With NHL training camps kicking off this week, many players who have previously donned the Carnelian sweater have the opportunity to continue playing hockey on the biggest stage.
In total, 12 men’s hockey alumni appear on training camp rosters across the NHL, representing eight different teams. A handful are NHL regulars, while others have spent time in the American Hockey League and ECHL, and some are making their first appearances representing NHL clubs.
Here’s a breakdown of all 12 players, including recent stats and contract details.
Boston Bruins: Dalton Bancroft ’26
Bancroft decided to forgo his final year of college eligibility when he signed a one-year entry-level contract with Boston on April 3. Though Bancroft went undrafted, the two-way forward’s 79 points across three seasons at Cornell earned him a look from one of the NHL’s Original Six franchises.
After Cornell’s season ended and the contract was signed, Bancroft joined Boston’s AHL affiliate — the Providence Bruins — for an amateur tryout agreement lasting five games. He scored one goal during that span, though reporters have indicated that Bancroft could take a slightly different, more physical role in professional hockey.
Notably, Bancroft’s father, Steve Bancroft, has a tie to the Bruins organization — he won the Calder Cup with the Providence Bruins in 1999.
Colorado Avalanche: Hank Kempf ’25, Sam Malinski ’23, Matt Stienburg ’23, Jacob MacDonald ’15
Though the Avalanche’s primary colors are blue and burgundy, Colorado will be painted Red this fall — four former Cornell players are in attendance at Avalanche training camp, including three who have already suited up in the NHL.
The newest member of the Avalanche organization is Kempf, who signed a two-year contract with the Colorado Eagles in the AHL. After joining the Eagles in April, Kempf suited up for six AHL games, including two Calder Cup playoff games. He is the only defenseman at the camp signed to an AHL deal.
Two members of the Class of 2023 return to Avalanche training camp — Malinski and Stienburg. Malinski has solidified himself as a reliable third-pair NHL defenseman, playing in 76 regular season games for Colorado last season. Malinski signed a contract extension with Colorado in the offseason, a one-year, $1.4 million deal. He is projected by some to play alongside 21-year NHL veteran Brent Burns, one of the Avalanche’s offseason free agent signings.
Malinski is joined by classmate Stienburg, who split time between the AHL and NHL before missing the second half of the season due to injury. Stienburg also inked a contract extension this summer, a one-year deal worth $775,000.
That leaves MacDonald, who won the Eddie Shore Award last season, deeming him the top defenseman in the AHL. He is in attendance at training camp but won’t be doing much on the ice, as he underwent hip surgery on Sept. 2 and will be out until mid-February. MacDonald has been with the Avalanche organization since 2019, sandwiching a brief stint with the San Jose Sharks in between. He won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022, though his name is not engraved on hockey’s prized trophy since he did not meet the regular season games played minimum, nor did he play in the Stanley Cup final that year.
Detroit Red Wings: Gabriel Seger ’24
Seger will be in attendance at Detroit training camp for the second straight season. He spent the majority of 2024-2025 with the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, notching 10 goals and 17 points in 59 games.
He was re-signed by Grand Rapids in June, making him one of five players at Detroit’s camp on AHL contracts.
Los Angeles Kings: Tim Rego ’25, Jeff Malott ’20
A pair of Cornellians will take part in the Kings’ training camp, the first being Rego, who signed with the Kings’ AHL affiliate — the Ontario Reign — in April. Upon the conclusion of Cornell’s season, Rego was loaned to the ECHL’s Greenville Swamprabbits, playing in five games and posting a pair of assists.
This will be Malott’s second year as part of the Kings organization. The forward suited up for 18 NHL games for Los Angeles in 2024-2025, including six Stanley Cup playoff games. Malott also put up intriguing numbers with Ontario in the AHL last season, scoring 23 goals and totaling 51 points in 61 games.
New Jersey Devils: Jack Malone ’23
Malone has been part of the Devils organization since he finished his graduate year with Boston College in 2023-2024. Last season, he notched nine goals and 13 points in 57 games with the Utica Comets, New Jersey’s AHL affiliate.
This will be Malone’s second training camp with the Devils. He is entering the second and final year of his two-year AHL contract with Utica.
New York Islanders: Travis Mitchell ’23
The fourth and final member of the Class of 2023 at an NHL training camp, Mitchell is entering his third full season with the Islanders organization. He has been a steady, shutdown presence defense for the Bridgeport Islanders in the AHL, posting five goals and 12 assists across his first two seasons of professional hockey. In 65 games in Bridgeport last season, Mitchell amassed 101 penalty minutes, his most in a single season since even before he got to Cornell.
New York Rangers: Sullivan Mack ’25
After finishing his Cornell career this spring, Mack signed a one-year contract with the Hartford Wolfpack, the Rangers’ AHL team. He slotted into one game and will look to play a larger role heading into his first full season of professional hockey.
Mack set career highs in his fourth and final season with the Red, posting nine goals and 24 points, none bigger than his game-winning goal in the NCAA Tournament against Michigan State on March 27.
Winnipeg Jets: Morgan Barron ’21
The longest tenured NHL regular on this list, Barron is entering his sixth season in the league. Barron initially signed with the team that drafted him — the New York Rangers — in 2020, but has spent the last three seasons in Winnipeg after he was dealt from New York during the 2021-2022 season.
Barron is a reliable bottom-six forward, and played some meaningful games for Winnipeg in last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs. Barron played in 13 postseason games and registered a pair of assists, but was most important in the faceoff dot — in the winner-take-all Game 7 in the first round of last year’s playoffs, Barron went 45 percent on faceoffs. In that same thrilling double overtime victory over the St. Louis Blues, he won seven of 12 faceoffs in the final 23:50 of play, including a perfect three-for-three showing in the second overtime period.
This past offseason, Barron inked a two-year extension with Winnipeg, worth an annual salary of $1.85 million.
Jane McNally is a senior editor on the 143rd editorial board and was the sports editor on the 142nd editorial board. She is a member of the Class of 2026 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. You can follow her on X @JaneMcNally_ and reach her at jmcnally@cornellsun.com.
