2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Rosters Loaded with Former College Players: A Breakdown

When he takes the ice for his first Stanley Cup Playoff game, former Michigan State standout Porter Martone won't see anyone from the Spartans. We're not talking about any of his former teammates from this past season, but the program as a whole.

While the 19-year-old played a part in the Flyers making the postseason, including netting 10 points in nine game, he almost stands alone in another way. By our count there's only one other Michigan State player on an NHL roster among the 16 qualifying teams as the playoff get under way Saturday, Jeff Petry of the Minnesota Wild.

The electric first-round matchup of the Flyers against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins is set to include 16 former college hockey players. That's actually the median as each playoff team has an average of 8.125 players, of the 130 total.

Every first-round seriess will have at leat 11 former college players participating, although that's a little misleading. The Minnesota Wild vs. the Dallas Stars matchup has the smallest amoung, but the numbers don't include players out of the U.S. Team Developmental Program (the Wild has a bunch of those), or players who have been part of Team U.S. in international tournaments who developed in the juniors.

The series with the most college players is Boston vs. Buffalo, with 22, out of 17 different programs.

As for the colleges, Boston College has the most former players in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 15, ahead of Minnesota (12), Michigan (10), Boston University and North Dakota (both with eight).

Ottawa Senators vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Senators (8)
Warren Foegele, New Hampshire, 2017-26
Dennis Gilbert , Notre Dame, 2018-26
Stephen Halliday, Ohio State, 2025-26
Nick Jensen, St. Cloud State, 2016-26
Tyler Kleven, North Dakota, 2022-26
Shane Pinto, North Dakota, 2020-26
Jake Sanderson, North Dakota, 2022-26
Brady Tkachuk, Boston University, 2018-26

Hurricanes (9)
Jackson Blake, North Dakota, 2023-26
Brandon Bussi , Western Michigan, 2025-26
Mark Jankowski, Providence, 2016-26
Eric Robinson, Princeton, 2017-26
Shayne Gostisbehere, Union, 2014-26
K'Andre Miller, Wisconsin, 2020-26
Mike Reilly, Minnesota, 2015-26
Jaccob Slavin, Colorado College, 2015-26
Sean Walker, Bowling Green, 2018-26

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Flyers (8)
Alex Bump, Western Michigan, 2025-26
Noah Cates, Minnesota-Duluth, 2021-26
Luke Glendening, Michigan, 2013-26
Garnet Hathaway, Brown, 2015-26
Porter Martone, Michigan State, 2026
Nick Seeler, Minnesota, 2017-26
Cameron York, Michigan, 2020-26
Trevor Zegras, Boston University, 2020-26

Penguins (8)
Noel Acciari, Providence ,2015-26
Connor Clifton, Quinnipiac, 2018-26
Kevin Hayes, Boston College, 2014-26
Blake Lizotte, St. Cloud State, 2018-26
Thomas Novak, Minnesota, 2021-26
Bryan Rust, Notre Dame, 2014-26
Jack St. Ivany, Boston College, Yale, 2023-26
Ryan Shea, Northeastern, 2023-26

Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Canadiens (8)
Cole Caufield, Wisconsin, 2020-26
Jakub Dobes, Ohio State, 2024-26
Jake Evans, Notre Dame, 2019-26
Jacob Fowler, Boston College, 2025-26
Alex Newhook, Boston College, 2020-26
Lane Hutson, Boston University, 2023-26
Mike Matheson, Boston College, 2015-26
Jayden Struble , Northeastern , 2023-26

Lightning (6)
Declan Carlile, Merrimack, 2023-26
Mitchell Chaffee, Massachusetts, 2021-26
Maxwell Crozier, Providence, 2023-26
Jake Guentzel, Omaha, 2016-26
Dominic James, Minnesota-Duluth, 2025-26
Steven Santini Boston College, 2015-26

