NCAA Skaters Named to NHL All-Star Teams

Several former NCAA skaters were recently named to the 2025-26 NHL All-Star Teams:

First All‑Star Team

D – Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche (Massachusetts)

D – Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets (Michigan)

Werenski also claimed the Norris Trophy as the top defenseman in the NHL last season. 

Second All‑Star Team

LW – Cole Caufield, Montreal Canadiens (Wisconsin) 

Caufield also claimed the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship and gentlemanly play.

All-Rookie Team

G - Jakub Dobes, Montreal Canadiens (Ohio State)

F - Jimmy Snuggerud, St. Louis Blues (Minnesota)

Dobes led the Canadiens to the 2026 Eastern Conference final, while Snuggerud tied for second on his team with 51 points.

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. 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.

U.S. Rebounds with Two Wins at 2024 Worlds

The United States regained its winning ways late this week at the 2024 IIHF Men's World Championship in Czechia. Following a 5-4 overtime loss to Slovakia on May 13, the Americans rebounded for a 5-0 shutout of France on Thursday, followed by a 4-1 victory over Poland on Friday. 

Matt Boldy (Boston College) scored two goals and set up another for the U.S. versus France, while Brock Nelson (North Dakota) tallied a goal and two assists. Against Poland, Brady Tkachuk (Boston University) led the way with a goal and three assists, as Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) scored twice, Shane Pinto (North Dakota) assisted on a pair of goals, and Trey Augustine (Michigan State) stopped 20 of 21 shots against.

Team USA will return to Group B action on Sunday against Kazakhstan.

ADDENDUM: The U.S routed Kazakhstan, 10-1, as Boldy notched two goals and three assists, Johnny Gaudreau (Boston College) recorded a goal and four assists, Tkachuk tallied three goals and an assist, and Zach Werenski (Michigan) set up three goals.

U.S. Falls in 2024 IIHF Worlds Opener

The United States got behind the proverbial eight-ball on its first day of competition at the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Czechia on Friday. The U.S. fell to Sweden by a 5-2 count at Ostrava Arena in the opener of Group B play for both teams.

Zach Werenski (Michigan) and Brock Nelson (North Dakota) scored goals for the Americans, who got 33 saves in net from Alex Lyon (Yale). Johnny Gaudreau (Boston College) and Matt Boldy (Boston College) picked up assists for the U.S., which will return to action today against Germany, while Sweden will face Poland on Sunday. 

Canada, which boasts almost a half-dozen former NCAA skaters on its roster, begins play today against Great Britain in Group A round-robin competition. The Canadians won last year's Worlds in Riga/Latvia, with Germany claiming the silver medal and co-host Latvia earning bronze. The U.S. finished fourth in 2023.

ADDENDUM: The U.S. rebounded for a 6-1 win over Germany, getting goals from six different scorers. Johnny Gaudreau (Boston College) and Michael Kesselring (Northeastern) tallied a goal and an assist apiece for the Americans, who also got two assists each from Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) and Shane Pinto (North Dakota). Trey Augustine (Michigan State) made 12 saves on 13 shots in relief of Lyon (14 saves).

College Players Come Through for Canadiens

Wednesday evening in central Ohio was NCAA night for the Montreal Canadiens.

Alex Newhook (Boston College) and Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) scored goals for the Habs, and Mike Matheson recorded two assists in the third period for the visitors as Montreal outlasted the host Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-2, at Nationwide Arena. Zach Werenski (Michigan) set up one of Columbus' two goals, as the Bluejackets fell to 7-13-4 overall and four points behind Montreal in the NHL's Eastern Conference standings. 

Montreal improved to 10-10-2 with the victory, but fell back below the .500 mark the next night after a 5-1 loss to visiting Florida. Newhook, the Canadiens' top goal scorer with seven goals so far this season, was injured in that contest and did not return. He earned a Stanley Cup ring in 2022 with Colorado, a year after helping Boston College return to the NCAA tournament.

Columbus hosts Ottawa (8-9-0) tonight, while Montreal will entertain Detroit (12-7-3) tomorrow.

NHL, AHL, ECHL Champions Crowned

The Pittsburgh Penguins closed out the 2015-16 hockey season with a 3-1 victory at San Jose on Sunday night to win the fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Penguins, who defeated the Sharks in six games, have won all four of their Cups on the road, dating back to 1991.

