10 IceDogs Alumni Crack NHL Opening Night Rosters
By: Kiera Schaafsma
NIAGARA, ONT – 10 IceDogs Alumni have been named to NHL Opening Night rosters ahead of the 2026-2027 season.
Of those ten Alumni, Freddie Hamilton will be the lone alumnus working in a non-playing NHL role, serving as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Chief of Staff.
Most notably, Ryan Strome of the Calgary Flames is chasing his 1,000th career NHL game, currently sitting at 916 games played across the New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, Anaheim Ducks, and Calgary Flames.
Jason Robertson is entering his sixth full season with the Dallas Stars since being drafted 39th overall by the club in 2017. He has played 456 games with the team, recording 490 points (213 goals, 277 assists). Last season, he led the Stars in regular-season points, recording 45 goals and 51 assists for a total of 96 points. He also recorded five goals during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, leading the Stars in that category.
Among alumni chasing career milestones, Carter Verhaeghe is suiting up for his seventh season with the Florida Panthers. He will be chasing 500 career games this season, currently sitting at 489 games played.
Meanwhile, in the Metropolitan Division, Dougie Hamilton is starting his sixth season with the New Jersey Devils and his 14th season in the NHL. He recorded 39 points (12 goals, 27 assists) through 77 games played last season. Hamilton holds several IceDogs’ records, most notably for most career assists by a defenseman (147), most assists by a defenseman in a single season (55), most career points by a defenseman (187), and most points by a defenseman in a single season (72).
As we head west, Alex Nedeljkovic is between the pipes for his second season with the San Jose Sharks. Last season he recorded 18 wins and 14 losses through 40 games, with 2.87 GAA and .896 SV%.
Vince Dunn is entering his sixth season with the Seattle Kraken. Dunn recorded 44 points (11 goals, 33 assists) through 81 games last season, the fourth most points by a Kraken skater.
Just north of the border from Seattle, Jamie Oleksiak is joining the Vancouver Canucks this season after being traded by Seattle. He recorded his first point during his debut with the team on September 29 with an assist on Jonathan Lekkerimaki’s goal. The Canucks went on to defeat the Oilers 6-5 in overtime. Akil Thomas is joining the Vancouver Canucks this season following a trade from St. Louis. Currently injured, Thomas has played 32 career NHL games, tallying up seven points (4 goals, 3 assists).
To cap things off, Alex Pietrangelo has recorded 17 seasons in the NHL. Although he missed the 2025-26 season due to injury and remains on LTIR, he has an impressive NHL career, recording 637 points (148 goals, 489 assists) through 1087 games.
We are excited to see our Dogs on the NHL stage this season!
