NHL Player News

Hopkins scored a goal on seven shots and added two assists in OHL Guelph's 5-1 win over Owen Sound on Saturday.

Hopkins is entering his fourth year in the OHL. He's already produced five points over two games since coming back from training camp with the Maple Leafs. Hopkins didn't stand out last year with 50 points in 56 regular-season appearances between Guelph and Kingston, but the Storm are looking like one of junior hockey's best teams on paper, so Hopkins should be able to see a bump in offense.

Crosby scored a goal in Saturday's 3-1 preseason win over the Sabres.

The 39-year-old future Hall of Famer opened the scoring midway through the first period, blasting a shot from the faceoff dot past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Crosby is still producing at a high level, racking up 29 goals and 74 points in 68 regular-season games in 2025-26, and he needs just 11 points to pass Marcel Dionne and take over sixth place on the NHL's all-time list.

Steeves was placed on waivers by the Bruins on Saturday.

After a productive first year of seeing regular playing time at the NHL level, Steeves will begin the 2026-27 campaign in the minors if he goes unclaimed. The 26-year-old winger was solid from his bottom-six role, where he posted nine goals, 16 points, 55 shots on net, 144 hits and 27 blocked shots across 43 regular-season games. If he clears waivers over the next 24 hours, he'll likely play a large role for AHL Providence. Steeves will likely see some NHL playing time in 2026-27 if the Bruins' forward room runs into injury trouble.

Foudy was placed on waivers Saturday for the purpose of sending him to AHL Hamilton.

Foudy notched 26 goals and 47 points in 60 games for AHL Bridgeport during the 2025-26 regular season. If he clears waivers, he will likely spend most, if not all, of the 2026-27 campaign in the minors.

Del Bel Belluz (shoulder) is expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against Detroit.

Del Bel Belluz is competing for a fourth-line role with the Blue Jackets at training camp, and he will get another chance to make an impression in Saturday's preseason finale. He picked up one assist, 11 shots on net, 10 blocked shots and three hits in 14 appearances for Columbus during the 2025-26 regular season.

Hamilton scored three goals in WHL Red Deer's 4-3 win over Lethbridge on Friday.

Hamilton was a third-round pick of the Avalanche back in June. He broke out with 62 points in 67 regular-season appearances on a struggling team. This year, he's captaining the Rebels and is off to a hot start. The 18-year-old should be able to show growth on offense while playing in a large role for Red Deer throughout 2026-27.

Czata scored twice in OHL Guelph's 6-0 win over Oshawa on Friday.

Fresh off a stint at training camp with the Lightning, Czata had a strong OHL season debut. He's on a new team this year, joining the Storm after three years with Niagara. He posted 53 points in 63 regular-season appearances in 2025-26, a slight per-game uptick from the year before. Playing on a strong team that's also hosting the Memorial Cup in May of 2027 should allow Czata to do a bit more on offense in his age-19 campaign.

Nobert scored twice in QMJHL Halifax's 4-3 overtime win over Newfoundland on Friday.

Nobert made his Mooseheads debut after getting traded from Blainville-Boisbriand in the offseason. The Vegas prospect collected 78 points in 62 regular-season games with the Armada last year. The 19-year-old should be a leader on offense for Halifax in 2026-27, setting him up either for an entry-level deal or a jump to the NCAA next year.

Dagenais scored twice and added two assists in QMJHL Quebec's 7-4 win over Shawinigan on Friday.

Dagenais made his season debut after a stint at the Blues' training camp. The forward was drafted 16th overall in 2026 and has a great shot while still needing work in other areas. Dagenais was drafted as a center but has mostly worked on the wing in his junior career, and it's possible he moves full time to the wing once he reaches the professional ranks.

Zibanejad scored a goal, dished an assist and added two hits in Friday's 6-1 preseason win over the Islanders.

Zibanejad looks set to open the season as the Rangers' top center. While the team around him has gotten a remodel in recent years, Zibanejad stood out with a 78-point effort in 81 games in 2025-26. He also had 105 hits last year, topping the 100-hit mark for the first time since 2018-19. The 33-year-old can offer a little of everything, making him a quality middle-round fantasy option.