News staff and wire services
The No. 12-ranked University of Michigan will open the 2025-26 season on Friday against Mercyhurst in a two-game series at Yost Ice Arena. The weekend games will begin at 7 p.m.
Wolverines captain T.J. Hughes is the nation’s active career leader as he heads into his fourth season with 122 points (league-leading 47 goals, 75 assists).
He holds a 13-point lead over the next player, Quinnipiac’s Jeremy Wilmer, and 42 points over the next Big Ten player, Ohio State’s Davis Burnside.
Hughes and Michael Hage were both named second-team preseason All-Big Ten by the coaches. The Big Ten Rookie of the Year, Hage was fourth in the nation in freshman scoring with 34 points in 33 games.
Michigan was selected No. 12 in the preseason USCHO national poll and received one first-place vote. The Wolverines finished the season No. 17 in the final poll after an 18-15-3 season.
The Wolverines have the second-youngest team in the NCAA at 20.6 years of age. Boston University is the youngest at 19.9. Draft eligible in 2026, Adam Valentini is the third-youngest player with a 2008 birth year.
Ducks sign LaCombe to $72M extension
Jackson LaCombe signed an eight-year, $72 million contract extension with the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, keeping the rising young defenseman with the club through the 2033-34 season.
After just two full NHL seasons, the 24-year-old LaCombe has emerged as an elite two-way defenseman who is under consideration for the U.S. Olympic team roster.
The Ducks welcomed LaCombe’s eagerness to commit his long-term future to Anaheim before he reached restricted free agency next summer, and general manager Pat Verbeek signed him to the richest contract ever given out by the team, although others had larger average annual values.
“Both sides were looking at long-term deals, so I think it came together pretty quickly,” Verbeek told reporters in Irvine after the Ducks’ practice. “What we’re all trying to gauge the landscape of where salaries are going (with the future NHL salary cap), so I feel really comfortable with the contract and the character of Jackson LaCombe. And the player, and I still think there’s lots of upside and growth in his game. I think the best is still to come from Jackson.”
LaCombe went straight to the NHL from the University of Minnesota in April 2023, and he has recorded 16 goals and 44 assists over 148 games with Anaheim. He emerged as the Ducks’ most dependable defenseman with remarkable speed, leading the roster in ice time last season and filling a major role on their power play.
LaCombe’s teammates doused him with water Thursday when he returned to the dressing room after signing his contract at their training complex.
“I love it here,′ LaCombe told reporters. ”I love being here. I love playing here. I love all my teammates here, too, so for me it was an easy decision. … It’s easy to live here. You could say the weather (is a positive) and the place is so nice, but just the group we have has been great for me. Everybody has been so welcoming for the last two years, so I’m grateful for that and I’m just excited to be here for a long time.”
The Ducks missed the playoffs last spring for the seventh consecutive season, but LaCombe was one of their brightest spots. His responsibilities increased dramatically after longtime Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler was traded to St. Louis last December, and LaCombe responded with exceptional transition play and consistent offensive creation with his dangerous wrist shot.
The Minnesota native’s 14 goals last season were 11th among NHL defensemen and the most by an Anaheim blueliner since Lubomir Visnovsky had 18 in the 2010-11 season.
LaCombe also stood out at the world championships in Stockholm last May, recording two goals and three assists for the gold medal-winning U.S. team.
After the Ducks made him the 39th overall pick in the 2019 draft, LaCombe became a star for the Golden Gophers, growing into a top NCAA defenseman who was physically strong enough and mentally mature enough to jump right into the NHL game.
“I think it all happened quickly,” LaCombe said. “My first year was definitely tougher, and I thought last year I played a lot better and I was happy about that. To get (the contract) done now is great.”
LaCombe is the first player to re-sign in the Ducks’ large class of restricted free agents coming up next summer. LaCombe was slated to be an RFA alongside center Leo Carlsson, left wing Cutter Gauthier and defensemen Owen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov.
“Jackson is the first domino to fall, and we’re working on other stuff as well,” Verbeek said.
