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.

Three MSU Spartans Turn Pro

Michigan State will have to do without three key contributors going forward, all of whom recently signed NHL contracts.

Freshman right wing Porter Martone was the first to go, signing on Sunday with the Philadelphia Flyers, who drafted him sixth overall last year. Martone, 19, paced the Spartans this past year with 25 goals and 50 points in his only NCAA campaign, after skating three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League. The Peterborough, Ont. native, who played in two IIHF World Junior Championships for Canada, made his NHL debut on March 31 at Washington, and picked up his first pro point with an assist against Detroit tonight. 

Junior goaltender Trey Augustine has signed with the Detroit Red Wings, who selected him 41st overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, and has been assigned to Detroit's top minor-league affiliate in Grand Rapids (AHL). Augustine, 21, from South Lyon, Mich. fashioned a 24-9-1 record in 34 games this past season, with a 2.11 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage, while earning Big Ten Goaltender of the Year accolades. In three years with the Spartans, he went 66-25-7 with a 2.40 GAA over 99 career outings while notching nine shutouts and backstopping MSU to three consecutive Big Ten conference regular-season titles and two tournament crowns. He also won two gold medals with the U.S. at the WJCs, after prepping with the U.S. National Junior Team Development Program, and is a finalist this year for both the Mike Richter Award (top NCAA goalie) and the Hobey Baker Memorial Award (top NCAA player). 

Junior defenseman Maxim Strbak has signed with the Buffalo Sabres, who drafted him 45th overall in 2023, and has been assigned to Rochester (AHL). Strbak, 20, from Kosice, Slovakia, notched three goals and 15 assists for 18 points in 37 games this past season with MSU, and in three years in East Lansing collected 8-38—46 points over 102 appearances. A product of Sioux Falls (USHL), he also participated in four consecutive WJCs for Slovakia. 

MSU's 2025-26 campaign ended with a 4-3 overtime loss to Big Ten rival Wisconsin in the NCAA Worcester (Mass.) Regional final on March 29, one game short of the Frozen Four. 

ADDENDUM: Michigan State sophomore defenseman Colin Ralph and senior forward Daniel Russell have also signed pro contracts, with the St. Louis Blues and Wilkes-Barre Scranton (AHL), respectively. Ralph, 20, from Maple Grove, Minn., collected 2-16—18 points in 69 career games with St. Cloud State and MSU, after being drafted 48th overall by the Blues in 2024. Russell, from Traverse City, Mich., totaled 43-70—113 points in 140 career outings at MSU, after playing three years in the USHL and one in the NAHL. 

U.S. Men Claim 2026 Olympic Gold Medal

The Miracle on Ice finally got some company.

Exactly 46 years to the day that the Americans defeated the Russians at Lake Placid, the U.S. men's hockey team won its third goal medal ever with a 2-1 victory over Canada in overtime in the championship game Sunday at the XXV Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy.

Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils scored less than two minutes into the 3-on-3 overtime, assisted by Zach Werenski (Michigan), to give the U.S. the win and its first Olympic men's hockey title since 1980. Cale Makar (Massachusetts) had tied the game in the second period for Canada, which was seeking its first Olympic men's gold since 2014, the last time that NHL players participated in the Olympics. Matt Boldy (Boston College) scored Team USA's first goal of the day in the first period, assisted by Quinn Hughes (Michigan), on the Americans' first shot on goal.

Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) stopped 41 shots for the Americans, including a point-blank save on Devon Toews (Quinnipiac) in the second stanza. Toews later posted the lone assist on the goal by Makar, his teammate with the NHL's Colorado Avalanche. Canada outshot the U.S., 42-28, overall but went 0-for-3 on the power play, including a two-man advantage in the second period, while the U.S. finished 0-for-2.

It was America's first Olympic men's hockey gold medal won outside the United States, as the first came in California in 1960. The U.S. won both Olympic hockey gold medals this year, with the American women also defeating Canada, 2-1 in OT, on Thursday.

