Former College, U.S. Players on Move at NHL Trade Deadline, and There's Yet Another New No. 1: Puck Drop

Yet Another New No. 1
It's Raining Overtimes in the Postseason
Puck Drop: Saturday, March 7, 2026
Men's Non-Tournament Friday Scores
College Hockey Saturday Schedule
AHA Tournament
Big Ten Tournament
CCHA Tournament
ECAC Tournament
Hockey East Tournament
NCHC Tournament
Women's Conference Tournaments
Hockey Quote of the Day
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We'll Leave You With This ...

The National Hockey League's trade deadline came and went, and among the surprises were that no established goaltenders were traded this week, the Montreal Canadiens didn't make a move despite being in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff chase, and the New York Rangers didn't trade away Vincent Trocheck, who grew up in the Pittsburgh area, to a Stanley Cup contender.

However, a number of American players, including out of the college ranks and the US Hockey National Team Development Program, were on the move due to being dealt before the deadline struck. None are expected to have the same impact as former Michigan defenseman Quinn Hughes going from the Vancouver Canucks to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 12 in exchange for former first-round draft selections Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium (Denver), Liam Öhgren, and a 2026 first-round pick, but you never know who might help his new team win a Stanley Cup.

Among the trading deadline highlights:

• Former Minnesota Duluth defenseman Justin Faulk was sent from the St. Louis Blues to the Detroit Red Wins for a first- and third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, former Minnesota defenseman Justin Holl, and unsigned forward prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov.

• Massachusetts commitment Max Curran was part of the Nazem Kadri tradr to Colorado. The young forward who has been with the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL was traded to Calgary along with a conditional first-round pick in 2028, a conditional send-round pick in 2027 and forward Victor Olofsson in exchange for Kadri and a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

• The Minnesota Wild acquired former USNTD left wing Nick Foligno (and brother of current Wild player Marcus, they've never been on the same team together) from Chicago for future considerations. The 38-year-old was the captain of both the Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets. It also added former Denver right wing Bobby Brink from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman David Jiricek, and sent former Notre Dame forward Vinnie Hinostroza to the Florida Panthers for future considerations.

• Former Colgate forward Bobby McMann was sent from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Seattle Kraken for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a conditional second-round pick in 2027.

• Probably the biggest surprise of the trading deadline occurred Thursday when the Washington Capitals sent American defenseman John Carlson to the Anaheim Ducks for a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a third-round selection pick in 2027. As a junior, Carlson committed to UMass but instead played in the OHL. The 17-year NHL veteran is the all-time franchise leader for points (771), goals (166), assists (605), and games played (1,143) by a defenseman,

Nick Foligno reveals that his brother Marcus broke the trade news to the family group chat... that was how Nick's wife found out about the trade. 😂#TradeCentre pic.twitter.com/3svi6zRnby
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 6, 2026

Yet Another New No. 1

North Dakota, which entered the NCHC Tournament ranked third in the National Collegiate Percentage (NPI) Index, defeated Omaha 5-2 to open their weekend playoff series despite David Klee, Ben Strinden and Will Zellers all being out (illness).

Freshmen forwards Jack Kernan and Ollie Josephson both had a goal and two assists, while sophomore forward Cade Littler had a goal and assist to lead the Fighting Hawks while Jan Špunar notched his first postseason win.

Not only did the win give UND a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three quarterfinal, it propelled the Hawks to the top of the National Collegiate Percentage (NPI) Index that will be used to seed the NCAA Tournament, barely ahead of Michigan, and Michigan State, which fell out of the top spot after tying Minnesota on Friday to close its regular season.

All three teams have been No. 1 at some point over the past few days, but the Big Ten teams are done for the weekend already, with the Big Ten Tournament getting under way next week. Michigan State secured the Big Ten regular season title with a big win at Minnesota on Thursday, resulting in the Spartans replacing the Wolverines at No. 1 in NPI. However, by doing so they received a bye in the frist round of the Big Ten Tournament, meaning they get some extra rest but could also play one less game than the other teams vying for the No. 1 spot before the NCAA brackets are set.

