PRINCETON, N.J. -- Twenty former Ivy League men’s ice hockey players made their way onto National Hockey League (NHL) opening night rosters entering the 2021 season.
Each of the Ivy League’s six participating institutions are represented—with Harvard pacing all Ivy League programs with nine former players on NHL clubs.
Sixth-year right wing
Garnet Hathaway of the Washington Capitals and second-year center
Sam Lafferty of the Pittsburgh Penguins represent Brown on NHL rosters. Hathaway has tallied 56 points—on 25 goals and 31 assists—in 241 NHL games, while Lafferty registered 13 points—via six goals and seven assists—in 50 appearances during his rookie campaign.
Cornell boasts a quartet of former players in the NHL—
Anthony Angello,
Morgan Barron,
Riley Nash and
Joakim Ryan. Angello, a second-year center with the Pittsburgh Penguins, had one goal in eight NHL games played last season. Barron, a rookie center with the New York Rangers, inked a three-year deal on July 31, 2020, after being a Hobey Baker Memorial Award Top 10 Finalist and CCM/AHCA First Team All-American in 2019-20. Nash is the elder statesman among the Ivies in the NHL, entering his 10th year as a center for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He owns 165 points—via 61 goals and 104 assists—in 541 NHL contests. Ryan, a fourth-year defenseman for the Carolina Hurricanes, claims 24 points—on four goals and 20 assists—in 141 NHL games.
After an Ivy League Co-Player of the Year campaign for Dartmouth in 2019-20,
Drew O’Connor signed a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 10, 2020. The first-ever Dartmouth player to lead ECAC Hockey in goals scored (21 in 2019-20) is the lone former Big Green skater on an NHL roster to start the season.
For the fifth-straight season, Harvard headline the Ivy League contingent on NHL opening night rosters with nine Crimson alumni breaking training camp with NHL clubs—
Alex Biega,
Colin Blackwell,
Ryan Donato,
Adam Fox,
Alexander Kerfoot,
Alex Killorn,
John Marino,
Jack Rathbone and
Jimmy Vesey.
Seventh-year defenseman Biega will put on the Detroit Red Wings sweater for the first time, after accumulating 39 points via four goals and 35 assists in 228 NHL appearances for the Vancouver Canucks. Third-year center Blackwell will also don a new jersey with the New York Rangers, after tallying 10 points on three goals and seven assists in 33 games with the Nashville Predators. Fourth-year center Donato joins the San Jose Sharks after spending time with the Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild. He claims 57 points on 29 goals and 28 assists in 130 NHL appearances. Second-year defenseman Fox will suit up for the New York Rangers alongside Blackwell, after registering 42 points on eight goals and 34 assists in his rookie campaign.
Fourth-year center Kerfoot and fifth-year left wing Vesey will team up with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kerfoot claims 113 points—via 43 goals and 70 assists—in 222 NHL games, while Vesey owns 110 points—via 59 goals and 51 assists—in 304 NHL appearances. 2020 Stanley Cup champion Killorn returns for his ninth season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, bringing with him 310 career points on 131 goals and 179 assists in 585 NHL games. Each of his career totals paces all Ivies on NHL opening night rosters.
Second-year defenseman Marino returns for the Pittsburgh Penguins after a 26-point rookie campaign with six goals and 20 assists in 56 NHL games. Rathbone, a rookie defenseman with the Vancouver Canucks, inked a three-year deal on July 14, 2020, after a 31-point campaign for the Crimson.
Eighth-year defenseman
Taylor Fedun of the Dallas Stars and fourth-year left wing
Eric Robinson of the Columbus Blue Jackets represent Princeton on opening night rosters. Fedun boasts 35 points—via eight goals and 27 assists—in 127 NHL games, while Robinson owns 12 points—on seven goals and five assists—in 64 NHL appearances.
Fifth-year center
John Hayden opens the 2021 campaign with the Arizona Coyotes. The Yale alumnus owns 26 points via 11 goals and 15 assists in 156 NHL games. Fellow Yale alumnus fifth-year goaltender
Alex Lyon breaks camp with the Philadelphia Flyers. Lyon has appeared in 16 NHL games—including 10 starts—and claims a 3.15 goals against average and .893 save percentage.
Thirteen of 31 NHL clubs feature a former Ivy League men’s ice hockey player on opening night.
Thirteen Ivies are on 23-man NHL active rosters, while seven are part of their respective team’s taxi squads. The taxi squads, consisting of 4-6 players per team, will practice and travel with the NHL club and be available should a team need to recall a player on short notice during the coronavirus-shortened 56-game season.
Seventeen Ivies made appearances during the coronavirus-altered 2019-20 regular season, including 11 on opening night rosters. Twelve advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs, with Killorn becoming the latest Ivy to have his name inscribed on the Stanley Cup as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning,
Brown
Garnet Hathaway, Washington Capitals
Sam Lafferty, Pittsburgh Penguins
Cornell
* Anthony Angello, Pittsburgh Penguins
* Morgan Barron, New York Rangers
Riley Nash, Columbus Blue Jackets
* Joakim Ryan, Carolina Hurricanes
Dartmouth
* Drew O’Connor, Pittsburgh Penguins
Harvard
Alex Biega, Detroit Red Wings
* Colin Blackwell, New York Rangers
Ryan Donato, San Jose Sharks
Adam Fox, New York Rangers
Alexander Kerfoot, Toronto Maple Leafs
Alex Killorn, Tampa Bay Lightning
John Marino, Pittsburgh Penguins
* Jack Rathbone, Vancouver Canucks
Jimmy Vesey, Toronto Maple Leafs
Princeton
Taylor Fedun, Dallas Stars
Eric Robinson, Columbus Blue Jackets
Yale
John Hayden, Arizona Coyotes
* Alex Lyon, Philadelphia Flyers
* Taxi Squad