Nine former University of Minnesota Duluth men’s hockey players in all landed National Hockey League roster spots ahead of the 2025-26 opening Tuesday.
Three players return to the Winnipeg Jets, including former Hermantown natives and defenseman Neal Pionk and Dylan Samberg, although Samberg will begin the season on the IR with a broken wrist. Winger Alex Iafallo rounds out the three returning Jets, while forward Cole Koepke — another Hermantown, Minn. product — will join Winnipeg to make it the NHL team with the most current Bulldogs for yet another season. Ironically, both Iafallo and Pionk were not drafted prior to their UMD careers and played their ways into the professional ranks as Bulldogs — both signed as free agents in the spring of 2017.
Long-time NHL defenseman Justin Faulk — who begins the season just 20 games shy of the 1,000 NHL games played mark at 980 — will hit the ice with the St. Louis Blues for his 15th pro season and seventh with the Blues. Four other former Bulldogs with roster spots around the league include forward Noah Cates with the Philadelphia Flyers, and a trio of defenseman — Wyatt Kaiser with the Chicago Blackhawks, Mikey Anderson with the Los Angeles Kings and Cason Soucy with the New York Rangers.
UMD ranks ninth all-time in the NCAA for NHL alums (69). The Bulldogs have the second most alumni of any team in the National College Hockey Conference.
The Bulldogs are also represented on benches, in several front offices around the league, and even have an NHL linesman among alumni in the NHL.
Former Hobey Baker Finalist Norm Maciver is the associate general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, while fellow Hobey Baker Finalist Derek Plante, also father to current Bulldogs Zam and Max Plante, is in his first full season as an Amateur Scout for the Ottawa Senators. Derik Johnson is in his third season as an assistant coach with the LA Kings, where he has been a part of the organization in some capacity since 2018.
Additional Bulldogs include: Jim Johnson (Anaheim Ducks Director of Player Development, third season), Parker Mackay (fifth season as a Boston Bruins Amateur and College Scout), and UMD alum Travis Gawryletz returns for his eighth season as an NHL linesman.
A bevy of Bulldogs skated in NHL training camps and are currently on AHL teams on two-way AHL/NHL contracts, including 2024-25 team captain Dominic James (Syracuse Crunch), Dominic Toninato (Rockford IceHogs), Hunter Shepard (Belleville Senators), Riley Tufte (Providence Bruins), Ben Steeves (Charlotte Checkers) and Ryan Fanti (Syracuse Crunch). Joey Anderson is also currently on the Chicago Blackhawks injured, non-rostered list ahead of Tuesday.
