COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs beginning tomorrow, Saturday, April 20, 23 former National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) players and one former head coach from seven NCHC schools will start their journey to try and hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup. A total of 32 alumni from NCHC teams, including one head coach, will compete for the Stanley Cup, as eight other alumni from NCHC teams who played prior to the NCHC will also take part in the NHL Playoffs, along with the 23 NCHC alums.
 
Among NCHC alumni only, St. Cloud State leads the way with six former players in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, while Minnesota Duluth and North Dakota have five NCHC alumni each on playoff rosters. Denver has three NCHC alums in the postseason, plus former head coach Jim Montgomery is behind the bench of the Boston Bruins. Miami has two NCHC alumni in the chase for the Stanley Cup, while Colorado College and Omaha have one each, both on the Carolina Hurricanes (Jaccob Slavin and Jake Guentzel).
 
Among all alumni of NCHC teams, North Dakota paces teams with nine, followed by St. Cloud State’s seven. Denver and Minnesota Duluth each have five former players on postseason rosters, while Miami has three total and CC and Omaha have one each.
 
The Washington Capitals lead all NHL teams in the playoffs with four alumni of NCHC teams, including two NCHC alums in former St. Cloud State teammates Nic Dowd and Charlie Lindgren (former Husky Nick Jensen is also on the Capitals, along with former UND star T.J. Oshie). Four teams in the playoffs have three former NCHC players on their squad in the Carolina Hurricanes, the Los Angeles Kings, the Vancouver Canucks and the Winnipeg Jets. All three Jets are former Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (Alex Iafallo, Neal Pionk and Dylan Samberg). The Nashville Predators have three alumni of NCHC teams, as well, with one (Jason Zucker) playing collegiately prior to the NCHC.
 
Two first round playoff series will feature former NCHC teammates going head-to-head against each other. Dowd, Lindgren and the Capitals face former SCSU standout Jonny Brodzinski and the Rangers, as all three played together in St. Cloud in the NCHC’s inaugural 2013-14 season. In addition, Brock Boeser and the Canucks battle Cole Smith and the Predators, while both were teammates at North Dakota in 2016-17.
 
In all, 13 teams in the playoffs have at least one alumnus of an NCHC team, with only the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars not having an NCHC team represented. The NCHC has an alumnus on 11 of the 16 Stanley Cup Playoff teams, with the New York Islanders and Vegas Golden Knights only having players who played prior to the NCHC. More alumni could be added to rosters throughout the playoffs.
 
The NCHC is represented in every first-round series in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Two series feature six alumni of NCHC teams in the New York Rangers (2) vs. the Washington Capitals (4) and the Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. the Nashville Predators (3), both of which have former college teammates squaring off.  The Dallas Stars (0) against the Vegas Golden Knights (1) series has the fewest, with only former Miami defenseman Alec Martinez, who played in Oxford prior to the NCHC, representing.
 
The 2024 NHL postseason begins Saturday with the Islanders at Hurricanes and Maple Leafs at Bruins. To see the Stanley Cup Playoffs bracket and schedule, click here. A complete list of NCHC alumni in the playoffs is at the bottom.
 
Among the 32 alumni of NCHC teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, 18 are forwards, 12 are defensemen, one is a goaltender and one is a former head coach. Among only the 23 former NCHC players, 14 are forwards, eight are blueliners and one is a netminder.
 
The NCHC saw 60 alumni play in the NHL during the 2023-24 regular season, including eight former players making their NHL debut. The NCHC has now produced 105 alumni to play at least one game in the NHL in the conference’s 11-year history.
 
Five NCHC alumni have gone on to hoist the Stanley Cup previously, with former Denver forward Logan O’Connor the most recent, winning the Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022. Former Miami forward Blake Coleman, now with Calgary, won the Stanley Cup back-to-back in 2020 and 2021 with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Former Omaha teammates Jake Guentzel and Josh Archibald both won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017, while former North Dakota forward Shane Gersich lifted the Cup with Washington in 2018. Of the five, Guentzel is back in the playoffs with the Carolina Hurricanes, while O’Connor’s Avalanche are in the playoffs, however he is out for the rest of the season with an injury.
 
