7 former college hockey stars to watch as NHL rookies

Happy hockey season, everyone. The long wait is over: the 2026-27 NHL season is here, and the DI men’s hockey season starts Friday. To celebrate the start of both seasons, I’ve put together a list of my top former college hockey players who will be NHL rookies this year. Players making their NHL debut These first few players on my list are former college players who have yet to make their NHL debut and will likely do it in the first couple weeks of the season. You should already know the first one: 1. Gavin McKenna — Penn State, Toronto…