Notre Dame Professional Athletes

Kyle Palmieri Is Back — and the Islanders Are Better for It

Coming off a torn ACL that sidelined him last season, Kyle Palmieri is making a loud statement about his return. The Notre Dame alum delivered the signature performance of his early 2026-27 campaign on Tuesday, Oct. 13, scoring twice — including the game-winner — to lift the New York Islanders past the Vancouver Canucks 3-2. Palmieri finished the night a plus-2, and his two-goal outing capped a strong week that has him firmly established on New York's top line alongside Bo Horvat and Matias Maccelli.

Palmieri kept it going on Saturday, adding an assist in a 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs, punctuating a strong week with yet another positive-differential performance (plus-1). For a player returning from major knee surgery, the production is more than encouraging — it's a genuine lift for an Islanders offense that has needed a reliable finisher. All three of New York's wins through six games have come at UBS Arena, and Palmieri has been the common thread.

Around the Rest of the Irish Alumni

Notre Dame's NHL footprint extended well beyond Long Island this week.

Dennis Gilbert gave Sabres fans something to cheer about. The defenseman logged an assist in Buffalo's loss to the Canadiens on Tuesday, then turned in his best game of the week Thursday against the Maple Leafs — netting a goal and finishing a commanding plus-2 in a 5-4 Sabres win.

In Pittsburgh, Bryan Rust continues to skate on the Penguins' top line alongside Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell, though the unit has struggled to generate consistent offense. Rust scored in Saturday's 2-5 loss to Colorado but finished minus-1 — a microcosm of Pittsburgh's early-season inconsistencies. Fellow Irish alum Spencer Stastney also dressed for the Penguins this week. The defenseman, recently acquired via trade, was minus-1 in both the loss to Chicago on Wednesday and the Colorado setback Saturday as Pittsburgh's blue line works through some growing pains.

Out west, Andrew Peeke and Anders Lee were both in the lineup for Utah Mammoth. Peeke picked up an assist Wednesday in Utah's 5-4 win over the Maple Leafs, though he was minus-1 in both outings this week. Lee skated in both Utah games without registering a point.

Jake Evans had a difficult stretch for Montreal, appearing in three games but posting a minus-1 in two of them as the Canadiens split their week. Ian Cole dressed for Chicago in multiple contests, including the Blackhawks' 5-3 win over Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

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The week belonged to Palmieri, no question. But with more than a dozen Irish alumni active across the league, Notre Dame's fingerprints are all over the early NHL season. The former Fighting Irish forward is just the one making the most noise right now.

Bryan Rust won't be suiting up when the Pittsburgh Penguins drop the puck on their 2026–27 season, and for Notre Dame fans tracking their NHL alumni, that's the headline worth watching this week.

The Fighting Irish winger suffered a preseason injury late in camp — his absence overshadowing what was otherwise a positive Penguins preseason finale against the Sabres — and has been listed as out for at least the start of the regular season. Pittsburgh opens Wednesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers in a rivalry matchup, and they'll have to do it without one of their top-line contributors.

The timing couldn't be more frustrating. Rust had been slotted into a first-line role heading into training camp, and his injury punches a meaningful hole in a Penguins forward group already navigating uncertainty. According to reports, Pittsburgh placed four players on injured reserve around the same time, and winger Andrei Kuzmenko's status for opening night remains up in the air due to personal reasons — a confluence of absences that has the front office eyeing the waiver wire for stopgap options.

There's no firm return timeline for Rust yet, which is its own kind of bad news. Vague injury windows have a way of stretching, and Pittsburgh isn't in a position to absorb a long-term absence from a player expected to drive play in a top-six role. How quickly he can return — and what kind of shape his linemate chemistry will be in when he does — is the real question hanging over the Penguins' early schedule.

For Notre Dame, Rust remains one of the program's most prominent NHL success stories: a skilled, two-way winger who has carved out a durable career in Pittsburgh. Fighting Irish fans have followed his trajectory closely, and the early-season injury is a gut punch heading into what was shaping up to be a meaningful campaign.

The broader alumni picture

Beyond Pittsburgh, Notre Dame has one of the deeper NHL alumni footprints in college hockey. Nathan Clurman remains on the Penguins' blue line as a fellow Irish alum, giving South Bend a pair of representatives on the roster despite the Rust setback. Elsewhere around the league, Anders Lee and Kyle Palmieri continue to anchor the Islanders, Jake Evans is back with Montreal, and Vincent Hinostroza is suiting up for the Panthers. Ian Cole and Landon Slaggert give Notre Dame a presence on the Blackhawks, while Cal Petersen and Nick Leivermann are in Washington with the Capitals.

It's a wide-ranging group — but this week, all eyes point back to Pittsburgh, where the Irish alumnus everyone expected to be a key piece on opening night is instead watching from the trainer's room.