Liam Pettersson – Vaxjo Lakers – J20 Nationell
Vaxjo defeated Vasteras IK 4-2 on Saturday but Pettersson missed yet another game.
On Sunday, Vaxjo defeated Sodertalje SK 6-1. Still no sign of Pettersson.
Vashek Blanar – HV71 – J20 Nationell
Blanar was called up once again to fill in on the big club in the SHL on Tuesday and Twitter/X got all excited. However, he did not play.
After last week’s 8-0 defeat to Orebro HK, HV71 bounced back with a 5-2 win over Linkoping HC on Friday. Blanar was in the lineup for his club after filling in with the big club in the SHL. Blanar did not register a point, was an even plus/minus and was held without a shot on goal.
Kirill Yemelyanov – Loko Yaroslav – MHL
Loko extended its regulation unbeaten streak with a 4–1 win over Taifun on Monday. Yemelyanov chipped in with an assist, posted a plus-1 rating, and registered three shots on goal from seven attempts over 16:39 of ice time. He was strong at the dot again, going 12-for-15 on faceoffs. He remains strong in that area overall this season with a 65.2% success rate. His shooting percentage sits at an efficient 20.0%.
Loko edged out Sakhalinskie Akuly 2–1 on Wednesday, extending their win streak and claiming the top spot in the Gold Division. Yemelyanov was held off the scoresheet, despite registering five shots on goal, one blocked shot, and winning 11 of 19 faceoffs over 18:55 of ice time.
On Sunday, Loko defeated SKA Academy 5-1. Yemelyanov did not register a point in 16:22 time on ice. He had 3 shots on goal and was a sparkling 14 for 18 on faceoffs. With 10 games under his belt this season, I can draw the conclusion that Yemelyanov puts up points in bunches – when he does.
William Zellers, – University of North Dakota
In Saturday’s exhibition, North Dakota cruised past Manitoba 7-0 with Zellers slotted in at top right wing, though it was disappointing he didn’t get consistent shifts alongside Cole Reschney; despite generating six shots on goal, he finished without a point.
Their regular season begins October 10.
Casper Nassen – Miami (Ohio)
After nearly a full calendar year without a win, Miami looked poised for another defeat Friday night, trailing Ferris State 3–2 with 15 minutes to play—until Nassen sparked a four-goal surge that sealed a 6–4 comeback. Just after a power play expired, he stepped into David Pastrnak’s usual spot and hammered home a one-timer to ignite the rally, a location Miami had been targeting for him all night. Earlier, from that same area, Nassen disrupted a clearing attempt that led to the opening goal. Skating on the third-line left wing, he finished with a goal, an assist, and four shots on goal in 12:56 of ice time.
On Saturday, Miami struck early with Nassen setting up the opening goal just 16 seconds in, paving the way for a 3-1 win in the rematch against Ferris State. Though slotted on the third line, Nassen logged 15:52 of ice time—fourth most among forwards—while finishing plus-1 with two shots on goal and contributing across all situations including the penalty kill.
James Hagens, Oskar Jellvik, Andre Gasseau, Dean Letourneau, Kristian Kostadinski, Will Moore – Boston College
Friday night’s Quinnipiac–Boston College matchup, broadcast on ESPN+ and TSN+, offered a prime look at future Bruins’ talent, with seven prospects hitting the ice in Quinnipiac’s 4–3 win; an eighth, Kristian Kostadinski, was a scratch. All eyes were on James Hagens, who started quietly but grew stronger as the game progressed, finishing with an assist, an 8-for-19 mark on faceoffs, and 21:11 of ice time. He became more and more engaged as the game progressed and even displayed some rat like qualities to get under the opposing player’s skin.
When Hagens wasn’t on the ice, attention shifted to Letourneau, who showed off a noticeably stronger frame and a more physical edge than last season. Centering the third line, he didn’t register a point but delivered a couple of heavy hits and played with purpose. Despite finishing minus-2 and going 3-for-10 on faceoffs in 12:32 of ice time, it was a promising season debut.
Boston College’s second line featured three Bruins prospects—Moore centering Jellvik and Gasseau—with mixed results in Friday’s matchup. Jellvik, returning from most of last season lost to injury, showed no lingering effects aside from some rust, finishing scoreless in 17:35 of ice time. Moore, making his NCAA debut, picked up an assist, went 5-for-12 on faceoffs, and logged 14:07. Gasseau led the trio offensively with three assists and some top power-play time, though he finished minus-1 and just 2-for-8 on draws in 19:46
Beckett Hendrickson – University of Minnesota
After spending most of last season anchored to the fourth line, Hendrickson opened this year on Minnesota’s third-line left wing and made an immediate impact in Friday’s 6–3 win over Michigan Tech. He tallied an empty-net goal and an assist, posted a plus-3 rating, and registered two shots on goal in 16:06 of ice time. Trusted with key defensive shifts, he brought his trademark energy to the forecheck, showing signs he’s ready for a larger role.
It was the same opponent, different result on Saturday as Michigan Tech upset Minnesota 5-3. Hendrickson finished without a point and was a plus-2 with just 9:12 time on ice and was without a shot on goal.
