Tuesday, October 7, 2025
Record-Number of NCAA Alums on NHL Opening Night Rosters
Tonight’s Tripleheader Features Over 50 Former College Hockey Players
When the puck drops tonight on the 2025-26 NHL season, there will be 248 former college hockey players officially listed on NHL Opening Night rosters. That’s the largest such number on record since College Hockey Inc. began tracking the data in 2017-18.
Forty-five NCAA Division I programs – representing all six NCAA Division I men’s conferences – boast at least one former player on an NHL roster, led by Michigan’s 22. Other schools with 10 or more alums on NHL rosters include: Boston College (20), Boston University (18), Minnesota (18), North Dakota (13), Northeastern (11), St. Cloud State (11), Denver (10), Harvard (10), Notre Dame (10) and Providence (10).
The Buffalo Sabres enter the season with a league-leading 14 former college hockey players on their opening night roster, followed by Colorado (13), Chicago (12), Anaheim (11), Utah (10) and Winnipeg (10). Also of note, 14 of the NHL’s 32 current general managers played college hockey, as did 10 of the league’s current head coaches.
The season begins today with a triple-header on ESPN that features Chicago at Florida, Pittsburgh at the New York Rangers, and Colorado at Los Angeles. Those six rosters alone showcase a combined 54 former NCAA standouts, including former Norris Trophy winners Adam Fox (Harvard) and Cale Makar (UMass), as well as 2024 No. 2 overall pick Artyom Levshunov (Michigan State).
For more information, visit College Hockey Inc.’s NHL Matchup Tool.
Last season, 341 former college hockey alumni played in the NHL, second-most in history behind only the record 349 in 2021-22. Last year’s standouts included Hart Memorial Trophy and Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell), Calder Memorial Trophy winner Lane Hutson (Boston University), and James Norris Memorial Trophy winner Makar.
Additionally, a record 42 percent of NHL debuts in 2024-25 were made by NCAA alums.
NCAA Division I men’s hockey success also extends beyond the ice, where the sport enjoys a 93-percent graduation rate that ranks among the top five of all NCAA Division I men’s sports.
Note: Roster data includes players who are on injured reserve or long-term injured reserve to open the season, or who have been designated injured/non-roster.