U.S. Men Top Latvia in Olympic Opener

Brock Nelson (North Dakota) scored two goals, including the game winner, as the U.S. men's hockey team opened its 2026 Olympic Winter Games with a 5-1 win over Latvia on Thursday in Milan, Italy.

Jack Eichel (Boston University) and Quinn Hughes (Michigan) set up two goals apiece for the Americans, who also got their opening goal from Brady Tkachuk (Boston University). Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) made 17 saves in net for Team USA.

In other Olympic men's hockey action, Macklin Celebrini (Boston University) scored a goal off an assist from Cale Makar (UMass), and Canada went on to blank Czechia, 5-0. Canada takes on Switzerland today, while the U.S. will face Denmark on Saturday.

U.S. Women Win Third Straight Olympic Game

Joy Dunne (Ohio State), Alex Carpenter (Boston College) and Caroline Harvey (Wisconsin) notched a goal and an assist each as the U.S. Women's Olympic team blanked Switzerland today, 5-0, in Group A play at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy. 

Gwyneth Philips (Northeastern) earned the shutout by stopping all 20 shots she faced for the Americans, while Andrea Braendli (Ohio State) made 45 saves for the Swiss. Team USA is now 3-0-0 overall and will next face archrival Canada, which defeated Czechia, 5-1, as Julia Gosling (St. Lawrence) scored two goals and Brianne Jenner (Cornell) collected two assists.

U.S. Women Open 2026 Olympics with Win

The U.S. Women's Hockey Team got off to a good start at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina, Italy with a 5-1 victory over Czechia on Thursday. 

Hayley Scamurra (Northeastern) scored two goals for the Americans, while Tessa Janecke (Penn State) notched two assists and Aerin Frankel (Northeastern) made 14 saves.

Team USA takes on Finland tomorrow in its next contest.

ADDENDUM: The United States blanked Finland, 5-0, with team captain Hillary Knight scoring her 14th career Olympic goal, tying her for first among American skaters all-time. 

U.S. Ousted at 2026 World Juniors

There will be no three-peat for the United States at this year's World Junior Championship. The U.S. was ousted tonight by Finland, 4-3, in overtime in a semifinal game in St. Paul. It was the second straight loss for the Americans, who also fell to Sweden, 6-3, on New Year's Eve in their final game of group play.

Ryker Lee (Michigan State) tied the contest late in regulation after Finland had taken a 3-2 lead on back-to-back goals. Cole Eiserman (Boston University) and Cole Hutson (Boston University) scored second-period goals for Team USA, which also got two assists from James Hagens (Boston College), and 21 saves in net from Nick Kempf (Notre Dame). Heikki Ruohonen (Harvard) scored a goal for Finland, which fell to the U.S. in last year's final in OT in Ottawa.

Finland will now face Sweden in one WJC semifinal, while Canada will take on Czechia in the other, both on Sunday. The bronze and gold medal games are scheduled for Monday.

ADDENDUM: Sweden won the gold medal over Czechia, while Canada took the bronze.

U.S., Canada Win in 2026 WJC Openers

Will Zellers (North Dakota) scored two goals and set up another, and Cole Hutson (Boston University) tallied two assists as the host United States defeated Germany, 6-3, tonight in its opener of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in St. Paul, Minn. The U.S., which has won the last two WJC gold medals, will next face off tomorrow with Switzerland, which will be playing in its first game of the tournament.

In the nightcap in Minneapolis, Canada outlasted Czechia, 7-5, by scoring four times in the third period. Michael Hage (Michigan) notched a goal and two assists for the Canadians, who also got two assists from Gavin McKenna (Penn State) and an empty-net goal from Porter Martone (Michigan State). Canada will next face Latvia on Saturday.

ADDENDUM: Team USA edged Switzerland, 2-1, on a goal by Zellers, while Canada topped Latvia by the same score on an overtime goal from Hage.

