( Photo Credit: DJ Jacobi / Cornell Athletics )

By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz

After having three college hockey captains in their prospect pipeline during the 2025-26 season, the Boston Bruins will enter 2026-27 with at least one still within their ranks, as Ryan Walsh has been named team captain of Cornell for the second consecutive season. Walsh, drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, is returning to Ithaca for his senior year, where, per Cornell Athletics, he will be the 20th multi-year captain in Big Red program history, and the seventh to do so as the solo captain.

Walsh was initially named captain after his sophomore season, following a Team MVP performance (17-14-31 in 36 games) and coming within a goal of the Frozen Four. After heavy offseason turnover on both the roster and behind the bench, Walsh assumed the captaincy with 14 new teammates and a new head coach for the first time since 1994-95. In his first season with the C, Walsh set new career highs in both assists and points (10-23-33 in 33 games), and led Cornell to a fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.

Walsh will be a name for Bruins fans to watch closely throughout the 2026-27 season, not only for his leadership qualities and scoring totals, but also for his defensive attributes and prowess at the faceoff dot. He’s won at least 51% of his draws in every season with the Big Red, including a career-high 55.9% as a sophomore. He could make a strong case for himself with the Bruins organization with another strong season in upstate New York.