Colgate University Professional Athletes

Bobby McMann is making Colgate proud in the Pacific Northwest.

The Kraken forward and Raiders alum delivered the shootout-winning shot Wednesday, October 21, lifting Seattle past the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in what was a tightly contested early-season clash. McMann's decisive stroke in the shootout was the difference-maker after the teams couldn't be separated through overtime — a clutch moment that showcased exactly the kind of big-game composure Colgate fans remember from his college days.

McMann didn't stop there. Two nights later on Friday, October 23, he picked up an assist and posted a plus-2 rating as the Kraken rolled past the Utah Mammoth 5-3, giving Seattle back-to-back wins to close out the week. Through both games, McMann was a consistent force on the ice — not just producing in the box score but driving positive possession results with his plus-minus numbers.

The week offered a clean snapshot of where McMann stands heading into the 2024-25 campaign: a reliable contributor who can deliver when the pressure is highest. For Colgate, a school not always top of mind when NHL rosters are being constructed, having a former Raider converting shootout winners for a playoff-caliber franchise is a legitimate bragging right.

The other active Colgate alum in the NHL, Chris Wagner of the Colorado Avalanche, did not surface in notable action during this period.

For Raiders fans following the NHL, the McMann file is one worth bookmarking. The Kraken are building early momentum, and their Colgate connection is right in the middle of it.

Bobby McMann had a week to remember — and one to forget — as Colgate University's most prominent NHL representative put his name in the highlight reel before a rough stretch reminded fans how unforgiving the league can be.

The Highlight: McMann Buries the Flyers

The Colgate alum was the story of Tuesday's contest in Philadelphia, doing double duty to lift the Seattle Kraken over the Flyers 3-2 in a shootout. McMann scored in regulation to help Seattle stay level, then stepped up in the fifth round of the shootout to deliver the winner — a moment that sent the Kraken home with two points. Behind him, Philipp Grubauer was steady all night with 24 saves.

The loss was historically bad news for Philadelphia. It extended the Flyers' winless streak to start a season to eight games (0-5-3), a new franchise record. McMann, in other words, didn't just win a hockey game — he helped bury a team already in historic trouble.

The Full Week Picture

McMann's four-game stretch told two very different stories. On Sunday, October 11, he chipped in an assist against the Capitals — though the Kraken dropped that one 5-3 and McMann finished at -1. Then came the Tuesday gem against Philadelphia, where his goal and shootout winner were the difference-makers.

Things got tougher from there. A Thursday matchup against the Lightning ended in a 4-3 loss, with McMann posting a -1. Saturday's game against the Panthers was the roughest outing of the stretch: a 8-3 blowout in which McMann finished at -4. It's the kind of scoreline that reminds even the best performers in a given week that the NHL schedule shows no mercy.

The Other Colgate Alum

Chris Wagner, skating for the Colorado Avalanche at right wing, didn't generate stats noteworthy enough to surface in the week's reporting — a quiet stretch for the other active Colgate man in the league.

The Takeaway

McMann's Tuesday performance is the kind of moment Colgate fans circle. A regulation goal and a clutch shootout winner in the fifth round, against a franchise now firmly in record-setting futility territory — that's the stuff alumni newsletters are made of. The back half of the week was a humbling correction, but the memory from Philadelphia should stick. For a school not exactly known as an NHL pipeline, having a player deliver a game-winning shootout goal in the NHL is a notable marker.

The Kraken will need more of that McMann when the calendar turns.

Colgate alumni fans had reason to cheer early in the 2026–27 NHL season: Bobby McMann scored for the Seattle Kraken in a commanding 6-1 home-opening blowout of the Calgary Flames on Sunday night, part of a first-period explosion that put the game away before it ever really started.

McMann's goal came within the opening eight minutes, part of a three-goal burst that also included tallies from Berkly Catton and linemate Mackie Samoskevich. The Kraken never looked back. Samoskevich added a second goal late in the second period, and goaltender Joey Daccord was sharp throughout, stopping 32 of 33 shots to lock down the result. Calgary, meanwhile, remains winless on the young season.

For McMann, it's the kind of moment Colgate alums have been waiting to see more of — a Hamilton, NY product registering on the scoresheet in a nationally visible game. He's been a physical, aggressive presence on Seattle's bottom-six forward lines, but a goal in a home opener with that kind of energy in the building carries its own weight.

The Kraken also faced the Detroit Red Wings later in the week (a 6-3 result), giving McMann back-to-back opportunities to build on his early momentum heading into the season's first full stretch.

As for fellow Colgate alum Chris Wagner, the veteran winger is on the Colorado Avalanche's roster but did not figure into the week's notable developments based on available reporting.

Two alumni, two different trajectories early in the year — but for Colgate fans tuned into the NHL, McMann's fast start in Seattle is the story worth watching.