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.

UND's Sanderson Signs Extension with Sens

Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson (North Dakota) will be staying in Canada's capital for the foreseeable future.

Sanderson, 21, recently signed an eight-year, $64.4-million contract extension with the Senators, who drafted him fifth overall in 2020 after he had played for the U.S. National Team Development Program in Michigan. He made his NHL debut last year, tallying four goals and 28 assists for 32 points with Ottawa, to go with 12 penalty minutes in 77 regular-season outings.

A 6-foot-2, 185-pound native of Whitefish, Mont., Sanderson played two NCAA seasons at North Dakota (2020-2022), before signing with Ottawa last year. In 45 career appearances with the Fighting Hawks, he posted 10-31—41 points and 41 PIM. He also helped UND to two NCHC regular-season titles and two NCAA tournament appearances, plus one NCHC tournament crown. While at UND, he also played in one game for the U.S. in the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, recording one assist.

North Dakota's Pinto Named NHL Rookie of the Month

Shane Pinto (North Dakota) has been tabbed as the NHL Rookie of the Month for October 2022.

Pinto, 21, tallied six goals and an assist for seven points in a span of eight games last month. He led all NHL rookies in goals scored in October, and also led all NHL skaters in scoring percentage (42.9). The Franklin Square, N.Y. native has now recorded 7-8—15 points in 26 career NHL regular-season appearances, after playing just five games in all last year due to shoulder injuries. He was drafted 32nd overall by Ottawa in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, after playing for Tri-City (USHL) in 2018-19.

The 6-foot-2 center starred for UND in both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 NCAA campaigns, before turning pro just after the end of his second and final collegiate season. In 61 career outings with the Fighting Hawks, Pinto notched 31-29—60 points to go with 50 PIM. He also helped UND to two NCHC regular-season titles and one NCHC postseason crown, along with two NCAA tournament berths (the first was negated by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020).

Daccord, Johnson Done for Current NHL Campaign

A pair of former NCAA stars are done for the 2020-21 NHL season.

Ottawa goaltender Joey Daccord (Arizona State) suffered a lower-body injury in the Senators' 3-2 loss to Vancouver on St. Patrick's Day, while New York Rangers defenseman Jack Johnson (Michigan) underwent season-ending core-muscle surgery two days later.

Daccord made his NHL debut in April 2019, shortly after backstopping independent Arizona State to its first-ever NCAA tournament berth. He earned his first NHL victory on March 14 with 33 saves in a 4-3 win over Toronto, and finished 1-3-1 this season with a 3.27 goals-against average in six starts. 

In three seasons at ASU, Daccord went 32-40-7 with a 3.07 GAA and eight shutouts. As a junior for the Sun Devils in 2018-19, he finished 21-13-1 with seven shutouts before turning pro with Ottawa, who drafted him 199th overall in 2015 out of Cushing Academy in his native Massachusetts.

Longtime pro blueliner Johnson, from Indianapolis, has notched 71 goals and 232 assists for 303 points to go with 529 penalty minutes in 950 career NHL regular-season outings with Los Angeles, Columbus, Pittsburgh and the Rangers since turning pro in 2007. He also has five goals and 21 points in 30 career Stanley Cup playoff contests.

Originally drafted third overall by Carolina in 2005, Johnson skated for two seasons at Michigan, notching 26-45—71 points and 236 PIM in 74 games. He also earned CCHA All-Rookie Team accolades as a freshman, and First Team All-America status as a sophomore, while also helping the Wolverines to a pair of NCAA tournament berths before signing with Los Angeles.

BU's Tkachuk Signs with Senators

The Ottawa Senators have announced that they have signed forward Brady Tkachuk (Boston University) to a three-year entry-level contract. Tkachuk will thus forgo his final three years at BU.

Tkachuk, 18, a 6-foot-3 native of St. Louis, tallied eight goals and 23 assists for 31 points last season as a freshman as the Terriers won the Hockey East Tournament and advanced to within one game of the NCAA Frozen Four. The Senators then drafted him fourth overall at the 2018 NHL Draft in Dallas.

The son of retired NHL player Keith Tkachuk, who also played one year at BU, and the younger brother of Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk played two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development program prior to enrolling at BU. He was also a member of the bronze-medal U.S. squad at the 2018 World Junior Championship held in Buffalo.

Former ECAC Players Sign with NHL Teams

A pair of former Eastern College Athletic Conference hockey players inked NHL contracts this week, one of them a heralded rookie and the other a young veteran.

Union College forward Spencer Foo signed as a free agent with the Calgary Flames after spending the last three seasons in Schenectady. According to the Flames website, the contract will be finalized and made official on July 1. Foo, 23, tallied career highs of 26 goals and 36 assists for 62 points in 38 games this past year, while leading the Dutchmen to both the ECAC regular-season crown and their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2014.

