LAS VEGAS – Three National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) alumni hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time Sunday night. Forward Jackson Blake, goaltender Brandon Bussi and defenseman Jaccob Slavin became Stanley Cup champions with the Carolina Hurricanes after helping the Canes defeat the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-0, in Game 6 at T-Mobile Arena to win the series, 4-2.
 
All three NCHC alumni played a critical role in leading Carolina to its first Stanley Cup title since 2006. Blake, who starred at North Dakota from 2022-24, was the Canes leading scorer in the playoffs. Bussi, who played at Western Michigan from 2019-22, went 3-0 in his three starts in the Stanley Cup Final, including a shutout in the clincher. Slavin, who shined at Colorado College from 2013-15, was a stalwart on the Carolina penalty kill and blue line all postseason long.
 
Blake finished with 20 points in 19 Stanley Cup Playoff games this spring to rank third in the NHL and tops on Carolina. He scored seven goals and added 13 assists, with the latter also tops for the Canes and tied for third this postseason. In the Stanley Cup Final against Vegas, Blake tallied two goals and handed out three assists, including two points (1g/1a) in the clinching Game 6 on Sunday.
 
Blake was a standout at North Dakota for two seasons, earning NCHC Rookie of the Year in 2022-23 and NCHC Player of the Year in 2023-24. In his two years with the Fighting Hawks, the Eden Prairie, Minn. native totaled 102 points in only 79 games with 38 goals and 64 assists.
 
In two seasons so far with Carolina, Blake has amassed 87 points (39g/48a) in 162 NHL regular-season games. He posted a career-high 53 points in the regular season this past year (22g/31a) while missing just one game.
 
Bussi completed his fairytale season on Sunday, making his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in relief in Game 3 of the Final on June 6, before going on to start and win the last three games of the postseason against Vegas. In four playoff games, all against the Golden Knights, the former Bronco went 3-1 in net with a 1.60 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage, ranking second and third, respectively, in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Bussi compiled 22 saves in Sunday’s clinching Game 6 for his first postseason shutout, marking only the ninth time in the last 50 years the Cup was won with a shutout.
 
Bussi also made his NHL debut this season after three full seasons in the AHL in the Boston Bruins organization. The undrafted goalie earned his first NHL start on Oct. 14 in a win over San Jose and won 11 of his first 12 games to set an NHL record. Bussi finished the regular season with a 31-6-2 record in 39 starts for Carolina, while posting a 2.47 GAA and an .895 save percentage with two shutouts.
 
In 77 games at WMU (2019-22), Bussi went 46-25-5 with the Sound Beach, N.Y., native compiling a .910 save percentage and a 2.61 GAA over three seasons in Kalamazoo.
 
Slavin adds a Stanley Cup to his haul this year after also helping Team USA win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February. In doing so, he becomes only the second American to win the Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal in the same season (Ken Morrow in 1980) and only the fifth American to win both in their career. The Erie, Colo. native also is now only the ninth player ever to win the Cup and Olympic Gold in the same year.
 
Slavin averaged 23:31 time on ice in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which was second on the Canes, while chipping in five assists and posting a +4 plus/minus from the blue line in 19 games. Two of his assists came in the Stanley Cup Final, including one in Game 6. He also helped Carolina’s penalty kill post a 91.5 percent success rate in the playoffs.
 
Slavin has been with the Hurricanes his whole career, completing his 11th season in Carolina in 2025-26. The Canes assistant captain missed much of the regular season this year with an injury, playing in only 39 games and tallying eight points, but Slavin has 307 career points in 784 NHL regular-season games.
 
While at Colorado College, Slavin was the inaugural NCHC Rookie of the Year in 2013-14 and a two-time All-NCHC selection. He totaled 42 points (10g/32a) in 66 career collegiate games with the Tigers.
 
Adding in Blake, Bussi and Slavin, the NCHC has now seen nine alumni lift the Stanley Cup. Former WMU forward Paul Cotter won it with Vegas in 2023, while former Denver forward Logan O’Connor hoisted it with Colorado in 2022. Former Miami forward Blake Coleman won it twice with Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021, while former Omaha forwards Josh Archibald and Jake Guentzel captured it with Pittsburgh in 2017. Former UND forward Shane Gersich lifted the Cup with Washington in 2018, as well.