U.S. Wins 2025 U-18 Bronze Medal

Arizona State commit Ben Kevan scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lift the United States to a 4-3 victory over Slovakia in the 2025 IIHF U-18 Men's World Championship bronze medal game yesterday in Frisco, Texas. 

Will Moore, a Boston College commit who led all U.S. skaters in the tournament with three goals and eight assists for 11 points, posted three assists against Slovakia. Notre Dame commit Patrick Quinlan made 23 saves in goal in the victory, and finished with a 4-1 record in the tournament.

Canada won U-18 gold for the second straight season, blanking Sweden by a 7-0 count in the title contest.

BU's Sullivan, Penguins Part Ways

The Mike Sullivan era is over in Pittsburgh. The Boston University graduate and the NHL's Penguins have parted ways after almost 10 full seasons at the helm.

Sullivan, 57, from Marshfield, Mass., served as head coach of Pittsburgh over the past decade, after being appointed during the 2015-16 NHL campaign and leading the Penguins to an overall regular-season record of 409-255-89 (44-38 postseason), and back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017. The Pens, however, have not qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2022. He previously served as head coach with the Boston Bruins from 2003 to 2006, going 70-56-15 (3-4) with his home state team, giving him a career NHL record of 479-311-127 (47-42). 

Drafted 69th overall by the New York Rangers in 1987, Sullivan skated at center for BU from 1986 to 1990, recording 61 goals and 77 assists for 138 points in 141 games. He also captained the Terriers to the NCAA semifinals as a senior before embarking upon a 12-year professional career that saw him play in 709 career regular-season outings with San Jose, Calgary, Boston and Phoenix, where he registered 54-82—136 points in 709 outings, while adding 4-8—12 points in 34 Stanley Cup Playoff contests. He also played 95 games combined in the IHL and AHL, and represented the United States in the 1997 IIHF World Championship.

Sullivan briefly served as head coach of Providence (AHL) in 2002-23, before joining Boston as an assistant. He also served as an assistant coach with Tampa Bay, the Rangers, and Vancouver, and as a development coach with Chicago. He also briefly helmed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) before being promoted to Pittsburgh, and coached the U.S. to a second-place finish at this year's inaugural Four Nations Cup.

ADDENDUM: Sullivan was hired on May 2 as head coach of the Rangers, succeeding Peter Laviolette.

45 Years Ago Today in Lake Placid ...

 

U.S. To Face Canada for Four Nations Crown

The first-ever Four Nations Face-Off final is set. It will be the United States against Canada at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday night (8 p.m. ET, TNT).

The final matchup was set when Canada held on to defeat Finland, 5-3, this afternoon before Sweden edged the U.S., 2-1, this evening, both in Boston. Chris Kreider (Boston College) scored the lone goal for the Americans, while Jake Oettinger (Boston University) finished with 21 saves for Team USA. Gustav Nyquist (Maine) notched Sweden's first goal.

Thursday will be a rematch of Saturday's 3-1 U.S. win in Montreal. Jake Guentzel (Omaha) scored twice for the Team USA, while Dylan Larkin (Michigan) scored one goal and set up another, and Connor Hellbuyck (UMass Lowell) made 25 stops in net. Sweden took third place overall by virtue of today's regulation win over the Americans, while Finland finished fourth with one overtime win and two regulation losses.

U.S. Wins Second Straight WJC Gold Medal

Teddy Stiga (Boston College) scored on a partial breakaway just over eight minutes into 3-on-3 overtime to lift the United States to a 4-3 win over Finland in the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship gold medal game tonight in Ottawa.

Team USA overcame deficits of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-1 to claim its second straight WJC gold medal and seventh overall, all of them coming since 2004. James Hagens (Boston College) recorded the first U.S. goal to forge a 1-1 tie in the first period, while Brandon Svoboda (Boston University) and Cole Hutson (Boston University) tallied second-period scores to tie the contest at 3-3 after 40 minutes of play.