All 32 alumni (and coach) of NCHC teams looking to lift the Stanley Cup this year are listed below by NCHC school and then by NHL team, with players who played prior to the NCHC in italics:
 
COLORADO COLLEGE
Jaccob Slavin, D, 2013-15 (Carolina)
 
DENVER
Danton Heinen, F, 2014-16 (Boston)
Scott Mayfield, D, 2011-13 (New York Islanders – IR)
Jim Montgomery, Head Coach, 2013-18 (Boston)
Trevor Moore, F, 2013-16 (Los Angeles)
Logan O’Connor, F, 2015-18 (Colorado – IR)
Jason Zucker, F, 2010-12 (Nashville)
 
MIAMI
Alec Martinez, D, 2005-08 (Vegas)
Jack Roslovic, F, 2015-16 (New York Rangers)
Kiefer Sherwood, F, 2015-18 (Nashville)
 
MINNESOTA DULUTH
Mikey Anderson, D, 2017-19 (Los Angeles)
Alex Iafallo, F, 2013-17 (Winnipeg)
Neal Pionk, D, 2015-17 (Winnipeg)
Dylan Samberg, D, 2017-20 (Winnipeg)
Carson Soucy, D, 2013-17 (Vancouver)
 
NORTH DAKOTA
Jackson Blake, F, 2022-24 (Carolina)
Brock Boeser, F, 2015-17 (Vancouver)
Derek Forbort, D, 2010-13 (Boston - IR)
Brock Nelson, F, 2010-12 (New York Islanders)
T.J. Oshie, F, 2005-08 (Washington)
Zach Parise, F, 2002-04 (Colorado)
Tucker Poolman, D, 2014-17 (Vancouver - IR)
Cole Smith, F, 2016-20 (Nashville)
Troy Stecher, D, 2013-16 (Edmonton)
 
OMAHA
Jake Guentzel, F, 2013-16 (Carolina)
 
ST. CLOUD STATE
Jonny Brodzinski, F, 2012-15 (New York Rangers)
Nic Dowd, F, 2010-14 (Washington)
Mikey Eyssimont, F, 2015-18 (Tampa Bay)
Nick Jensen, D, 2010-13 (Washington)
Charlie Lindgren, G, 2013-16 (Washington)
Blake Lizotte, F, 2017-19 (Los Angeles)
Nick Perbix, D, 2018-22 (Tampa Bay)
 
WESTERN MICHIGAN
None
 
BY NHL TEAM:
 
NEW YORK RANGERS
Jonny Brodzinski, F, St. Cloud State
Jack Roslovic, F, Miami
 
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Nic Dowd, F, St. Cloud State
Nick Jensen, D, St. Cloud State
Charlie Lindgren, G, St. Cloud State
T.J. Oshie, F, North Dakota
 
FLORIDA PANTHERS
None
 
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Mikey Eyssimont, F, St. Cloud State
Nick Perbix, D, St. Cloud State
 
BOSTON BRUINS
Derek Forbort, D, North Dakota (IR)
Danton Heinen, F, Denver
Jim Montgomery, Head Coach, Denver
 
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
None
 
CAROLINA HURRICANES
Jackson Blake, F, North Dakota
Jake Guentzel, F, Omaha
Jaccob Slavin, D, Colorado College
 
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Scott Mayfield, D, Denver (IR)
Brock Nelson, F, North Dakota
 
DALLAS STARS
None
 
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Alec Martinez, D, Miami
 
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
Brock Boeser, F, North Dakota
Carson Soucy, D, Minnesota Duluth
Tucker Poolman, D, North Dakota (IR)
 
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
Kiefer Sherwood, F, Miami
Cole Smith, F, North Dakota
Jason Zucker, F, Denver
 
WINNIPEG JETS
Alex Iafallo, F, Minnesota Duluth
Neal Pionk, D, Minnesota Duluth
Dylan Samberg, D, Minnesota Duluth
 
COLORADO AVALANCHE
Logan O’Connor, F, Denver (IR)
Zach Parise, F, North Dakota
 
EDMONTON OILERS
Troy Stecher, D, North Dakota
 
LOS ANGELES KINGS
Mikey Anderson, D, Minnesota Duluth
Blake Lizotte, F, St. Cloud State
Trevor Moore, F, Denver