Brian Dumoulin (Boston College) opened the scoring for the Penguins on a first-period power play, assisted by Nick Schultz (Wisconsin) and Chris Kunitz (Ferris State). Less than two minutes after the Sharks tied the game in the second period, Conor Sheary (UMass) help set up the Cup-winning goal by Kris Letang. Pittsburgh then scored into an empty net late in the third stanza to seal the victory.

Other former NCAA players who starred for Pittsburgh this postseason included the HBK line of Carl Hagelin (Michigan), Nick Bonino (Boston University) and Phil Kessel (Minnesota), who combined for 56 points and a +23 plus-minus rating. The Penguins were led by head coach Mike Sullivan (Boston University), who took the reins in December and then led Pittsburgh to a 16-8 playoff mark.

The Lake Erie Monsters brought Cleveland its first professional hockey title since 1964 with Saturday night's 1-0 overtime victory over the Hershey Bears at Quicken Loans Arena. The Monsters won the American Hockey League's Calder Cup Final in four games.

Lake Erie, the top farm team of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, went 15-2 during the postseason to complete its ninth season in Ohio and the league’s 80th season, according to TheAHL.com. Rookie defenseman Zach Werenski (Michigan) finished among the top scorers in the AHL playoffs with five goals and nine assists for 14 points in 17 games with the Monsters. Hershey forward Carter Camper (Miami) was second overall among AHL postseason scorers with six goals and 17 points in 21 outings.

The Monsters' Calder Cup victory came two nights after the ECHL's Allen Americans won their second consecutive Kelly Cup with a six-game, final-round victory over the Wheeling Nailers. Riley Gill (Western Michigan) backstopped the Americans to the title, his third ECHL crown, with a 12-5-0 playoff record, according to ECHL.com. Allen is the first repeat ECHL champion since the Toledo Storm in 1993-1994.

See you next season.

Three College Players Drafted in Top Eight

A bit of history was made at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft in Sunrise, Fla. on Friday night, as three current NCAA players were selected among the first 10 picks for the first time ever.

As expected, Hobey Baker Award-winning forward Jack Eichel (Boston University) went second overall to the Buffalo Sabres. Noah Hanifin (Boston College), the first defenseman taken in this year’s draft, went fifth to the Carolina Hurricanes, while fellow blueliner Zach Werenski (Michigan) went eighth to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Eichel led the nation in scoring with 26 goals and 45 assists for 71 points during the 2014-15 NCAA campaign, and also helped the Terriers to the Beanpot and Hockey East tournament titles as well as a national runner-up finish. Hanifin tallied 5-18—23 points for the Eagles, who advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight season, while Werenski led all Wolverine defensemen with 9-16—25 points.

All three also skated for the U.S squad that finished in fifth place at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship in Canada.

U.S. Eliminated from WJC in Canada

For the second year in a row, the United States is one and done in the elimination stage at the IIHF World Junior Championships.

The Americans fell, 3-2, to Russia on Friday afternoon in a quarterfinal-round match at the Bell Centre in Montreal. The U.S. fought back from a 2-0 deficit after 20 minutes of play when Anthony DeAngelo scored the first U.S. goal on a 5-on-3 power play in the second period.

After Russia, which scored two power-play goals on the day, took a 3-1 lead in the third stanza, Zach Werenski (Michigan) scored the final American goal of the tournament. Thatcher Demko (Boston College) finished with 22 saves for the Americans and was pulled for an extra attacker in the final 90 seconds of regulation, but the U.S. could not come up with the tying goal despite outshooting Russia, 41-25, overall.

It marks the second straight year that Team USA failed to medal at the WJC, and the second straight tournament that the Americans were eliminated by Russia. According to the IIHF web site, the U.S. has not beaten Russia in the WJC since Dec. 2007.

Two years ago, the U.S. rode the scoring of Johnny Gaudreau and the goaltending of John Gibson to gold in Ufa, Russia. Three years prior to that, it was current Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson scoring the gold-medal winner in overtime against Canada in Saskatchewan. The U.S also garnered a bronze medal in 2011 in Buffalo.

Russia will now play the winner of Sweden and Finland, a rematch of last year's gold medal game that was won by Finland in Malmo, Sweden.