Boston College Professional Athletes

Boston College's fingerprints were all over the NHL this week, and none were more indelible than Matt Boldy's.

The Wild winger torched the St. Louis Blues on Thursday with his fifth career hat trick — and added an assist to make it a four-point night, his sixth career four-point game. Minnesota held on 5-4, with Boldy doing the lion's share of the heavy lifting alongside Kirill Kaprizov's league-high ninth goal. Earlier in the week, Boldy also scored in Minnesota's 4-2 win over the Golden Knights. Through the period, he's been the Wild's most consistent offensive engine, and the hat trick night was a reminder of why.

Tuch and Leonard Light Up the Capital

A pair of Eagles are making the Washington Capitals dangerous early in the season. Alex Tuch delivered a three-point performance (two goals, one assist) in Washington's 5-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday — a strong early statement from the veteran winger, who joined the Capitals this offseason after five years in Buffalo. By Saturday against New Jersey, Tuch added another assist in a 4-2 Caps victory.

Ryan Leonard had a messier week. The young Capitals winger went coast-to-coast for a slick power-play goal against the Devils on Saturday, showing the kind of skill that made him a first-round pick. But earlier in the week against Carolina, Leonard was benched after a slashing penalty in a tied game — Washington went from 2-2 to a 4-2 loss, and Leonard never returned to the ice. Head coach Spencer Carbery has work to do managing the rookie's minutes, but Saturday's goal was a response worth noting.

Smith and Hagens Stake Their Claims

Will Smith is building a case for a big contract extension in San Jose. The Sharks center scored his third goal of the season Friday in a 3-2 shootout win over Nashville, then added an assist Saturday in a 4-3 loss to Detroit. Smith has registered at least a point in multiple games this week across two separate matchups, and per reporting, his contract situation — potentially worth $80 million — looms large for the Sharks' front office.

In Boston, James Hagens has quietly had a productive stretch. The Bruins center posted two assists and a plus-1 in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Ducks, and also went plus-1 in Wednesday's 6-3 rout of the Sharks. The 19-year-old is earning trust on a Bruins team that could use his upside — and his name has surfaced in trade discussions around Detroit defenseman Simon Edvinsson, signaling that Boston views him as a genuine asset.

Around the League

Spencer Knight made 31 saves in Chicago's 4-3 win over the Jets on Friday, then stopped 28 of 32 in a loss to Dallas on Saturday — steady work for a goalie trying to establish himself as the Blackhawks' starter. Joseph Woll, meanwhile, is playing well in Philadelphia despite the Flyers' dismal 0-9 start; a 24-save effort Thursday wasn't enough to avoid a 2-1 loss to Detroit, and the team has dropped nine straight regardless of his efforts. Cutter Gauthier chipped in an assist and a plus-1 against Boston on Saturday, a positive note after exiting an earlier game against Calgary with an upper-body injury.

For Eagles fans, the big picture is hard to miss: BC alumni are not just filling roster spots in the NHL — they're making plays that matter.

Boston College has never had trouble producing NHL talent, and the opening week of the 2026-27 season is a reminder of just how deep that pipeline runs. From Madison Square Garden to Montreal to Anaheim, Eagles alumni were everywhere — with mixed but compelling results.

Perreault's Breakout Is Real

The most-watched BC alum this week was Gabe Perreault, who entered the season as one of the league's consensus breakout picks and did nothing to dampen the hype in New York. The Rangers winger has been living up to the billing early, drawing attention as one of the more dynamic young forwards in the Eastern Conference. That makes Friday's 3-1 loss to Washington a frustrating footnote — Perreault finished the night at minus-1 — but one game doesn't derail a narrative that's been building since training camp. The larger arc remains intact: this is a player people are watching closely, and for good reason.

Kreider Fills the Void in Montreal

On the other side of that Rangers-Capitals game, BC's most prominent Canadien had a bigger week. Chris Kreider, signed in the offseason to add veteran presence to Montreal's rebuild, has quickly become more valuable than anticipated. When young star Ivan Demidov went down with an injury, the Canadiens' depth was immediately stress-tested — and Kreider answered. He scored a power-play goal to pull Montreal within one in a dramatic late-game rally that sent things to overtime against Nashville, and his work on a new line alongside Alex Newhook and Josh Anderson drew praise even in a loss. Montreal didn't come away with two points in either game this week, but Kreider and Newhook — another BC product — gave the organization something to feel good about in the process.

Matheson, meanwhile, had a quieter week. He drew a penalty late in the Nashville game that opened the door for the Predators' go-ahead power-play goal, a costly moment in a 5-2 final.

Boldy Delivers for Minnesota

Matt Boldy put together the most statistically clean performance of any BC alum in the period. The Wild winger posted a goal and an assist in Minnesota's 4-1 win over the Panthers on Saturday, finishing with a plus-2. It's the kind of multi-point, high-impact game that has defined Boldy's trajectory as one of the better young power forwards in the Western Conference.

Gauthier and Nesterenko Shine in Anaheim

The Ducks were one of the week's better stories, and BC had a hand in it. Cutter Gauthier scored two power-play goals in Anaheim's 3-2 overtime win over Florida on Sunday — a statement performance for a player who's developing into a genuine top-six presence on the West Coast. Later in the week, linemate Nikita Nesterenko also found the scoresheet in the Ducks' 5-1 dismantling of Winnipeg, giving BC two contributors on one of the NHL's more intriguing young rosters.

Around the League

Ryan Leonard chipped in an assist and finished plus-2 in Washington's 5-3 win over Pittsburgh — a win that doubled as Alex Ovechkin's final home opener. James Hagens picked up an assist in Boston's 5-1 victory over Philadelphia. And Joseph Woll, now in a Flyers uniform after being traded from Toronto, had a rough debut against his old organization, surrendering five goals in that same blowout — including one just 10 seconds into a separate start against Carolina's Sebastian Aho.

It's one week. But for BC, it's a week worth watching.