Minnesota Professional Athletes

For a program that has produced NHL talent at every position for decades, Minnesota's latest milestone came not from a game sheet — but from a video game rating that carries real weight in how the hockey world perceives its players.

Wild defenseman Brock Faber has been slotted among the top blueliners in EA Sports' NHL 27 rankings, placed alongside Colorado's Cale Makar in a tier reserved for the game's premier defenders. For a player still early in his NHL career, the recognition signals something the eye test has suggested for a while: Faber isn't just a promising Gopher product — he's becoming one of the best defenders in the league, full stop.

EA's countdown-style reveal format is designed to generate exactly this kind of buzz, and Faber's inclusion in elite company is the kind of external validation that tends to stick. Makar is the standard-bearer for the modern offensive defenseman — a Stanley Cup champion with Norris Trophy pedigree. Being mentioned in the same breath, even in a gaming context, reflects how quickly Faber has ascended since his college days in Minneapolis.

Faber joins a long and active list of Minnesota alumni currently skating in the NHL. The Gophers' pipeline runs deep across the league this season, with former players rostered on teams from Tampa to Anaheim. Logan Cooley continues to develop with the Coyotes, Matthew Knies figures into Toronto's top-six conversation with the Maple Leafs, and Casey Mittelstadt anchors the middle for the Bruins — all products of the same program that shaped Faber's game.

But it's Faber who is generating the loudest headlines this offseason. His pairing in the NHL 27 rankings with Makar isn't just a marketing hook — it's a reflection of the statistical and situational workload the Wild have placed on his shoulders. Minnesota has leaned heavily on Faber in high-leverage situations, and the results have justified the trust.

For Golden Gophers alumni tracking the program's NHL footprint, this is the kind of moment that validates the recruiting pitch. Minnesota doesn't just send players to the league — it sends players who climb to the top of it.

Jackson LaCombe is no longer a prospect to watch — he's a name to remember.

The Minnesota alum and Anaheim Ducks defenseman was ranked 17th among all NHL blueliners by NHL Network this week, a recognition that cements his emergence as one of the league's legitimate top-end defenders following a breakout season. LaCombe also locked in his future with Anaheim, signing a lucrative contract extension that signals the Ducks' belief he's a cornerstone of their rebuild.

The praise from NHL Network zeroed in on what made LaCombe so difficult to play against last season: exceptional mobility and dominant two-way play. Those aren't traits typically associated with a 24-year-old still establishing himself — they're the calling cards of an established, impact defender. Landing at 17th overall puts LaCombe ahead of a long list of household names and signals that his development arc is far from finished.

For Gophers fans, LaCombe's ascent is a familiar story with a satisfying new chapter. He came to Minnesota as a highly touted recruit, developed steadily, and entered the NHL as a second-round pick who needed time to grow into his frame and game. That patience has paid off spectacularly.

LaCombe isn't the only Gopher making noise on NHL blue lines. Brock Faber continues his own rise just up the road with the Minnesota Wild, while Ryan Lindgren anchors Seattle's defensive corps and Brady Skjei brings veteran presence to Nashville's back end. The pipeline from Minneapolis to NHL rosters remains one of the most productive in college hockey — and LaCombe's breakout gives it a fresh marquee name heading into the 2026–27 season.

What makes LaCombe's ranking especially notable is the context: Anaheim hasn't been a destination for star power in recent years. The Ducks have been grinding through a rebuild, and LaCombe is quickly becoming the face of that process on defense. A top-20 ranking from a major broadcast platform, paired with a new deal keeping him in orange and black, suggests the organization views him the same way the rest of the league now does — as a legitimate No. 1 option on the back end.

For the Gopher faithful, the timeline is worth appreciating. LaCombe was drafted in 2020, spent time developing his game, and is now being mentioned alongside the league's best. That's the kind of return that keeps Minnesota's pipeline filled — and keeps scouts circling Mariucci Arena every winter.

Alex Goligoski spent nearly two decades making plays as one of the NHL's most durable defensemen. Now the Minnesota alumnus is back where his hockey journey began — this time, helping shape the players who come next.

The Wild announced Goligoski as the franchise's newest player development coach, closing the book on a playing career that spanned 1,078 NHL games and included a Stanley Cup championship. The hire keeps a familiar face inside the organization: Goligoski finished his playing days in Minnesota and clearly never strayed far from the franchise's orbit.

From the Blue Line to the Whiteboard

The transition from player to development coach is well-worn in the NHL, but few candidates arrive with Goligoski's résumé. A product of the University of Minnesota, he logged over a decade in the league across stops in Pittsburgh, Dallas, Arizona, and Minnesota — accumulating the kind of institutional knowledge that organizations pay to retain. The Wild are betting that experience translates into tangible gains for the next wave of defensive prospects working their way through the system.

Player development roles have grown in stature across hockey operations in recent years, with teams investing heavily in the pipeline between the draft and the NHL roster. Goligoski steps into that infrastructure at a moment when Minnesota has genuine organizational depth on the back end, including fellow Gopher alum Brock Faber firmly entrenched as one of the league's rising young defensemen. Whether Goligoski will work directly with Faber or focus more on prospects further down the depth chart remains to be seen, but the overlap of shared Maroon and Gold roots makes for a natural mentorship context.

The Gopher Connection Holds Strong

Goligoski's move into hockey operations underscores just how deeply the University of Minnesota pipeline runs through the NHL. The Gophers have over 30 alumni currently active across the league — an extraordinary footprint that spans every division. From Logan Cooley in Arizona to Casey Mittelstadt in Boston to Matthew Knies in Toronto, Minnesota continues to produce NHL-caliber talent at a rate few programs can match.

Adding a former Gopher to Minnesota's coaching staff closes the loop in a meaningful way. Goligoski knows what it takes to develop from a college program into a legitimate NHL contributor, and he did it with the same franchise now trusting him to guide others through that same path.

The Wild haven't publicly detailed the scope of Goligoski's role, but the headline is clear enough: one of Minnesota hockey's most accomplished sons is hanging up his skates for good and going to work on the other side of the glass. For a program that prides itself on producing not just players but hockey people, that's a win worth noting.