In another nod to the NCHC, Denver moved up to No. 5 after shutting out Miami, 3-0, just ahead of Quinnipiac and Providence.

As for which team's status has dramatically dropped, with Wisconsin pulling off the season-ending sweep at Penn State the Nittany Lions are out of the top 10 in NPI and may be in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament. At No. 11 they're still in place for a bid, however a loss to Minnesota in the first round in the Big Ten Tournament could make them vulnerable to get bumped from the 16-team field. Penn State was ranked fifth in February, but has just two wins in its last 10 games, with two ties. As for Friday's game, Oliver Tulk had two goal and Quinn Finley had a goal and an assist to pace the 5-2 win, while the Badgers had a 37-25 edge in shots on goal.

It's Raining Overtimes in the Postseason

• Mercyhurst, which had to pull off a major update just to to reach the quarterfinals in the AHA Tournament, played the 16th longest college hockey game in history as top-seeded Bentley needed three overtimes to pull off a 4-3 victory in the best-of-three opener. Mercyhurst goalie Charles Edward Gravel made 65 saves before Jack Blake got the game winner after 106:43.

• Two other games in the AHA playoffs went to overtime. Nick Sajevic scored with 13:20 left in the second overtime to give Air Force a 3-2 win over Robert Morris, and William Elias scored at 9:06 of overtime as Holy Cross took it opener against RIT, 2-1.

• With his second period assist, Gavin McKenna's 48th point set the Penn State single-season freshman points record. He also finished the regular season as the Big Ten scoring champion with 38 points on 11 goals and 27 assists in 24 games, two points ahead of Michigan’s TJ Hughes and Michigan State’s Porter Martone. Meanwhile, Penn State took the Whiteout idea to another level for its final game of the regular season. Note that the diamonds on the pants mirrored the paint design at Beaver Stadium.:

With this assist on Reese Laubach's goal, Gavin McKenna has set a new @PennStateMHKY record for most points scored in a single season by a freshman 👏 pic.twitter.com/p87B7r8eGq
— Big Ten Hockey (@B1GHockey) March 7, 2026

• Colorado College goaltender Kaidan Mbereko played in his 128th career game, setting the program career record for most games played by a goaltender.

Puck Drop: Saturday, March 7, 2026

• The Women’s Hockey Commissioners Association named the finalists for the Women’s Hockey Goalie of the Year Award: Minnesota Duluth's Ève Gascon, Connecticut’s Tia Chan and Quinnipiac's Felicia Frank. Gascon is the only repeat finalist from 2025. The winner will be announced during the NCAA Frozen Four at Penn State University.

• USA Hockey announced that the organization has topped 100,000 female hockey players for the 2025-26 season, marking the first time it has reached the milestone. Per the organizing, since women’s ice hockey was first played in the Olympic Winter Games in 1998, the number of girls and women’s players in the U.S. has grown by 257 percent from approximately 28,000 players.

• Merrimack announced that Erin Hamlen, who has headed the women's program since it was elevated to Division I in 2015-16, will not return as head coach. Her record over 11 seasons was 93-239-35.

• Season awards were named in conjunction with the inaugural United Collegiate Hockey Cup for independent teams. Lindenwood sophomore forward Giovanni Morneau was named both the independent Player of the Year and the Rookie of the Year. Alaska senior Lassi Lehti won the goaltender honor, while the defensive award was shared by Stonehill’s Evan Orr and Lindenwood junior Nolan Seed. Alaska’s Erik Largen was named the coach of the year.

• Former Michigan forward Luke Glendening was claimed by the Philadelphia Flyers off waivers from New Jersey.

• Strange but true, when Brayden Schenn got traded from the Blues to the Islanders, both teams were staying in the same hotel in San Jose. He ran into his new teammates on their way out in the lobby, and just had to walk down a hall to meet with his new general manager.

