NEW YORK — Former Cornell men’s hockey forwards Morgan Barron and Riley Nash and defensemen Joakim Ryan ’15 and Sam Malinski ’23 were named to their respective NHL teams’ opening day rosters as of 10 a.m. Tuesday, it was formally announced by the league office.
Barron is entering his fifth NHL season and third full season with the Winnipeg Jets. Over 80 games last season with the Jets, Barron scored a career-high 11 goals and added seven assists. Three of Barron’s 11 goals were game-winners for Winnipeg, who fell to Colorado, 4-1, in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Primarily playing on Winnipeg’s fourth line, Barron averaged 10:30 of ice time and recorded 122 hits last season, ranking fifth on the Jets and second among the team’s forwards.
Nash and Ryan were designated as non-roster injury selections by the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively.
Nash is looking to appear in his 13th NHL season since making his debut during the 2011-12 season with the Hurricanes. Last season, Nash appeared in one game for the Rangers, suiting up against the Washington Capitals on Dec. 9, 2023. With the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, Nash accumulated 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) across 41 contests.
After playing for the Malmö Redhawks in Sweden over the last three seasons, Ryan is vying to return to the NHL after signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Hurricanes on July 14. During his time with Malmö, Ryan accumulated 64 points (17 goals, 47 assists) in 156 games. His most recent NHL appearance was during the 2020-21 season with the Hurricanes, where he suited up in four games.
Malinski will start the 2024-25 season with the Colorado Avalanche. He aims to build on his rookie season, during which he played 23 games with the Avalanche and recorded 10 points (three goals, seven assists). Additionally, he participated in 46 games with the Colorado Eagles, the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, where he accumulated 27 points (five goals, 22 assists). Malinski earned 37 points in 69 games between the NHL and AHL levels (eight goals, 29 assists).
Tonight marks the start of the NHL regular season with three games, starting with the Seattle Kraken hosting the St. Louis Blues at 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. PT). In this game, Jessica Campbell, a former Cornell women’s hockey player, will make NHL history when she becomes the first female assistant coach behind the bench for an NHL regular-season game.
Among the other season-opening contests later tonight, Boston will play against the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference final at 7 p.m. in Sunrise, Fla. Following that, the Utah Hockey Club will have its inaugural game when it hosts the Chicago Blackhawks at 10 p.m. ET (8 p.m. MT). All three games can be watched on ESPN or streamed on ESPN+.
Barron and Malinski are set to make their season debuts on Wednesday, Oct. 9. Winnipeg will be playing against the Edmonton Oilers, while Colorado will be facing the Vegas Golden Knights. Both games are scheduled to start at 10 p.m. ET. The game between Colorado and Vegas will be broadcast live on TNT and can be streamed on Max, HBO’s streaming service.
(Photo provided by Cornell Athletics/Men’s Hockey)
