DANBURY, CONN. – A total of 29 ECAC Hockey alumni, representing 10 member schools, have cracked NHL Opening Night rosters as the league begins its 2025-26 season on Tuesday. Additionally, 19 ECAC alums are members of the team’s front office or hockey operations staff.

Harvard leads the list of former ECAC Hockey standouts who will begin the journey to Stanley Cup glory with 10 players on the announced rosters. Cornell and Quinnipiac have four, while Brown, Union, Clarkson, and Yale have a pair with ECAC ties on their respective rosters. Princeton, Dartmouth, and Colgate each have an ECAC standout rostered for opening night.

The NHL headliners of the group that will begin their seasons this week include Harvard’s Alex Laferriere (Los Angeles), Union’s Nick DeSimone (Utah), Quinnipiac’s Jacob Quillan (Toronto), and Cornell’s Sam Malinski (Colorado). Brown alum Garnet Hathaway (Philadelphia), former Clarkson standout defender Trey Taylor (Dallas), and Dartmouth’s Drew O’Connor (Vancouver) are also among the contingent of players on opening night rosters.

Off the ice, ECAC alums continue to impact the league at a high level. Yale alumnus Dan Muse began his NHL coaching debut for the Penguins with a win over the New York Rangers. Yale’s Bill Zito leads the Panthers’ Stanley Cup defense for the second time as Florida’s General Manager, and Cornell women’s hockey alum Jessica Campbell heads into her second season as the first female assistant coach in the NHL.

Former Princeton standout Jeff Halpern (Tampa Bay Asst. Coach), Colgate alum Steve Spott (Boston Asst. Coach), Union alum Jay Vardy (Philly Asst. Coach), and Yale’s Jeff Malcolm (Rangers Goaltending Coach) are amongst the group of NHL coaches with league connections. Additionally, Harvard alum Don Sweeney (Boston GM) and Peter Chiarelli (St. Louis Vice-President Hockey Operations), Princeton alum Chris Patrick, (Washington GM), Clarkson alum Craig Conroy (Calgary GM) and Dave Taylor (St Louis Consultant to Hockey Operations), St. Lawrence alum Rich Peverley (Dallas Director of Player Personnel), and Dartmouth’s Tanner Glass (NYR, Assistant Director of Player Development) are amongst the bustling ECAC presence in NHL front office staffs. 

Full list of ECAC alumni with active NHL roles in the 2025-26 season:

BROWN
Garnet Hathaway, F, Philadelphia Flyers
Sam Lafferty, F, Chicago Blackhawks

CLARKSON
Nico Sturm, F, Minnesota Wild
Trey Taylor, D, Dallas Stars
Craig Conroy, General Manager, Calgary Flames
Dave Taylor, Consultant to Hockey Operations, St. Louis Blues

COLGATE
Bobby McMann, F, Toronto Maple Leafs
Andrew Dickson, Scout, Boston Bruins
Greg Drechsel, Scout, Nashville Predators
Steve Spott, Assistant Coach, Boston Bruins

CORNELL
Morgan Barron, F, Winnipeg Jets
Jeff Malott, F, Los Angeles Kings
Sam Malinski, D, Colorado Avalanche
Jacob MacDonald, D, Colorado Avalanche
Jessica Campbell, Assistant Coach, Seattle Kraken

DARTMOUTH
Drew O’Connor, F, Vancouver Canucks
Tanner Glass, Assistant Director of Player Development, New York Rangers
Jamie Herrington, Director of NCAA Scouting, New York Rangers
Matt Lindblad, Scout, Boston Bruins

HARVARD
Colin Blackwell, F, Dallas Stars
Matthew Coronato, F, Calgary Flames
Ryan Donato, F, Chicago Blackhawks
Jack Drury, F, Colorado Avalanche
Alex Killorn, F, Anaheim Ducks
Adam Fox, D, New York Rangers
Alexander Kerfoot, F, Utah Mammoth
Alex Laferriere, F, Los Angeles Kings
John Marino, D, Utah Mammoth
Marshall Rifai, D, Toronto Maple Leafs
Peter Chiarelli, Vice-President Hockey Operations, St. Louis Blues
Don Sweeney, General Manager, Boston Bruins

PRINCETON
Eric Robinson, F, Carolina Hurricanes
Chris Patrick, General Manager, Washington Capitals
Jeff Halpern, Assistant Coach, Tampa Bay Lightning

QUINNIPIAC
Connor Clifton, D, Pittsburgh Penguins
Collin Graf, F, San Jose Sharks
Jacob Quillan, F, Toronto Maple Leafs
Devon Toews, D, Colorado Avalanche

ST. LAWRENCE
Rich Peverley, Director of Player Personnel, Dallas Stars

UNION
Nick DeSimone, D, Utah Mammoth
Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Carolina Hurricanes
Jay Varady, Assistant Coach, Philadelphia Flyers

YALE
Alex Lyon, G, Buffalo Sabres
Jack St. Ivany, D, Pittsburgh Penguins
Sean Backman, Scout, Florida Panthers
Jeff Malcolm, Goaltending Coach, New York Rangers
Dan Muse, Head Coach, Pittsburgh Penguins
Bill Zito, General Manager, Florida Panthers