Joey Muldowney and Jake Richard returning for senior seasons at UConn

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UConn forwards Joey Muldowney and Jake Richard are returning to Storrs for their respective senior seasons, head coach Mike Cavanaugh told the UConn Hockey Hub on Wednesday. Though both could’ve turned pro, they’ll instead come back to help the Huskies push for the program’s first Hockey East title and a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

“They really enjoy being here at UConn,” Cavanaugh said. “I would assume that they feel like they have some unfinished business here, and they want to graduate, which I think is really important. They're both going to graduate and compete for more trophies and develop so that when they are ready to go pro next year, they'll certainly be in a better place than they are today.”

When the Huskies’ 2025-26 season ended, the coach sat down with Muldowney, Richard and Viking Gustafsson Nyberg to discuss the future. Since the two forwards were drafted back in 2022, they could only sign with their respective clubs — the San Jose Sharks for Muldowney and the Buffalo Sabres for Richard. Gustafsson Nyberg had more options as a free agent.

Still, Cavanaugh delivered the same message to all three.

“My thing to them all the time is, ‘If the NHL team says they're gonna put you in a game, then I'll drive you to the airport,’” he said. “They're basically saying, ‘We are very serious about you as a prospect.’ If they're asking you to sign an ATO (amateur tryout) and go to the minors, that's a tryout. If you want to do that, you have my support 100 percent, but just understand what you're doing, what you're signing on for.”

The Minnesota Wild offered Gustafsson Nyberg just that. He signed a two-year entry-level contract with the organization and already burned that first year by appearing in two games with the NHL team. Muldowney and Richard didn’t have that opportunity.

“San Jose and Buffalo weren't offering that to Joey and Jake. I said, ‘Just make sure you're going into this with your eyes wide open. You could be in the minors all year next year,’” Cavanaugh said.

Muldowney and Richard have established themselves as two of the top players in UConn’s Hockey East Era. Muldowney’s 51 career goals rank first while his 90 career points come in at fourth. As a sophomore, he put up 29 goals and 47 points — both of which were single-season Division I program records — earning All-American and All-Hockey East Second Team honors. This past year, Muldowney led the team with 17 goals.

As for Richard, he ranks fourth with 56 assists and fifth with 88 points on UConn’s Hockey East Era leaderboard. He was a Hockey East Third Team All-Star with 43 points on 15 goals and 28 assists in 2024-25 and followed it up with 27 points this past season.

The duo has powered UConn to the two best seasons in program history, winning the CT Ice crown and reaching the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years.

While their decision to come back is welcome news to the Huskies, it isn’t a surprise. Cavanaugh first hinted at Muldowney’s return in early March.

“He’s not opposed to coming back for his senior year. Whether he will or whether he won’t, I don’t know. I’ll support him either way,” the coach said. “I think that does weigh in the back of his mind a little bit, that [he has] a chance to be the winningest player ever here at UConn. I think that’s important to him.”

Despite Muldowney’s eye-popping numbers, he’s small for NHL standards at 5-9, 161 pounds. Another year in college certainly won’t hurt.

“I’m not sure he’s ready (for the NHL),” Cavanaugh said in March. “I do think he has a chance to play in the NHL, but he’s also very realistic.”

As for Richard, he features immense talent but can disappear at times. He needs to shoot more and handle physicality better before he’s ready to make the jump to the pros. Richard also struggled with penalties last season, going to the box a team-high 21 times.

With the two seniors set to return, UConn has five openings to fill up top. Omaha transfer Jeremy Loranger will take one of those spots while the rest are expected to be populated by incoming freshmen.

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