Hurricanes Advance, Wild Triumphs

Jackson Blake (North Dakota) scored two goals, including the game-winner in overtime, and added an assist as the Carolina Hurricanes edged the host Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2, early last night. The Hurricanes swept the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series, four games to zero, and are now 8-0 so far in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Trevor Zegras (Boston University) and Porter Martone (Michigan State) both assisted on Philadelphia's game-opening goal as the Flyers finished their longest playoff run since 2000. Carolina will now await the winner of the Buffalo-Montreal series, which is tied at one game apiece.

Late Saturday night, the Minnesota Wild climbed back into their Western Conference series with a 5-1 victory over the visiting Colorado Avalanche. Quinn Hughes (Michigan), Brock Faber (Minnesota) and Matt Boldy (Boston College) scored goals for the Wild, handing top-seeded Colorado its first loss so far this postseason, while Faber also posted two assists. Game Three will be held in St. Paul on Monday night, with the Avalanche still leading the series, two games to one.

U.S. Wins 2021 WJC Title

Alex Turcotte (Wisconsin) deflected home a shot midway through the first period tonight, and Trevor Zegras (Boston University) put in a rebound early in the second stanza to lift the United States to a 2-0 win over host Canada in the gold medal game of the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton, Alberta.

Spencer Knight (Boston College) finished with 34 saves for the Americans in recording his third shutout of the tournament, and earned U.S. Player of the Game accolades. Zegras, who also assisted on Turcotte's goal, finished as the event's top scorer with seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points, and was named tournament MVP as the U.S. won its first WJC title since 2017, and fifth overall.

Team USA was guided this year by head coach Nate Leaman (Providence), who became the third American head coach to win a WJC gold medal and an NCAA championship in his career. 

Other NCAA-trained members of this year's USA title team included Matthew Boldy (Boston College), Matthew Beniers (Michigan), Brett Berard (Providence), Bobby Brink (Denver), Brendan Brisson (Michigan), Cole Caufield (Wisconsin), Sam Colangelo (Northeastern), Brock Faber (Minnesota), John Farinacci (Harvard), Drew Helleson (Boston College), Ryan Johnson (Minnesota), Tyler Kleven (North Dakota), Jackson LaCombe (Minnesota), Patrick Moynihan (Providence), Jake Sanderson (North Dakota), Landon Slaggert (Notre Dame), Logan Stein (Ferris State), Henry Thrun (Harvard) and team captain Cameron York (Michigan). 

Devon Levi (Northeastern) made 19 stops for 2020 champion Canada, which had outscored its WJC opponents this year by a 41-4 count prior to the gold medal game. Also on Canada's roster with NCAA experience were Alex Newhook (Boston College) and Dylan Holloway (Wisconsin).

Finland, the 2019 WJC champion, defeated Russia, 4-1, earlier on Tuesday in the bronze medal game to place third this year. Canada will host next year's event in both Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.

U.S. Ousts Slovakia, Reaches WJC Semifinals

The U.S. National Junior Team is headed to the semifinal round of the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. The Americans outlasted Slovakia, 5-2, in a quarterfinal round match on Saturday evening in Edmonton, Alberta.

Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal for Team USA in the second period, before Slovakia eventually cut the American lead to 3-2. John Farinacci (Harvard) then scored his second goal of the evening on a wrap-around with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, to make it 4-2, before Matthew Beniers (Michigan) salted matters away with a late empty-net goal.

Arthur Kaliyev also scored for the U.S., which got 16 saves in net from Spencer Knight (Boston College), and two assists apiece from Bobby Brink (Denver) and Trevor Zegras (Boston University). The Americans will now face Finland, a 3-2 quarterfinal winner over rival Sweden, in a WJC semifinal-round game on Monday.

U.S. Blanks Czechs, 7-0, in WJC Action

Trevor Zegras (Boston University) scored two goals and set up three others as the U.S. National Junior Team blanked the Czech Republic, 7-0, in 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship action in Edmonton, Alberta this afternoon. The win also clinched a quarterfinal round berth for Team USA, in a game to be played on Jan. 2 against an as-yet undecided opponent.

Bobby Brink (Denver) scored twice for Team USA in the rout, including the game-winner that opened the scoring in a three-goal U.S. second period, while Cam York (Michigan) tallied three assists on the day. Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) scored one goal and assisted on another for the Americans, while Matthew Boldy (Boston College) notched his fourth goal in two games. Three of the U.S goals came on power plays.