Ryan Leonard (Boston College), who earned tournament MVP honors, had two assists on the night, while Trey Augustine (Michigan State) made 21 saves in goal for the Americans. Hutson led all WJC scorers with three goals and eight assists for 11 points in seven games, while Leonard was third overall with 5-5—10 points and Augustine finished with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage.

Czechia defeated Sweden, 3-2, in a shootout to claim the bronze medal. Next year's WJC will be contested in Minnesota, the first time it will be held in the U.S. since Buffalo in 2018.

USA Routs Germany in WJC Opener

Team USA is off to a good start at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa.

The United States routed Germany, 10-4, in its tournament opener today, as over a dozen American skaters recorded at least one point on the scoresheet. Cole Hutson (Boston University) set up five goals, while James Hagens (Boston College) scored two goals and assisted on two others. Gabe Perreault (Boston College) and Brodie Ziemer (Minnesota) scored twice apiece, with Perreault also adding an assist. Trey Augustine (Michigan State) stopped 18 shots for the Americans in earning the win.

The U.S. returns to WJC action on Saturday against Latvia.

ADDENDUM: Team USA topped Latvia, 5-1, before falling to Finland, 4-3, in overtime on Sunday.

Six Eagles Named to 2025 WJC Team

A half-dozen Boston College Eagles have been named to the final U.S. roster for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship (NHL rights): 

D Drew Fortescue (NY Rangers)

D Aram Minnetian (Dallas)

F Teddy Stiga (Nashville) 

F Ryan Leonard (Washington)

F James Hagens

F Gabe Perreault (NY Rangers)

Hagens is projected to go first overall in the 2025 NHL Draft next summer. 

Leonard has been named U.S. team captain, according to USCHO.com. This season's WJC will be contested from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Ottawa, after the U.S. won the gold medal in last year's tournament in Sweden.

U.S Falls to Canada at Hlinka Gretzky Cup

The United States fell to rival Canada in a 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup semifinal contest last night in Edmonton. 

Sam Spehar, a 2026-27 University of Denver commit, tallied Team USA's lone goal, which cut Canada's lead to 2-1 at the time. 

The U.S., which went 2-1-0 in the preliminary round in Group B, will face Sweden in the bronze medal game today, while Canada will take on Czechia for gold.

ADDENDUM: Canada defeated Czechia, 2-1, while the U.S. fell to Sweden, 6-3.

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.

Memorial Day 2024

 

U.S. Done at Worlds After Loss to Czechia

Team USA's run at the 2024 IIHF World Championship is over. The U.S. fell to host Czechia, 1-0, on Thursday in the quarterfinal round yesterday, eliminating the Americans from medal competition. Charlie Lindgren (St. Cloud State) stopped 27 of 28 shots in goal for the USA.

The U.S., which had scored 32 goals in the preliminary round and had three of the top scorers in the tournament, will finish no higher than fifth this year. The Americans had finished fourth in the last two Worlds after winning bronze in 2021. Next year's competition will be held in Sweden/Denmark.

U.S. Tops Latvia at Worlds

Team USA finished the round robin portion of the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Czechia with a 6-3 win over Latvia on Tuesday. The U.S. eliminated Latvia from this year's medal competition. and also avenged the Americans' overtime loss to Latvia in last year's bronze medal game.

Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) scored two goals and set up two others to lead America, while Shane Pinto (North Dakota) had two assists. Matt Boldy (Boston College), Zach Werenski (Michigan) and Brady Tkachuk (Boston University) provided a goal and an assist apiece, while Charlie Lindgren (St. Cloud State) stopped 27 of 30 Latvian shots on goal. Eduards Tralmaks (Maine) scored one of Latvia's three goals.

The U.S., which finished second in Group B, will now face host Czechia on Thursday in the quarterfinal round.