Verbeek locked up LaCombe five days after re-signing holdout center Mason McTavish to a six-year, $42 million deal.
Flames extend Huska’s contract for 2 years
Calgary Alberta – The Calgary Flames extended coach Ryan Huska’s contract for two years on Thursday, keeping him signed through the 2027-28 season.
Huska became the franchise’s 24th head coach in June 2023.
He has since led the retooling Flames to a 79-66-19 record, coming within one point of a playoff appearance last season.
A former Chicago Blackhawks draft pick, Huska began coaching in 2002 as an assistant with the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets, becoming the club’s coach in 2007.
The 50-year-old from Cranbrook, British Columbia, joined the Flames organization in the 2014-15 season as coach of the American Hockey League’s Adirondack Flames.
That job moved to Stockton for three years before Huska became an assistant in Calgary for five seasons.
“We’re thrilled to extend Ryan for two more years,” Flames general manager Craig Conroy said in a statement. “He’s done an excellent job creating a strong culture in our room and helping our team take steps in the right direction. His communication, work ethic, and commitment to developing our players have been outstanding. We believe in his vision and are confident he’s the right coach to lead us forward.”
Huska said he’s grateful for the opportunity to continue leading the Flames.
“I believe in this group, in their character, talent, and potential. I’m excited about the direction we are heading,” he said. “I want to thank Craig, the ownership, and the entire organization for their trust and support. We are committed to pushing forward and bringing success back to Calgary.”
Florida gives Mikkola $40M extension
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – The Florida Panthers and defenseman Niko Mikkola have agreed on an eight-year, $40 million contract extension that would keep him with the team through the 2033-34 season.
The deal begins next season.
Mikkola’s contract only adds to Florida’s pile of long-term deals with current players. Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Anton Lundell and Seth Jones are under contract through 2029-30. Brad Marchand is signed through 2030-31, Sam Reinhart and Gustav Forsling have deals through 2031-32, while Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad are signed through 2032-33.
Mikkola would be 38 when his new deal expires.
“Niko has proven himself to be a dependable defenseman who uses his speed and physicality to impact both ends of the ice,” Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito said. “He was an indispensable piece of our past two championship campaigns, and we are thrilled that Niko will be continuing his career with the Florida Panthers.”
Mikkola has been with the Panthers for two years; the Panthers won the Stanley Cup in both of those seasons. He had career-highs in goals (6), assists (16), points (22) and plus-minus rating (plus-12) during the regular season a year ago, plus led Florida’s defensemen with 137 hits.
The 6-foot-6 native of Finland has also played for the New York Rangers and St. Louis. It’s expected that he will be part of the Finnish team at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.
NHL’s Central Division remains a gauntlet
Mikko Rantanen was a staple for Colorado, helping the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup as part of his dominant decade in Denver. Then, all of a sudden last winter he was gone, traded to Carolina and by spring back in the division with bitter rival Dallas.
“Someone was like, ‘Yeah, we might be like getting Rantanen,’ and we’re like: ‘What are you talking about? Like, there’s no way,’” Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger recalled. “Then all of a sudden the guy you hate is walking into the dressing room and you’re all like, ‘Oh.’ And then he’s just a great guy and a great teammate.”
Rantanen now plays deep in the heart of Texas for the Stars, who have made three consecutive trips to the Western Conference Final. His former team has Gabriel Landeskog back healthy after the long-term captain missed three years with a chronic knee injury. And Winnipeg hasn’t changed much from the group that was the best in the NHL last season, making the Central an unending gantlet from October through the playoffs, with at least three Stanley Cup contenders at the top.
“Unless you win the Cup, it’s a failure,” said Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who won the Vezina Trophy as well as the Hart as MVP. “It doesn’t matter how far you make it. You’re always looking for what’s going to get you to the next step, and that’s where we are now.”
On the rise
Colorado’s point total has declined from 119 points during the championship season to 109, 107 and 102, but two-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman and 2022 playoff MVP Cale Makar isn’t bothered. Landeskog is back, Nathan MacKinnon and Makar remain two of the top five players in the league and the Avalanche believe they’ve found their goalie in Mackenzie Blackwood.