The victory (and shutout) was the second straight for the United States in this year's WJC, following a tournament-opening loss to Russia on Christmas Day. Spencer Knight (Boston College), who took the loss in net in that contest, earned the win today by stopping all 22 Czech shots. The U.S. had blanked Austria, 11-0, in its second game of the tournament.

Team USA will close out the round-robin portion of Group B play at the WJC against Sweden on Thursday night (9:30 p.m. ET, NHL Network).

USA Blanks Austria at WJC for First Win

Following a 5-3 opening game loss to Russia on Christmas, the United States rebounded tonight for a 11-0 victory over Austria in Group B play at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton. 

Matthew Boldy (Boston College) paced the U.S. with three goals, while Alex Turcotte (Wisconsin) set up three goals and Trevor Zegras (Boston University) had two goals and two assists as Team USA outshot Austria, 73-10. Spencer Knight (Boston College) sat out Sunday's game in net, after absorbing the loss against Russia by surrendering four goals on 12 shots against that night.

The U.S. will return to EJC action on Tuesday against the Czech Republic, a 2-0 winner over Russia tonight.

Four NCAA Skaters Leave Early for NHL

The list of NCAA players leaving school early to sign NHL contracts keeps growing.

Scott Perunovich (Minnesota-Duluth) passed up his senior season to sign with the St. Louis Blues, who tabbed him 45th overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The junior defenseman, who helped UMD to two straight NCAA Division I championships before this year's national tournament was canceled by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), recorded a career-high 34 assists and 40 points this season in 34 games, and was also named the 2019-20 NCHC Player of the Year. Perunovich, 21, from Hibbing, Minn., finished his career with 20 goals and 95 assists for 105 points in 115 career outings with the Bulldogs.

Max Gildon (New Hampshire) has joined the Florida Panthers, who took him 66th overall in 2017, after three seasons at UNH. A defenseman from Plano, Texas, Gildon, 20, notched seven goals and 29 points in 34 games this season, and was selected as a Hockey East Third-Team All-Star. He completed his Wildcat career with 21-52—73 points in 101 contests.

Jack Badini (Harvard) also left college after three years when he inked a deal with the Anaheim Ducks, who selected him 91st overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Badini, 22, a forward from Old Greenwich, Conn., notched 6-8—14 points in 31 outings this season for the Crimson, and in three campaigns altogether registered 24-27—51 points in 97 contests.

Trevor Zegras (Boston University) became the latest NCAA one-and-done when the freshman forward signed with the Anaheim Ducks, who chose him ninth overall last summer. In his only season with the Terriers, Zegras, 19, from Bedford, N.Y. posted 11-25—36 points in 33 appearances, and was also named a Hockey East Third-Team All-Star.

U.S. Ousted at World Juniors

The United States will not medal at this year's IIHF U20 World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic.

The Americans fell, 1-0, to defending champion Finland in a quarterfinal match Thursday, despite 28 saves by Spencer Knight (Boston College). The loss snaps a U.S. string of four years worth of World Junior medals, including silver last season.

Trevor Zegras led all U.S. scorers in this year's tournament with nine points, all coming on assists, while Shane Pinto (North Dakota) tied for the American goal-scoring lead with four goals overall.

Finland moves on to the semifinal round against either Canada or Russia. The U.S. will seek to return to the WJC podium next year in Edmonton.

U.S. Edges Czech Republic in OT

The U.S. National Junior Team continues to roll along at the 2020 IIHF U-20 World Junior Championship. The Americans edged the host Czech Republic, 4-3, in overtime Monday to advance to the quarterfinal round on Jan. 2 (NHL Network).

Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) notched the game-winning goal just over three minutes into the extra session for the U.S., which has now won three straight games after an opening match loss to Canada on Dec. 26. Trevor Zegras (Boston University) set up two goals in the win over the Czechs, and now has nine assists through Team USA's four games.

Spencer Knight (Boston College) made 25 saves in picking up the win for the Americans, after previously backstopping victories over Germany (6-3) and Russia (3-1). Team USA is now 2-1-0-1 in Group B play, and can finish no lower than second place in round-robin play.

Happy New Year!