ITHACA, N.Y. — Twelve former Cornell men’s hockey players are listed on NHL training camp rosters, as each of the 32 clubs announced their rosters over the last week. All teams’ training camps are open in preparation for the preseason slate, which starts this Saturday, Sept. 21.
The Colorado Avalanche have three former Cornell players at their training camp, the most in the NHL. Former defensemen Jacob MacDonald ’15 and Sam Malinski ’23 and forward Matt Stienburg ’23 are those donning Avalanche sweaters over the next couple of weeks.
Last year, MacDonald played 40 games with the San Jose Sharks and the San Jose Barracuda, the team’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. He scored a total of 13 points (seven goals, six assists). MacDonald is returning to Colorado after spending the last two seasons in San Jose. Before that, he played in Colorado in parts of four seasons (2019-23) before being traded to San Jose on Jan. 25, 2023.
Malinski aims to secure a spot on the Avalanche roster during this year’s training camp. Last season, he played in 23 NHL games for the Avalanche, recording 10 points (three goals, seven assists). In addition to his 46 appearances in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles, Malinski totaled 37 points (eight goals, 29 assists) last season.
Stienburg is coming off a 13-point campaign with the Eagles last season, collecting five goals and eight assists over 54 appearances.
Forward Cole Bardreau ’15 and defenseman Travis Mitchell ’23 are wearing New York Islanders jerseys at training camp, making the Islanders the only other NHL club with multiple Cornell alumni.
Bardreau is starting his sixth season with the New York Islanders organization. Last season, Bardreau scored 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 70 games with Bridgeport, the Islanders’ AHL affiliate. Bardreau has played in 11 NHL games, with 10 coming in the 2019-20 season. His most recent NHL appearance was on Dec. 2, 2022, against Nashville.
Mitchell’s inaugural professional season was with Bridgeport last season, where he recorded four points (one goal, three assists) in 34 games.
Among the other seven former Big Red players attending training camps are Joakim Ryan ’15 (Carolina), Gabriel Seger ’24 (Detroit), Jeff Malott (Los Angeles), Anthony Angello (Nashville), Jack Malone ’23 (New Jersey), Riley Nash (N.Y. Rangers), and Morgan Barron (Winnipeg).
Ryan is seeking a return to the NHL after playing for the Malmö Redhawks in his native Sweden for the past three seasons. During his time with Malmö, he totaled 64 points (17 goals, 47 assists) in 156 games. Ryan signed a one-year, two-way contract with Carolina on July 14. His last NHL appearance was with the Hurricanes during the 2020-21 season, where he played four games. After graduating from Cornell in 2015, Ryan played for the San Jose Sharks from 2017 to 2019, followed by stints with the Los Angeles Kings in 2019-20 and the Hurricanes in 2020-21.
Seger signed a one-year contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins, the AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings, on June 11 after a successful senior season at Cornell. He played in all of Cornell’s 35 games, registering a team-high 44 points (14 goals, 30 assists). His 44 points were the most by a Cornell player since Ryan Vesce (19-26—45), and the 30 assists were the most since Stephen Bâby (33) during Cornell’s 2002-03 season, which saw the team advance to the Frozen Four.
Seger was recognized for his offensive success in 2023-24, earning All-ECAC Hockey and All-Ivy First Team honors. He also received academic honors from ECAC Hockey and the Ivy League and multiple awards at the team’s year-end banquet.
Angello will compete for a spot on the Nashville Predators roster for a second consecutive season. Last year with the Milwaukee Admirals, the Predators’ AHL affiliate, Angello had 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 46 games. His point total was the most he had in a season since logging 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 44 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2021-22. Angello last played in the NHL in 2021-22, the last of his five-year tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he played in 31 games across three seasons (2019-22).
Malone is starting his first full season of professional hockey after playing one game with the Utica Comets, the Devils’ AHL affiliate, following his post-graduate season with Boston College. Malone scored 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists) with BC in 41 games last season. This season is the first of Malone’s two-year AHL contract that he inked on April 17.
Nash is aiming to play in his 13th NHL season this year. Last season, the former first-round draft pick scored 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in 41 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers’ AHL affiliate. He also played one game with the Rangers last season on Dec. 9 against Washington.
Barron just finished his fourth NHL season and second full year with Winnipeg. During his time with the Jets last season, he played in 80 games, scoring a career-high 11 goals and adding seven assists. He also delivered 122 hits and achieved a plus-10 rating.
The opening night rosters for all 32 NHL teams are due to the league office on Monday, Oct. 7.
(Photo provided by Cornell Men’s Athletic/Hockey Dept.)
