NCAA Undergraduates Jumping to NHL

A number of NCAA hockey underclassmen, with their team's 2024-25 seasons having recently coming to an end, have signed professional contracts with NHL organizations. Some of the more notable recent signings, as listed by player's last name:

Player, Class, Position (School)           NHL Team

Damien Carfagna, Jr., D, (Ohio State) #    Edmonton

Trevor Connelly, Fr., F (Providence)       Vegas

Karsen Dorwart, Jr., F (Michigan State) #  Philadelphia

Connor Kurth, Jr., F (Minnesota)           Tampa Bay

Joey Larson, Jr., F (Michigan State) #     NY Islanders

Ryan Leonard, So., F (Boston College) *    Washington

Dans Locmelis, So., F (Massachusetts)      Boston

Gabe Perreault, So., F (Boston College)    NY Rangers

Chase Pietila, So., D (Michigan Tech) #    Pittsburgh

Isak Posch, So., G (St. Cloud State) #     Colorado

Jimmy Snuggerud, Jr., F (Minnesota) *      St. Louis

Trey Taylor, Jr., F (Clarkson) #           Dallas

Callum Tung, Fr., G (Connecticut) #        NY Rangers

Matthew Wood, Jr. F (Minnesota)            Nashville

More signings can be found here. 

# Signed as free agent

* 2025 Hobey Baker Award top 10 finalist

BC's Wood, Kreider Come up Big in Playoffs

Miles Wood (Boston College) connected on a backhander just over 11 minutes into overtime, and the visiting Colorado Avalanche came all the way back from a three-goal first period deficit to top the Dallas Stars, 4-3, in the opener of their Western Conference semifinal series on Tuesday nigh. 

Cale Makar (UMass) had a goal and two assists for Colorado, which leads the best-of-seven series, one game to none. Andrew Cogliano (Michigan) assisted on Woods' goal, while Ryan Suter (Wisconsin) scored the first goal of the game for Dallas, which squandered a 3-0 lead.

In Manhattan, Chris Kreider (Boston College) tied the game with a power play goal in the third period, and the New York Rangers went on to 4-3 double OT victory over the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. The Rangers, who remain undefeated in the 2024 postseason through six games, now lead the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series, one game to none. Jake Guentzel (Omaha) scored twice for Carolina, while K'Andre Miller (Wisconsin) and Adam Fox (Harvard) posted assists for New York. 

The Stanley Cup Playoffs resume tonight with Boston at Florida in the Eastern Conference, with Boston leading that series one game to none, and Vancouver beginning its Western Conference series with Edmonton.

Hughes, Woll, Beniers Star in NHL Playoffs

Several former NCAA players shined on Sunday in the second round of the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Luke Hughes (Michigan) made his professional postseason debut with two assists as the New Jersey Devils upended the visiting Carolina Hurricanes, 8-4, to climb back into that best-of-seven Eastern Conference series. John Marino (Harvard) also had two assists for the Devils, who now trail the series, two games to one. Miles Wood (Boston College) scored a goal for the second straight game for New Jersey.

Joseph Woll (Boston College) stopped 18 of 21 shots in relief as the Toronto Maple Leafs fell, 3-2, in overtime to the host Florida Panthers. Florida now leads that Eastern Conference series, three games to none. Woll came on in relief of injured starter Ilya Samsonov in the first period.

Matty Beniers (Michigan) notched a goal and an assist, and was also a plus-3, as the Seattle Kraken routed the visiting Dallas Stars, 7-2. Ryan Donato and Jaden Schwartz (Colorado College) each posted an assist for the Kraken, who took a two games to one lead in that Western Conference series.

ADDENDUM: Jack Eichel (Boston University) scored one goal and set up another, and Zach Whitecloud (Bemidji State) also scored as the visiting Vegas Golden Knights dismantled the Edmonton Oilers, 5-1, on Monday night to take a two games to one lead in their Western Conference semifinal series. Warren Foegele (New Hampshire) tallied Edmonton's lone goal.

Hockey East Skaters Shine on NHL Sunday

Sunday marked a stellar day for former Hockey East skaters in National Hockey League play, particularly those from the two major Boston-area schools.

Kevin Hayes (Boston College) scored the winning goal in overtime for the Philadelphia Flyers, who also got three goals from Joel Farabee (Boston University) in a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders. It was Hayes' fourth career OT goal in NHL play, and Farabee's first career NHL hat trick.

Miles Wood (Boston College) scored two goals and added an assist in the New Jersey Devils' 5-3 victory at Buffalo. His first goal tied the game at three late in the second period, while his second goal was an insurance marker into an empty net late in the third period with New Jersey leading by a goal at the time.

Jordan Greenway (Boston University) set up the game-winning goal 18 seconds into OT as the Minnesota Wild outlasted the visiting Colorado Avalanche, 4-3. Cale Makar (Massachusetts) scored his first goal of the 2020-21 season for Colorado in the loss.

Last night, Johnny Gaudreau (Boston College) notched the game-winner as the Calgary Flames won, 2-0, at Montreal to snap a three-game winless skid. Like Makar, Gaudreau is a former Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner as the best player in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey.

Earlier this week, on Jan. 28, goaltender Jake Oettinger (Boston University) picked up his first NHL win for the Dallas Stars, making 20 stops in a 7-3 triumph at Detroit. Oliver Wahlstrom (Boston College) tallied his first career NHL goal for the Islanders that same evening in a 6-3 loss at Washington.

Devils Roll in 2018-19 Opener

Kyle Palmieri (Notre Dame) and Travis Zajac (North Dakota) scored two goals apiece as the New Jersey Devils opened their 2018-19 NHL campaign with a 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers at the 2018 NHL Global Series in Gothenburg, Sweden on Saturday.

Miles Wood (Boston College) set up two goals for the Devils, who got 17 saves from Keith Kinkaid (Union). Cam Talbot (Alabama-Huntsville) made 22 stops for Edmonton. The victory marked New Jersey’s third win in its last five season openers, and also makes the Devils  21-9-6 overall in season-opening contests.

BC's Wood Re-Signs with NHL's Devils

Miles Wood (Boston College) is back with the New Jersey Devils. Wood, 23, who sat out the first week of the Devils' 2018-19 training camp, signed a four-year, $11 million contract with New Jersey, according to NHL.com. The contract carries an annual average value of $2.75 million.

A Buffalo native, Wood set professional and NHL career highs last season when he tallied 19 goals and 13 assists for 32 points in 76 regular-season contests for the Devils. He also made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut, and went scoreless in five games as the Devils were eliminated in the first round by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Wood prepped at the Noble and Greenough School, and with the Cape Cod Whalers and Salem Ice Dogs, all in Massachusetts, before he spent one season at BC. He tallied 10 goals and 35 points along with 76 penalty minutes in helping the Eagles to the 2016 NCAA Frozen Four, and then turned pro, where he made his NHL debut with New Jersey to close out the season.

He spent 15 games with Albany (AHL) during the 2016-17 campaign before joining the parent Devils for good, and collected eight goals and 17 points in 60 NHL appearances that season. The son of former NHL player and Yale University alumnus Randy Wood, the younger Wood has registered 27-22—49 points and 170 penalty minutes in 137 NHL regular-season contests.