Chris Pelosi, Elliott Groenewold – Quinnipiac University
As mentioned above Quinnipiac edged Boston College 4–3 on Friday, with a noticeably stronger Chris Pelosi making an impact in multiple facets, including netting the gritty game-winner after battling in front. Centering the second line, Pelosi logged 19:52 of ice time, went 11-for-18 on faceoffs, and fired two shots on goal, picking up right where he left off late last season. On the back end, Groenewold anchored the top pair with a plus-2 rating in 23:12 of ice time, delivering a steady defensive effort aside from a costly third-period turnover that fortunately didn’t end up in the net.
Only in the NCAA do you get an exhibition game following a regular season game! That is precisely what happened on Sunday afternoon as Quinnipiac faced Philip Svedeback and Providence College and dropped a 2-1 decision in a tightly contested game. Neither Pelosi nor Groenewold were able to find the scoresheet.
Ryan Walsh – Cornell University
Cornell made it official on Tuesday, naming Walsh the captain for the 2025-2026 season. Congratulations to Ryan.
Cornell has two exhibition games schedule on October 17 and 25. Their first regular season game is on October 31.
Mason Langenbrunner – Harvard University
Harvard will play and exhibition game against Northeaster on October 18 and their regular season begins October 31.
Jonathan Morello – Boston University
Boston University opened their season with a 4-2 non-conference win over Long Island on Saturday, while Morello, relegated to fourth-line center, finished minus-1 with two shots on goal and won three of seven faceoffs; his defensive game showed promise last season, but lingering offensive struggles likely explain the limited role, and his development remains worth tracking.
In an exhibition game Sunday, BU defeated RPI 3-0. Morello scored the goal to make it 2-0. Coming in late down the left side, he took a pass and displayed his shooting ability by ripping it bar down over the goalies blocker. Once again, Morello centered the fourth line.
Philip Svedeback – Providence College
Providence College defeated Simon Fraser University in an exhibition game Friday. Svedeback played the opening half of the game and stopped all 11 shots he faced.
In Providence’s 2-1 exhibition win over Quinnipiac, Svedeback was outstanding, turning aside 29 of 30 shots and standing tall during a tense 6-on-4 in the final minutes. The only puck to get past him was a breakaway less than 6 minutes into the game. With the goaltending picture still unclear heading into the season, this being his senior year makes it all the more important for him to seize the moment.
Their first regular season game is October 10 as they host Michigan in a back-to-back.
Cooper Simpson
Youngstown dropped their first game of the season Friday, falling 3–2 in overtime to the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Simpson recorded an assist, finished even in plus/minus, and registered two shots on goal, but the standout stat was a 10-minute misconduct for an equipment violation. While not officially confirmed, it is believed to be a neck guard violation. After a strong opening night with a goal and three assists, he’s managed just two helpers over his last four outings.
Youngstown dropped the rematch 4-2 on Saturday, though Simpson notched his second goal of the season by capitalizing on a broken play—tracking the puck to the net and burying it to tie the game 1-1 at the time; he finished plus-1 with four shots on goal. There is a lot to like about this young man – but there is plenty of development ahead of him.
Cole Chandler – Shawinigan – QMJHL
Charlottetown edged Shawinigan 4–3 in overtime on Wednesday. Chandler was held off the scoresheet, registered two hits, and went 5-for-16 on faceoffs across 17:53 of ice time. He finished the night with a minus-2 rating. Not his sharpest outing, but with just four games played, it’s far too early to draw conclusions.
Shawinigan dropped their third straight game Friday, falling 5–3 to the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Chandler didn’t hit the scoresheet but posted a plus-2 rating, logged 18:02 of ice time, and managed one shot on goal. His faceoff performance was a weak spot, going just 6-for-16 in the circle.
On Sunday, Shawinigan ended their three-game skid with a 6-3 win over Sherbrooke. Chandler had an assist, was a plus-1 with one hit and was 6 for 13 on the dot.
Cole Spicer – Western Michigan
Western Michigan defeated the USNDT U-18 7-0 in exhibition action on Saturday. Spicer did not play.
Their regular season begins October 9.
Providence Bruins
Providence cruised to a 4–0 shutout win over the Springfield Thunderbirds in Friday’s exhibition matchup. With Boston yet to finalize its assignments to Providence, the lineup featured several players likely bound for the ECHL’s Maine Mariners. Luke Cavallin turned aside all 23 shots he faced, earning the clean sheet. His performance adds intrigue to the goaltending picture—depending on what happens with Michael DiPietro, Cavallin may be in contention with Simon Zajicek for the backup role.
Brooklyn Kalmikov, a candidate for Maine Mariners duty, made a strong case with two power-play goals. Jacob Perreault, signed late by Providence in September, chipped in three assists as he looks to reignite his career. Lynden McCallum, another Mariners hopeful aiming to crack the AHL roster, added a goal and an assist to his stat line.
Springfield needed overtime to edge Providence 2-1 in Sunday’s rematch, with McCallum tallying his second goal of the postseason—assisted by Perreault, who notched his fourth and turned in a steady performance; Zajicek went the distance in net, stopping 23 of 25 shots, Fabian Lysell led all skaters with four shots on goal, and Ty Gallagher earned marks for stepping in after his goaltender was run early in the third.
With the roster cuts announced by Boston earlier in the day, this Providence team looks like it will be fun to watch this season.
Coming up this week:
Dom - Hockey 