• Defenseman Ryland Randle from the Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) announced that he has flipped his commitment from Arizona State to Cornell. Meanwhile, defenseman Carter Sotheran of the Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL), a fifth-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2023 NHL Draft, committed to Omaha.

Here we go for the 2026 Winter Paralympics! 🇺🇸pic.twitter.com/8hLEpC63bi
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) March 6, 2026

Men's Non-Tournament Friday Scores

Big Ten
Notre Dame 4, Ohio State 3 (OT)
No. 11 Wisconsin 5, No. 6 Penn State 2
No. 2 Michigan State 3, Minnesota 3, Minnesota wins shootout, 2-1

Non-Conference
United Collegiate Hockey Cup
At Maryland Heights, Mo.
Stonehill 4, Alaska 4 (OT), Alaska advances in shootout 1-0
Long Island 4, Alaska-Anchorage 3, OT

College Hockey Saturday Schedule

Hockey East
Connecticut at Providence, NESN, 4 p.m. ET
Boston University at UMass Lowell, 6 p.m. ET
Massachusetts at New Hampshire, 7 p.m. ET
Maine at Vermont, 7 p.m. ET
Northeastern at Boston College, NESN, 7 p.m. ET

Non-Conference
United Collegiate Hockey Cup
At Maryland Heights, Mo.
Stonehill vs. Long Island, 3 p.m. CT
Championship
Alaska vs. Lindenwood, 7 p.m.

All times are local to where the game is being played.

AHA Tournament

Quarterfinals
Best of 3
Friday, March 6
Bentley 4, Mercyhurst 3 (3OT)
Sacred Heart 3, Niagara 1
Air Force 3, Robert Morris 2 (2OT)
Holy Cross 2, RIT 1 (OT)

Saturday, March 7
Niagara at Sacred Heart, 5 p.m. ET
Mercyhurst at Bentley, 6 p.m. ET
Air Force at Robert Morris, 7 p.m. ET
RIT at Holy Cross, 7 p.m. ET

Sunday, March 7 (if necessary)
Air Force at Robert Morris, 5 p.m. ET
RIT at Holy Cross, 5 p.m. ET
Mercyhurst at Bentley, 6 p.m. ET
Niagara at Sacred Heart, 6 p.m. ET

Big Ten Tournament

Quarterfinals
Wednesday, March 11
Ohio State at Wisconsin, 7 p.m. CT
Notre Dame at Michigan, 7 p.m. ET
Minnesota at Penn State, 7 p.m. ET

Semifinals
Saturday, March 14
Lowest seed remaining at Michigan State
Quarterfinal winner at highest seed remaining

Championship

Saturday, March 21
Semifinal winners at top-advancing team

CCHA Tournament

Quarterfinals
Best of 3
Friday, March 6
No. 17 St. Thomas 4, Lake Superior State 3 (OT)
No. 14 Augustana 5, Bemidji State 2
No. 16 Minnesota State 5, Ferris State 1
Michigan Tech 5, Bowling Green 3

Saturday, March 7
Bemidji State at No. 14 Augustana, 6 p.m. CT
Ferris State at No. 16 Minnesota State, 6 p.m.
Bowling Green at Michigan Tech, 6 p.m.
Lake Superior State at No. 17 St. Thomas, 7 p.m. CT

Sunday, March 8 (if necessary)
Lake Superior State at No. 17 St. Thomas, 5 p.m. CT
Bemidji State at No. 14 Augustana, 5 p.m. CT
Ferris State at No. 16 Minnesota State, 5 p.m.
Bowling Green at Michigan Tech, 5 p.m.

