goal in the third period as the New York Rangers rebounded for a 6-5 overtime win over the New York Islanders in the two rivals' first meeting since Dec. 2022. Adam Fox (Harvard) collected two assists for the Rangers, who came back from 4-1 and 5-3 deficits to improve to 5-0-0 all-time in outdoor games. Islanders captain Anders Lee (Notre Dame) also registered a power-play goal on a deflection, while Brock Nelson (North Dakota) scored the Islanders' first goal and later added an assist. Attendance was 79,690.

Andy Greene Retires as NHL Player

Longtime NHL defenseman Andy Greene (Miami) has called it a career.

Greene, 39, from Trenton, Mich., signed a one-day contract this week with his original team, the New Jersey Devils, before retiring as an active player after 16 full NHL campaigns.

In 1057 NHL regular-season outings with the Devils and New York Islanders, from 2006-07 through 2021-22, Greene scored 52 goals and assisted on 212 others for 264 career points, to go along with 277 penalty minutes. A former Devils captain (2014-2020), the 5-foot-11 Greene added 5-9⁠—14 points and 42 PIM in 90 career Stanley Cup playoff contests. He helped New Jersey to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, and after being traded to New York during the 2019-20 season, helped the Islanders to both the 2020 and 2021 Eastern Conference finals.

A product of his hometown Trenton High School, Greene also played two full years of junior hockey with Compuware (NAHL) in Plymouth, Mich., earning NAHL Defenseman of the Year accolades in 2001-02 while also leading the Ambassadors to the Robertson Cup championship. He then enrolled at Miami (Ohio), where he tallied 27-87—114 points and 256 PIM over four years. He was a two-time All-America selection and a two-time CCHA Best Offensive Defenseman choice, and led the Red Hawks to the 2005-06 CCHA regular season title and two NCAA tournament appearances. He also served as Miami's captain his last two seasons.

An undrafted free agent, Greene signed with the Devils in 2006. He played 52 games with Lowell (AHL), and also skated in the AHL All-Star Game that season, before joining New Jersey for its 2007 playoff run and spending the rest of his career in the NHL. He also suited up for Team USA in the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany.

Nelson, Islanders Advance to 2021 NHL Semifinals

 

Brock Nelson (North Dakota) scored two goals, including the game-winner, as the New York Islanders ousted the visiting Boston Bruins from the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday night. New York triumphed by a 6-2 count at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum to win the best-of-seven second round series in six games, while also winning the last three games of the series.

Travis Zajac (North Dakota) and Kyle Palmieri (Notre Dame) also scored goals in the clincher for the Islanders, who advanced to league semifinals/conference finals for the second straight season. It's the first time they have done so since 1983 and 1984.

The Islanders, who have won all three playoff series they have ever contested against Boston (1980, 1983, 2021), will now meet the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, who topped Carolina in five games to reach this year's semifinals. Tampa Bay eliminated New York in the Eastern Conference final in six games last season, in one of the NHL "bubbles" in Canada necessitated by COVID-19. 

The winner of this year's Islanders-Lightning match-up will face the victor of Montreal-Vegas for the Stanley Cup. 

Devils Trade Zajac, Palmieri to Islanders

 

Travis Zajac (North Dakota) and Kyle Palmieri (Notre Dame) are moving to Long Island.

The now-former New Jersey Devils forwards were traded yesterday to the New York islanders for a 2021 first-round NHL draft choice, a 2022 conditional fourth-round choice, and minor-league forwards A.J. Greer (Boston University) and Mason Jobst (Ohio State).

Zajac, 34, who played in his 1,000th career NHL regular-season game earlier this season, has been a fixture in New Jersey since turning pro in 2006-07 after two years with North Dakota, whom he helped to two NCAA Frozen Fours. In that span he has recorded 202 goals and 348 assists for 550 points in 1,024 regular-season NHL appearances. He also has 11-17—28 points in 57 Stanley Cup playoff contests, and led the Devils to their 2012 Eastern Conference championship.