The Edmonton native tied with teammate Mike Vecchione for the ECAC scoring lead, with 44 points in 25 conference games, and likewise was a fellow Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist. In 113 career outings at Union, Foo registered 49-63—112 points.

Former Princeton University netminder Mike Condon re-upped with the Ottawa Senators after spending most of last season in Canada’s capital. According to NHL.com, the deal is for $7.2 million for three years. The Holliston, Mass. native, who began last season with Pittsburgh before being traded to Ottawa in November, finished 19-14-6 in 40 games with the Senators. He also recorded a 2.50 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage to go with a career-high five shutouts.

In 96 career NHL games with Montreal, Pittsburgh and Ottawa, Condon, 27, has fashioned a 40-39-12 record with six shutouts. He went 18-22-8 with three shutouts in 53 NCAA appearances at Princeton from 2009 and 2013.

Penguins to Meet Predators in Stanley Cup Final

Chris Kunitz (Ferris State) scored his second goal of the game 5:09 into the second overtime to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Ottawa Senators. Defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh will now host the Nashville on Monday at PPG Paints Arena in game One of the 2017 Stanley Cup final.

Conor Sheary (Massachusetts) set up Kunitz for the game’s opening goal in the second period, before Ottawa came back to tie it just 20 seconds later. Justin Schultz wristed home a power-play goal midway through the third period off assists from Kunitz and Phil Kessel (Minnesota) to put the Penguins up, 2-1, but Ryan Dzingel (Ohio State) knotted it for the Senators with just over five minutes remaining in regulation.

Kunitz slapped a pass home in double OT to send the Penguins back to the final for the second straight season, almost a year after Pittsburgh defeated San Jose in six games to win its first NHL championship since 2009 and fourth overall. Schultz drew the second assist on the winning goal.

The Penguins outshot the Senators on Thursday, 42-29 and scored on their only power-play opportunity.  Ottawa, which went scoreless on two man-advantage opportunities, was seeking is first Stanley Cup Final berth since 2007, when it lost to Anaheim in five games.

Kuraly Keeps Bruins Going in OT

Boston University, Minnesota State and Miami (Ohio) teamed up to keep the Boston Bruins' season alive.

Sean Kuraly (Miami) backhanded home a rebound 10:19 into double overtime to lift the Bruins to a 3-2 win over the host Ottawa Senators on Friday night. Ottawa still leads the best-of-seven NHL Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, three games to two.

Kuraly scored his first career NHL goal on Friday in regulation, but then saw a potential Boston game-winning goal scuttled in the first OT after he collided with Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson prior to the puck entering the net. The goal was subsequently waved off for goaltender interference, and the contest continued

On the winner, McAvoy (BU) launched a shot from the right point that deflected off Backes (MSU) in front. The puck caromed to Kuraly, who then shoveled a backhander onto the open half of the net past Anderson.

Game Six of this Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup is set for Sunday in Boston at 3 p.m. ET (NBC).

BC's Kreider Makes NHL Debut in Playoffs

The wait is finally over for Chris Kreider.

The 6'3'', 225-pound winger from Boxford, Mass., who just won his second national championship with Boston College only nine days ago, made his NHL debut tonight in the New York Rangers 1-0 playoff victory over the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in Kanata, Ont.

Kreider skated 13 shifts in all, logging just over 11 minutes of ice time and recording one shot on goal and one hit while wearing jersey No. 20. Brian Boyle, a 2007 BC alumnus, scored the only goal of the game in the third period to give the Rangers a 2-1 first-round series lead.

Kreider is no stranger to skating alongside NHL players. He represented the U.S. at the 2010 and 2011 IIHF World Championships as the lone college player on the American squad.

Drafted 19th overall by the Rangers in 2009 out of Phillips Andover Academy, and long touted to join the Blueshirts' ranks, Kreider, 21, signed with New York shortly after BC beat Ferris State in the NCAA title game in Tampa, Florida on April 7.

He led the Eagles in scoring this past season with 24 goals and 22 assists for 46 points, all career high numbers for him. He tallied 50-43—93 points in 114 career college games over three seasons, and also collected 137 penalty minutes.

Kreider also helped BC to the 2008 NCAA title over Wisconsin at Ford Field in Detroit as a freshman, and had a goal in the championship game. He posted a goal and an assist in the Eagles' 6-1 triumph over Minnesota in this year's Frozen Four semifinals for the final points of his college career, and also scored both BC goals in a 2-0 regional semifinal victory over Air Force.

Now he'll be seeking to do the same in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.