Four former UConn players make NHL opening night rosters

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Four former UConn men’s hockey players are on NHL rosters at the onset of the 2026-27 season, a new program record: Tage Thompson (Buffalo Sabres), Marc Gatcomb (Vegas Golden Knights), Yan Kuznetsov (Calgary Flames) and Matthew Wood (Nashville Predators).

Last season, the Huskies had three players on opening-night rosters, which set the previous record.

Thompson is a bona fide superstar for the Sabres. He put up exactly a point per game last season with 40 goals and 41 assists before adding 15 points in 13 playoff contests. Thompson will wear the “A” on his sweater for a third straight year.

Gatcomb is set to become the first UConn player ever to suit up for the Golden Knights. After spending his first two NHL seasons with the New York Islanders, Gatcomb signed a two-year contract with Vegas over the offseason. In 88 career games, he’s totaled 11 goals and five assists.

Kuznetsov initially made his NHL debut during the 2023-24 season, but appeared in just a single game. He had to wait two more years to return to the league but stuck around for good the second time. Kuznetsov was a midseason call-up last November and ultimately earned a permanent spot in the lineup, recording 12 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 57 games. Now, he’ll be with the Flames from the start.

Wood is entering his second full season in Nashville. He appeared in 71 games last season, totaling 17 goals and 13 assists. Wood played two seasons at UConn before transferring to Minnesota ahead of his junior year.

The Huskies could see more former players in the NHL as the season progresses. Viking Gustafsson Nyberg (in the Minnesota Wild organization), Ryan Tverberg (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Arsenii Sergeev (Calgary Flames) all made their debuts last season.

Beyond that group, there are seven other UConn players expected to begin the year in the AHL: Chase Bradley (Nashville Predators), Jake Richard (Buffalo Sabres), Ryan Tattle (Boston Bruins), Tom Messineo (San Jose Sharks), Roman Kinal (Anaheim Ducks), Ryan Wheeler (St. Louis Blues), Justin Pearson (New Jersey Devils), Artem Shlaine (Dallas Stars) and Samu Salminen (Florida Panthers).

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