Palmieri, 30, who sat out New Jersey's last several games while awaiting a trade, began his NHL career with Anaheim in 2010-11, two years after the Ducks drafted him 26th overall, and just after he played his one season at Notre Dame. He joined New Jersey in 2015-16 and has proceeded to register five straight years of 20 or more goals. In 595 career NHL regular-season outings, Palmieri has posted 183-172—355 points, along with 8-7—15 totals in 38 Stanley Cup playoff appearances.

Greer, 24, played parts of two seasons at Boston University before jumping to the major junior ranks. Drafted 39th overall by Colorado in 2015, after helping BU to the NCAA national title game that year, he has recorded a goals and five assists for six points in 37 NHL regular-season games, all with the Avalanche.

Jobst, 27, a two-year team captain at Ohio State who helped the Buckeyes to the 2018 NCAA Frozen Four, has spent the last two seasons with Bridgeport (AHL). In 51 outings with the Sound Tigers, he has put up 5-10—15 points.

Devils Downed in Reverse Retro Debut

 

The New Jersey Devils made their debut in green on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, it didn't help them to a victory.

Oliver Wahlstrom (Boston College) and Anders Lee (Notre Dame) scored for the New York Islanders in their 2-1 win over the host Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark, the first game in which fans were allowed at a Devils home game since late last season. About 1,800 spectators were allowed, due to COVID-19 regulations.

New Jersey, which wore red, white and green from 1982 to 1991 before switching to red, white and black, debuted its Reverse Retro uniform in the contest. It marked the first time that the club had worn green helmets, gloves, jerseys and socks in its history, along with red pants.

Wahlstrom's goal 70 seconds into the third period, a wrist shot from above the right circle, broke a scoreless tie and gave New York a lead it would not relinquish. The goal was his third in his last four games, and also gave the Quincy, Mass. native six points over his last five appearances.

Lee followed up his own rebound in front of the New Jersey net with just over 12 minutes remaining in regulation for the game-winner. It was also his team-leading 10th goal of the 2020-21 campaign, giving him double-digit goals in seven straight NHL seasons.

Miles Wood (Boston College) scored from the doorstep with less than 15 seconds left in the third period to put New Jersey on the scoreboard, his team-best seventh goal of the season, but it wasn't enough for the home team. Aaron Dell (North Dakota) made 18 stops for the Devils in his second start for New Jersey, after being being claimed off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs last month.

New Jersey, which has lost six of its last seven outings, entertains the rival New York Rangers tonight, while the Islanders host the Buffalo Sabres.

Butcher Scores for Devils in NHL Return

Will Butcher (Denver) hadn't played an NHL game in almost a year. On Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, he made his 2020-21 debut with a goal in the New Jersey Devils' 5-2 triumph over the host New York Rangers.

Butcher's second period goal, a shot from the left corner that deflected in off of New York defenseman Jacob Trouba (Michigan), gave the Devils a 2-1 lead at the time. After the Rangers rebounded to tie the game just before intermission, New Jersey tallied three unanswered goals in the third period for the win. 

It was the Devils' first game in nearly three weeks, after the organization was shut down by COVID-19 concerns. Butcher, who led DU to the 2017 NCAA title on defense while also winning the Hobey Baker Memorial Award himself that year, now has 14 goals in his NHL career. he had been out of the Devils lineup since February 2020 after injuring his thumb and requiring surgery.

In Buffalo, Anders Lee (Notre Dame), captain of the New York Islanders, scored two goals, the game-winner and also an empty-netter, in New York's 3-0 victory over the host Sabres. Lee, who skated for the Fighting Irish from 2010 to 2013, now has seven goals and 10 points in 15 outings so far this season for the Islanders.

Ohio State's Jobst Signs with Islanders

Ohio State University senior forward Mason Jobst has signed a two-year, two-way contract as a free agent with the NHL's New York Islanders.

