ITHACA, N.Y. — Four former Cornell men's hockey players will begin the 2026-27 season in the NHL after being named to opening-night rosters on Monday.

Morgan Barron (Winnipeg Jets), Sam Malinski '23 (Colorado Avalanche), Jeff Malott '20 (Anaheim Ducks) and Hoyt Stanley (Ottawa Senators) made their clubs' lineups, with Stanley potentially making his NHL debut as early as Saturday, Oct. 3, when Ottawa opens its season at Toronto. All four were among 12 former Cornell players who took part in NHL training camps over the past two weeks.

Stanley, who left Cornell after his junior year, was a finalist for ECAC Hockey's Best Defensive Defenseman award last season, when he led the Big Red with 44 blocked shots and posted a career-high 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) while playing in all 34 games. After totaling 38 points (seven goals, 31 assists) in 104 career games at Cornell, Stanley signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Ottawa this past spring. He finished the 2025-26 season with the Belleville Senators on an amateur tryout, scoring one goal in six games, before his entry-level deal took effect this season.

"I've always thought that as the game gets faster and the players are elevated, I seem to rise to the occasion and play better with better players," Stanley told reporters in Ottawa following Monday's practice. "If I get the opportunity, I'm just going to try to make the most of it and show what I can do."

Malinski is coming off a breakout 2025-26 season with Colorado. He played in all 82 games, setting career highs with eight goals, 32 assists and 40 points before chipping in three points in 11 playoff games. The defenseman also finished with a plus-43 rating, tied with Utah's John Marino for the best among NHL blueliners and tied for third overall in the league, behind only Avalanche teammates Nathan MacKinnon (plus-57) and Martin Necas (plus-47). Entering this season, Malinski has 65 points (16 goals, 49 assists) in 181 career NHL games, all with the Avalanche.

Barron is the most experienced of the Big Red quartet named to opening-night rosters, having played in 321 career NHL games and notched 83 points (41 goals, 42 assists). He posted a career-high 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) last season despite playing in 65 games, his fewest since 2021-22, when he split time between the NHL and AHL and was traded from the New York Rangers to Winnipeg at the deadline.

Malott signed a three-year, $5.5 million contract with Anaheim on July 1, the opening day of free agency, after his first full NHL season. He recorded nine points (three goals, six assists) in 58 games with Los Angeles last season, a year after splitting the 2024-25 campaign between the NHL (one point in 12 games) and the AHL, where he posted 51 points in 61 games. He has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 71 career NHL games.

"Having four of our alumni on opening-night rosters, and 12 in NHL camps this fall, says a lot about the work those guys have put in since they left Ithaca," said Casey Jones '90, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Cornell Men's Ice Hockey. "Hoyt was in our locker room last season and now he's on an NHL roster. That's a powerful thing for our current players to see. Add in what Morgan, Sam and Jeff continue to do, it's a great reflection of the players who have come through this program."

The other eight Cornell alumni who attended NHL camps are poised to begin the 2026-27 season in the AHL, including Jonathan Castagna, a First Team All-ECAC Hockey selection and the league's Best Defensive Forward last season. Like Stanley, Castagna signed a three-year, entry-level contract this past spring after his junior season and was assigned to the Calgary Wranglers late last week. Travis Mitchell '23, Matt Stienburg '23 and Jacob MacDonald '15, who have combined to play 152 NHL games, cleared waivers and were assigned to San Diego, Abbotsford and Hershey, respectively. Hank Kempf '25 (Colorado), Jack Malone '23 (Utica), and Ben Berard '23 and Tim Rego '25 (Abbotsford) round out the group.

A complete list of Cornell alumni who took part in NHL training camps is below.

Cornell Men's Hockey Alumni in 2026 NHL Training Camps

Player	Position	NHL Organization	Opening-Night Assignment
Jeff Malott '20	Forward	Anaheim Ducks	Anaheim Ducks (NHL)
Travis Mitchell '23	Defenseman	Anaheim Ducks	San Diego Gulls (AHL)
Jonathan Castagna	Forward	Calgary Flames	Calgary Wranglers (AHL)
Hank Kempf '25	Defenseman	Colorado Avalanche	Colorado Eagles (AHL)
Sam Malinski '23	Defenseman	Colorado Avalanche	Colorado Avalanche (NHL)
Jack Malone '23	Forward	New Jersey Devils	Utica Devils (AHL)
Hoyt Stanley	Defenseman	Ottawa Senators	Ottawa Senators (NHL)
Ben Berard '23	Forward	Vancouver Canucks	Abbotsford Canucks (AHL)
Tim Rego '25	Forward	Vancouver Canucks	Abbotsford Canucks (AHL)
Matt Stienburg '23	Forward	Vancouver Canucks	Abbotsford Canucks (AHL)
Jacob MacDonald '15	Defenseman	Washington Capitals	Hershey Bears (AHL)
Morgan Barron	Forward	Winnipeg Jets	Winnipeg Jets (NHL)