Maine Professional Athletes

Jeremy Swayman didn't ease into the 2026-27 season — he kicked the door down.

The Maine product turned in one of the more impressive season-opening stretches a Bruins goaltender has had in recent memory, going 2-0 across two starts with a shutout and a dramatic overtime win in his back pocket before the calendar even hit October.

Brick Wall in the Garden

Swayman opened the season Tuesday against the New York Rangers and was virtually untouchable. He stopped all 24 shots he faced in a clean 3-0 Boston victory, with Fraser Minten adding a goal and an assist to pace the offense. It was the kind of performance that sets a tone — the kind goalies and fan bases remember when February gets hard.

Drama in Winnipeg

The second start carried a different kind of tension. Boston headed to Winnipeg for a Friday night matchup against the Jets, and this one didn't go quietly. The Jets' blue line made life difficult early — Dylan DeMelo put Winnipeg on the board first with a slap shot past Swayman at 4:52 of the opening period, and the game stayed tight through two periods tied at 2-2. The Jets pushed it to 3-2, but Boston clawed back. Elias Lindholm — with Swayman pulled for the extra attacker — tipped in a David Pastrnak pass with 1:38 left in regulation to force overtime. Then JJ Peterka, set up again by Pastrnak, ended it at 3:21 of OT for a 4-3 Bruins win.

Swayman took the loss on the stat sheet only in the sense that the game nearly slipped away — but Boston came back to win it, and he was in net for both points.

Two games, two wins, six points in the standings. The Orono native is off to the races.

Hutton on the Outside Looking In

Not all Maine alumni had a week to celebrate. Defenseman Ben Hutton was among the players released as the Ottawa Senators finalized their 23-man opening night roster, with three players also placed on injured reserve. Hutton, a veteran blue-liner, will need to find a new home or wait for an opportunity to re-emerge during the season.

For Black Bear fans tracking the NHL, the ledger reads one breakout star and one roster casualty to start the year — which, in the unforgiving world of professional hockey, is a pretty normal Tuesday. Or Friday. Or both.

For Maine hockey alumni, the most important crease in the NHL right now belongs to one of their own.

Jeremy Swayman turned in a sharp performance in Boston's preseason opener, stopping 20 of 21 shots as the Bruins cruised past the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1. It was exactly the kind of outing that has analysts and Boston faithful buzzing — and for good reason. According to Yahoo Sports, elite goaltending from Swayman isn't just a nice-to-have for this Bruins team: it's the single biggest factor that will determine whether Boston punches a ticket to the playoffs this season.

The pressure on the Black Bear netminder is real. The Bruins are built to contend, but the margin for error in the Eastern Conference is thin, and Swayman's ability to carry the load between the pipes will define Boston's ceiling. His Flyers preseason showing was a statement, not just a tune-up — 20 saves, a clean final score, and a composure that looked anything but preseason-casual.

Swayman's trajectory since leaving Orono has been one of the more compelling stories in recent NHL goaltending. Now firmly entrenched as Boston's starter, this is the season where expectations graduate from "promising young netminder" to "franchise cornerstone." Early returns suggest he's ready for that weight.

The Rest of the Black Bear Roster

Swayman is the headliner, but Maine has seven active alumni spread across the league heading into 2026-27. Gustav Nyquist continues his veteran run with the Winnipeg Jets, while Bradly Nadeau — one of the younger names on the list — is pushing for ice time with the Carolina Hurricanes. Ben Hutton anchors the Ottawa Senators blue line, and Daniel Renouf does the same in Pittsburgh. Ryan Lomberg brings his physical game to Columbus, and Devin Shore is skating center for Minnesota.

None generated the preseason noise Swayman did this week, but the breadth of Black Bear representation across the league — from Raleigh to Winnipeg to Boston — is a quiet testament to what Maine's program has consistently produced at the pro level.

For now, though, the spotlight is on Swayman. If the Bruins are going where they want to go this spring, the Maine man in net will be the reason why.

Maine in the NHL | Week of Sept. 13–19, 2026

Ben Hutton isn't done yet.

The Maine Black Bears alumnus and Brockville, Ontario native has earned a professional tryout (PTO) with the Ottawa Senators, keeping his NHL career alive as teams finalize rosters ahead of the 2026-27 season. Hutton arrives in the nation's capital with 575 games of NHL experience — a résumé that speaks for itself and gives Ottawa something tangible on the back end.

The timing works in Hutton's favor. The Senators' blue line is already dealing with injury concerns heading into camp, creating a genuine opening for a veteran presence to step in and make a case for a contract. A PTO isn't a guarantee, but for a defenseman with Hutton's track record, it's a legitimate runway. Ottawa gets low-risk depth; Hutton gets a shot in front of a home-province crowd.

It's a quietly compelling story for Black Bear fans. Hutton was never a headline-grabbing offensive dynamo, but 575 NHL games tell the story of a player who kept finding ways to stick — through roster battles, organizational changes, and the relentless churn of a league that discards veterans quickly. Getting a look from an Ottawa market at this stage of his career reflects both his durability and the quiet respect he commands around the league.

No other Maine alumni made notable moves during the week of Sept. 13–19, though the program continues to maintain a strong footprint across the league. Jeremy Swayman holds down the crease in Boston, Gustav Nyquist brings veteran savvy to Winnipeg's wing, Bradly Nadeau continues to develop in Carolina, and Ryan Lomberg, Devin Shore, and Daniel Renouf round out a Black Bears alumni group that spans six franchises.

For now, though, all eyes from Orono point toward Ottawa — and whether Hutton can turn a tryout into one more chapter.