Just days after men’s hockey’s season came to an end in Loveland, Colorado, at the NCAA Tournament, Cornell’s 2026-2027 roster has already been shaken up.
The first early departure is junior defenseman Hoyt Stanley, who signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators, the club announced Monday. He will report to Ottawa’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Belleville Senators, on an amateur tryout agreement for the remainder of the 2025-2026 season.
The decision means Stanley will forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility.
Stanley has been a fixture on Cornell’s blueline for three seasons, posting seven goals and 31 assists for 38 points in his collegiate career. The West Vancouver, British Columbia native racked up minutes on both the power play and penalty kill for the Red, and skated on Cornell’s top pair alongside freshman defenseman Xavier Veilleux in 2025-2026.
Stanley’s career-high 15 points this season, coupled with his strong defensive play, earned him a position as a finalist for the ECAC’s best defensive defenseman award. He ultimately lost out to Quinnipiac’s Elliott Groenewold.
Drafted in the fourth round (108th overall) of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Stanley has attended Ottawa Senators development camp for the last three offseasons. In a recent feature story by the Senators, it was noted that Stanley planned to join the organization “once he completes his college career.” That completion has come sooner than expected.
“I want to play hockey for as long as possible,” Stanley told the Senators. “Education is important in my family. I wouldn’t mind pursuing a career in finance. But right now, I’d prefer to pursue a career in hockey.”
Stanley could make his professional debut as early as Friday, when Belleville travels to Rochester, New York, to face the Rochester Americans. Belleville has seven games left in its regular season.
The departure of Stanley raises questions as to whether his fellow drafted teammates may follow suit. It has been rumored that there is ‘a lot of optimism’ between junior forward Jonathan Castagna and the Calgary Flames about an NHL contract for Castagna, while junior forward Ryan Walsh and the Boston Bruins could also work out a deal.
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.