Jobst, 25, from Speedway, Ind., closed out his collegiate career on Friday with the Buckeyes' 2-0 loss to Denver in an NCAA West Regional semifinal in Fargo, N.D. The 5-foot-8 center led Ohio State in scoring this season with 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points in 36 games, as OSU won the Big Ten Conference regular-season title.

In four years in Columbus, Jobst scored 69 goals and added 95 assists for 164 points in 150 career NCAA appearances, including a career-high 55 points as a sophomore, and last season helped OSU to its first NCAA Frozen Four since 1998. Prior to college, he prepped four seasons with Muskegon (USHL), where he collected 20 goals and 88 points in 156 outings.

Spotlighting NHL's Anders Lee

My latest feature story for USCHO.com, on former Notre Dame scoring star and current New York Islanders left wing Anders Lee, is now online and can be found here.

A native of Minnesota, Lee scored 61 goals in three NCAA campaigns with the Fighting Irish before turning pro in 2013. He has led the Islanders in goals the last two seasons, and hit the 40-goal mark for the first time in his NHL career in New York's season finale on April 7 in Detroit.

Lee will next play for Team USA at the 2018 IIHF World Championship in Denmark starting Friday.

Weight Wins First Game as NHL Head Coach

Doug Weight (Lake Superior State) has his first win as an interim NHL head coach.

Weight, who was elevated to the top coaching position with the New York Islanders on Tuesday after predecessor Jack Capuano (Maine) was let go by the club, picked up his first victory in charge of an NHL bench on Thursday night in Brooklyn as the Islanders defeated the Dallas Stars, 3-0.

Born in Detroit, Weight, 46, played two seasons at LSSU, tallying 50 goals and 94 assists for 134 points in 88 career games with the Lakers. He also earned All-CCHA and All-America accolades, and later endowed a hockey scholarship at the university. 

Drafted in the second round (34th overall) of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, following his freshman campaign at LSSU, he turned pro the following year with the Rangers, appearing in one 1991 Stanley Cup Playoff game after competing his sophomore season with the Lakers. 

By the time he was done 20 years later, in 2010-11, Weight had collected 278-755—1,033 points in 1,238 NHL regular-season outings with the Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks and the Islanders, according to hockeydb.com. A four-time NHL All-Star, he also recorded 23-49—72 points in 97 Stanley Cup Playoff contests, and won the Cup with Carolina in 2006.

Weight also won the inaugural World Cup with the U.S. in 1996, and six years later helped the Americans to the silver medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. He also appeared in the 1998 and 2006 Olympic Games, and was inducted into the USA Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.

A former Islander team captain, Weight was in his third season as the franchise's Senior Advisor to the General Manager, and sixth as an assistant coach when he succeeded Capuano, who had served as Islander head coach since November 2010 and won 227 of 483 NHL games in his tenure.

Lee Signs with Islanders, Scores First NHL Goal

Former Notre Dame forward Anders Lee, who passed up his senior season with the Fighting Irish to sign a two-year contract with the New York Islanders on Monday, made his professional debut on Tuesday evening in a 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets at Nassau Coliseum.

Besides playing in his first NHL game and being part of his first NHL win, Lee also scored his first professional goal when he wristed a shot past Jets netminder Ondrej Pavelec in the first period.

A native of Edina, Minn. and a 2009 Islanders draftee, Lee tallied 20 goals and 18 assists for 38 points this past season with UND to lead the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in goals and points. He also led the Irish to the last-ever CCHA Championship with a 3-1 victory over Michigan at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit last month to claim the final Mason Cup.

Lee, who prepped with Green Bay (USHL) before joining the Irish, played in his final collegiate game in UND’s 5-1 loss to St. Cloud State on Saturday in an NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal in Toledo. In 125 career college games, he recorded 61-55—116 points.

The Islanders were 18-16-9 overall and in eighth place in the Eastern Conference following the win over Winnipeg, and will play at Washington on Thursday night.