By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
As a wise man once said, “This is March.” All but one of the college hockey conference champions have been crowned, some with a week to spare. Four Boston Bruins prospects, Chris Pelosi, Elliott Groenewold, Philip Svedeback, and Will Zellers, lifted championship trophies for Quinnipiac, Providence, and North Dakota, respectively, with one proving pivotal towards sealing his title on Friday night.
Meanwhile, the class continues to fire on offense, with 11 prospects racking up 15 points heading into the last stretch of the regular season for some, and the conference tournament for others. These guys in particular led the way:
Will Zellers (RW) – North Dakota – Zellers scored his 17th goal of the season on Friday night, his team-leading sixth game-winner of the year, with a highlight reel individual effort as North Dakota beat Western Michigan 5-3 on the road to clinch the Penrose Cup as NCHC regular-season champions. The former Colorado Avalanche draft pick is having a sensational freshman season in Grand Forks, with 17-10-27 in 33 games, nearing a full year since Boston acquired him at the 2025 trade deadline.
Ryan Walsh (C) – Cornell – Walsh recorded four points over a weekend sweep of St Lawrence and Clarkson, with Cornell finishing the regular season second in the ECAC. He posted a goal and two assists against the Saints in the 5-1 Friday night win, then added another helper on the game-winner over the Golden Knights on Saturday to secure all six points.
Cornell’s captain finished the regular season at a near point-per-game pace, with 8-19-27 in 28 games. A strong postseason showing could see him set a new career high in points, with his 31 from last season well within range for the assuredly NCAA tournament-bound Big Red.
James Hagens (C/LW/RW) – Boston College – Hagens extended his point streak to 10 games with an assist in both games against rivals Boston University, though the Eagles dropped both contests 3-1 and 5-1. He recorded the secondary assist on Dean Letourneau’s power play goal on Friday night, combining in a passing sequence with Andre Gasseau to set up Letourneau’s one-timer, then placed a perfect pass for Oskar Jellvik on Saturday.
Hagens is up to 20-20-40 in 30 games for the Eagles this season, 15th in the nation in scoring, and one of just four players with at least 20 goals and 20 assists. His 1.33 points-per-game rank sixth amongst all skaters.
Looking Ahead:
Hagens, Letourneau, Gasseau, Jellvik, Will Moore, and Kristian Kostadinski wrap up their Hockey East regular season schedule with a Thursday night road trip to UMass, followed by Senior Day against Northeastern on Saturday. Jonathan Morello and BU have a standalone road game at UMass-Lowell on Saturday night. Philip Svedeback, who was listed in the Providence lineup on Saturday but did not play, will conclude his regular season next Saturday afternoon against UConn.
Casper Nassen opens the NCHC Tournament on the road in Denver against the Pioneers in a best two-of-three first-round series. Cole Spicer and Western Michigan host Colorado College, while Zellers welcomes Omaha to Grand Forks.
Harvard hosts its ECAC Tournament opening round against St. Lawrence on Friday. A win for Mason Langenbrunner and the Crimson would see them advance to play Walsh and Cornell the following weekend. Chris Pelosi and Elliott Groenewold earned the bye into next weekend as the Cleary Cup champions, the duo’s second, and the sixth consecutive for Quinnipiac.
Beckett Hendrickson and Minnesota wrap up their regular season with a home weekend against Michigan State. The Golden Gophers currently sit sixth in the conference standings, two points behind Ohio State. Should they hold position, they would rematch with the Spartans in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
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