ECAC Tournament

Friday, March 6
Harvard 4, St. Lawrence 3 (OT)
Clarkson 2, RPI 1

Saturday, March 7
Brown at Union, 5 p.m. ET
Yale at Colgate, 7 p.m. ET

Quarterfinals
Best of 3
Friday, March 13 (through Sunday)
Lowest remaining seed at No. 7 Quinnipiac, 7 p.m. ET
Second-lowest remaining seed at No. 11 Dartmouth, 7 p.m. ET
Second-highest remaining seed at No. 9 Cornell, 7 p.m. ET
Highest-remaining seed at Princeton, 7 p.m.

Hockey East Tournament

Opening Round
Wednesday, March 11
Seed No. 11 at Seed No. 6
Seed No. 10 at Seed No. 7
Seed No. 9 at Seed No. 8

Quarterfinals
Saturday, March 14
Lowest remaining seed at Providence
Second-lowest remaining seed at Seed No. 2
Third-lowest remaining seed at Seed No. 3
Seed 5 at Seed 4

Semifinals
Friday, March 20
At TD Garden, Boston
Semifinal 1
Semifinal 2

Championship
Saturday, March 21
Semifinals winners

NCHC Tournament

Best of 3
Friday, March 6,
Western Michigan 5, Colorado College 2
Minnesota Duluth 4, St. Cloud State 3 (OT)
North Dakota 5, Omaha 3
Denver 3, Miami 0

Saturday, March 7
Colorado College at Western Michigan, 6 p.m. ET
St. Cloud State at Minnesota Duluth, 6 p.m. CT
Omaha at North Dakota, 6 p.m., CT
Miami at Denver, 6 p.m. MT

Sunday, March 8 (if necessary)
Colorado College at No. 4 Western Michigan, 6 p.m. ET
St. Cloud State at No. 10 Minnesota Duluth, 6 p.m. CT
Omaha at No. 3 North Dakota, 6 p.m., CT
Miami at No. 8 Denver, 6 p.m. MT

Full hockey game in one photo. pic.twitter.com/ANPzTYjYWd
— MSU (@michiganstateu) March 6, 2026

Women's Conference Tournaments

AHA Tournament
Championship
Saturday, March 7
No. 12 Mercyhurst at No. 3 Penn State, 2 p.m. ET

ECAC Tournament
Semifinals
At Lake Placid, N.Y.
Friday, March 6
No. 8 Yale 7, No. 11 Cornell 2
No. 6 Quinnipiac 2, No. 10 Princeton 1, (OT)
Championship
At Lake Placid, N.Y.
Saturday, March 7
No. 6 Quinnipiac vs. No. 8 Yale, 5 p.m. ET

Hockey East Tournament
Semifinals
Championship
Saturday, March 7
No. 7 Connecticut at No. 5 Northeastern, 2:30 p.m. CT

NEWHA Tournament
Championship
Saturday, March 7
Saint Anselm at Frankin Pierce

WCHA Tournament
Semifinals
Thursday, March 5
At St. Paul, Minn.
No. 1 Wisconsin 7, No. 4 Minnesota State, 2
No. 2 Ohio State 4, No. 3 Minnesota 0
Championship
Saturday, March 7
At St. Paul, Minn.
No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 2 Ohio State, BTN, 2 p.m. CT

Hockey Quote of the Day

“I’ve never seen anybody learn something or get so good at something so fast. I mean, it was really amazing. I’d talk to him about something, and right away, he’d add that to his game. The next shift, it was there. He had the keys to the rink, so he’d be in there at 1 o’clock in the morning. When everybody else is gone home or at the bar, he’s out shooting the puck.”
Bobby Parker on Chris Chelios

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We'll Leave You With This ...

FYI: Hibbing beat Mahtomedi 4-2 in the first Class A semifinal in the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament, and will face Warroad for the championship. In Class 2A, Minnetonka will play Moorhead in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 title game on Saturday.

Mahtomedi’s goalie with one of the best saves you will ever see 👀⬇️ @SportsCenter @spittinchiclets #TheTourney26 #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/JXlBTEd23H
— MNStateOfHockey (@StateOfHawkey) March 6, 2026

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