Boston Bruins vs. Buffalo Sabres

Bruins (10)
Michael Eyssimont, St. Cloud State, 2021-26
James Hagens, Boston College, 2025-26
Jordan Harris, Northeastern, 2021-26
Sean Kuraly, Miami, 2016-26
Mason Lohrei, Ohio State, 2023-26
Charlie McAvoy, Boston University, 2017-26
Casey Mittelstadt, Minnesota, 2017-26
Andrew Peeke, Notre Dame, 2019-26
Alex Steeves, Notre Dame, 2021-26
Jeremy Swayman, Maine, 2020-26

Sabres (12)
Justin Danforth, Sacred Heart, 2021-26
Josh Doan, Arizona State, 2023-26
Jordan Greenway, Boston University, 2017-26
Michael Kesselring, Northeastern, 2022-26
Alex Lyon, Yale, 2017-26
Zach Metsa, Quinnipiac, 2025-26
Joshua Norris, Michigan, 2019-26
Owen Power, Michigan, 2021-26
Mattias Samuelsson, Western Michigan, 2020-26
Tage Thompson, Connecticut, 2017-26
Alex Tuch, Boston College, 2016-26
Jason Zucker, Denver , 2011-26

Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche

Kings (8)
Mikey Anderson, Minnesota-Duluth, 2019-26
Brian Dumoulin, Boston College, 2013-26
Alex Laferriere , Harvard, 2023-26
Jeff Malott, Cornell, 2021-26
Trevor Moore, Denver , 2018-26
Alex Turcotte, Wisconsin, 2021-26
Taylor Ward, Omaha, 2024-26
Jared Wright, Denver, 2025-26

Avalanche (9)
Nick Blankenburg, Michigan, 2021-26
Ross Colton, Vermont, 2020-26
Jack Drury, Harvard, 2021-26
Cale Makar, Massachusetts, 2019-26
Sam Malinski, Cornell , 2023-26
Josh Manson, Northeastern, 2014-26
Brock Nelson, North Dakota, 2013-26
Logan O'Connor, Denver, 2018-26
Devon Toews, Quinnipiac, 2018-26

Anaheim Ducks vs. Edmonton Oilers

Ducks (11)
Cutter Gauthier, Boston College, 2023-26
Drew Helleson , Boston College, 2022-26
Jackson LaCombe, Minnesota, 2022-26
Alex Killorn, Harvard, 2012-26
Chris Kreider, Boston College, 2012-26
Ian Moore, Harvard, 2024-26
Ryan Poehling, St. Cloud State, 2018-26
Troy Terry, Denver, 2017-26
Jacob Trouba, Michigan, 2013-26
Frank Vatrano, Massachusetts, 2015-26
Tim Washe, Western Michigan, 2024-26

Oilers (5)
Ty Emberson, Wisconsin, 2023-26
Zach Hyman, Michigan, 2015-26
Jack Roslovic, Miami, 2016-26
Spencer Stastney, Notre Dame, 2022-26
Jake Walman, Providence, 2019-26

Utah Mammoth vs. Vegas Golden Knights

Mammoth (11)
Ian Cole, Notre Dame, 2010-26
Logan Cooley, Minnesota, 2023-26
Nick DeSimone, Union, 2022-26
Clayton Keller, Boston University, 2016-26
Alexander Kerfoot, Harvard, 2017-26
Jack McBain, Boston College, 2021-26
John Marino, Harvard, 2019-26
Kevin Rooney, Providence, 2016-26
Nick Schmaltz, North Dakota, 2016-26
Nate Schmidt, Minnesota, 2013-26
Brandon Tanev, Providence, 2015-26

Golden Knights (6)
Nic Dowd, St. Cloud State, 2015-26
Jack Eichel, Boston University, 2015-26
Noah Hanifin, Boston College, 2015-26
Ben Hutton, Maine, 2015-26
Cole Smith, North Dakota, 2020-26
Reilly Smith, Miami, 2011-26

This story will be updated if necessary, as rosters change.

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