By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
Bruins prospect Ryan Walsh was officially named the captain of the Cornell Big Red for the 2025-26 NCAA Hockey season on Tuesday morning. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, Walsh is coming off a breakout year as the top-line center in Ithaca and will be joined by Jack O’Brien and Jonathan Castagna in his leadership group.
Walsh led all Cornell skaters in goalscoring (17), points (31), and faceoff wins (419) as a sophomore in 2024-25, setting career highs in nearly every category His performance earned First-Team All-Ivy League honors, and the Nicky Bawlf Award as Team MVP. His 17 goals were the most by any Cornell player since the 2010-11 season, and most by a sophomore since Matt Moulson in 2003-04.
He was a driving force behind the Big Red’s improbable postseason run, where they entered the ECAC Tournament as the sixth seed and came within a goal of the Frozen Four. Walsh recorded six points during the run, including assisting on the OT winner in the ECAC semifinal over top-seed Quinnipiac, and scoring twice in a stunning upset over regional top-seed Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament.
Walsh’s captaincy will preside over a period of transition for Cornell. Longtime coach Mike Schafer retired after 29 years behind the Big Red bench at the conclusion of last season. Cornell will also be icing a significantly younger roster than Walsh’s first two seasons, following ten offseason graduations and two other upperclassmen departures.
Walsh joins Andre Gasseau at Boston College and Mason Langenbrunner at Harvard as captains of their respective collegiate teams in the Bruins organization. Cornell will open their regular season with a weekend series on the road at UMass on October 31st and November 1st.
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