Thursday, April 30, 2015

Former Stars Continue Cup Chase

Alums of 24 NCAA schools are still alive as the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs begins.

Former Stars Continue Cup Chase
Ben Bishop shut out Detroit in Game 7 to help Tampa Bay advance (Photo via @TBLightning).

Alumni from 24 NCAA schools remain in the hunt for the 2015 Stanley Cup as the second round of the playoffs begin Thursday night.

NCAA in the NHL

Among them are some of the stars in the opening round. The top two scorers and four of the top eight in round one have U.S. college backgrounds. In addition:

  • 30.7% of all players in round one were NCAA alums, slightly higher than the regular season
  • Former Maine goaltenders Ben Bishop and Scott Darling both posted wins in round one, including Bishop’s Game 7 shutout of Detroit
  • Four of the top six players in assists in round one are former college players
  • Calder Trophy candidate Johnny Gaudreau (Boston College) continued his remarkable rookie season, averaging a point per game in the first round

The two teams with the most NCAA representation in the NHL this season have both advanced to the second round in the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild. Meanwhile, looking at the second round matchups:

NY Rangers vs. Washington

  • More than half of the Ranger team played college hockey, with 10 of 11 players in the first round spending at least three years on campus
  • Former Miami goaltending coach Mitch Korn, now with Washington, faces perhaps the school’s best NHL alum, Dan Boyle
  • The Capitals feature both of Alaska Anchorage’s alumni in the NHL this season: Jay Beagle and Curtis Glencross

Anaheim vs. Calgary

  • Twelve alums played for these teams in round one, representing 12 different schools
  • Front office members Todd Marchant (Anaheim) and Craig Conroy (Calgary) were teammates at Clarkson in the early ’90s
  • Gaudreau shares the playoff scoring lead among rookies with 6 points in 6 games
  • Jon Gillies, with Calgary as a third goaltender, won the national championship April 11 with Providence

Chicago vs. Minnesota

  • Two of the most legendary former North Dakota players – Jonathan Toews and Zach Parise – lead their teams into another playoff meeting
  • Toews returns to Xcel Energy Center, where he won the WCHA Final Five as a freshman
  • Both general managers attended NCAA schools: Chuck Fletcher at Harvard and Stan Bowman at Notre Dame

Tampa Bay vs. Montreal

  • Three players – J.T. Brown, Matt Carle and Tom Gilbert – won NCAA championships
  • Second- or third-year pros Alex Killorn (Harvard), J.T. Brown (Minnesota Duluth), Andrej Sustr (Omaha), Brian Flynn (Maine) and Greg Pateryn (Michigan) have all been impact players