“We’re going into this year with – as of right now, knock on wood – fully healthy,” Makar said. “There’s no question marks with anything. … Just as a collective whole, I think it’s a completely different feel with our organization and the excitement that’s around us.”
Dallas has a new coach, Glen Gulutzan, after firing Peter DeBoer following a rough end to the most recent trip to the West final when he abruptly pulled Oettinger and seemed to pin outsized blame on the franchise netminder. Oettinger says the Stars are full of confidence about getting over the hump.
Just getting to the playoffs would be momentous for the Utah Mammoth in their first season with that name and second in Salt Lake City since relocating from Arizona. The young core of captain Clayton Keller, fellow forward Logan Cooley and defenseman Mikhail Sergachev got a boost with an offseason acquisition of two-time 25-goal-scorer JJ Peterka and the Mammoth look capable of taking a big step forward.
“Each year, we’ve kind of gotten a bit better and realized how hard it is to win and how just tough it is make it, year in and year out,” Keller said. “It’s an exciting time, and I think we’re all ready for that challenge and I really think JJ is going to help us out.”
On the decline
Winnipeg has nowhere to go but down in the regular season after winning the Presidents’ Trophy with 116 points on 56 wins. The Jets should still be one of the NHL’s best.
Chicago is expected to struggle in 2023 No. 1 pick Connor Bedard’s third season. The good news: There are some exciting young players around him, from forward Frank Nazar to defenseman Artyom Levshunov and the Blackhawks hope Spencer Knightis their solution in net. It will take more time – especially with the salary cap rising – to improve.
Nashville general manager Barry Trotz joked at the start of training camp he was hoping the Predators would prove preseason expectations wrong a third time in a row. Two years ago that was a good thing when they made the playoffs and not so much in 2024-25 when they were a massive bust following a free agent spending spree.
“We started gelling and started playing more team hockey by the end of the season, so we once last season ended, I think everyone was just hitching to get a clean slate,” said Brady Skjei, who was one of those additions on a seven-year, $49 million contract. “We really got to start off on the right foot this year and have a great start – kind of get that swagger back that we’ve known a lot of us have had in the past.”
On the hot seat
Predators coach Andrew Brunette’s job could be on the line if his team does not get off to a good start. Then again, so could Trotz’s if ownership decides he should be back behind the bench instead of running the front office.
Likewise, if Utah does not show growth, André Tourigny’s seat could be getting warmer. For now, he is safe.
Predicted order of finish
Colorado, Dallas, Winnipeg, St. Louis, Utah, Minnesota, Nashville, Chicago.
October schedules
Thursday, Oct. 2
▶ Red Wings 3, Maple Leafs 1
Friday, Oct. 3
▶ Windsor at Michigan State, 6
▶ Mercyhurst at Michigan, 7
▶ Michigan Tech at Minnesota, 8
▶ Notre Dame at NTDP U18, 7
▶ NTDP U17 at Madison, 8
Saturday, Oct. 4
▶ Maple Leafs at Red Wings, 7
▶ Mercyhurst at Michigan, 7
▶ NTDP U18 at Western Michigan, 6
▶ Northern Michigan at UMass, 7:30
▶ Michigan Tech at Minnesota, 8
▶ NTDP U17 at Green Bay, 4
Sunday, Oct. 5
▶ Northern Michigan at UMass, 4
Thursday, Oct. 9
▶ Canadiens at Red Wings, 7
▶ Western Michigan at Ferris State, 7
▶ NTDP U18 at University of Wisconsin, 8
Friday, Oct. 10
▶ New Hampshire at Michigan State, 7
▶ Michigan at Providence, 7
▶ Western Michigan at Ferris State, 7
▶ Northern Michigan at Ohio State, 6:30
▶ Muskegon at NTDP U17, 7
Saturday, Oct. 11
▶ Maple Leafs at Red Wings, 7
▶ New Hampshire at Michigan State, 7:30
▶ Michigan at Providence, 7
▶ Northern Michigan at Ohio State, 5
Want to comment on this story? Become a subscriber today. Click here.
df