UCONN Professional Athletes

Two UConn alumni made their presence felt in the opening week of the 2026-27 NHL season — Tage Thompson continuing to prove he's one of the league's elite forwards, and Marc Gatcomb delivering a moment that Golden Knights fans will remember.

Tage Thompson: Points, Wins, and a Bargain-Bin Contract

Thompson had a productive week for the Buffalo Sabres, racking up multi-point performances and playing a key role in two victories.

Against the Chicago Blackhawks, the former Husky posted a goal and an assist, leading Buffalo to a 4-3 win in what was the Sabres' first victory of the young season. Then, in a 3-2 overtime comeback against the Minnesota Wild, Thompson delivered again — scoring in the third period to help erase a two-goal deficit and set the stage for Owen Power's OT winner. He added another goal Saturday against Utah, keeping his scoring pace firmly elite. Through the early stretch, Thompson has looked every bit the player the Sabres built around.

Off the ice, the financial story around Thompson is equally compelling. A new analysis found that 141 NHL players are currently paid more than Thompson under his existing deal — a striking figure for a center who ranks among the league's most dangerous goal scorers. By any reasonable market measure, Buffalo is getting Thompson at a steep discount. That contract efficiency could prove crucial as the Sabres try to build a contender around him.

Marc Gatcomb: Clutch in Vancouver

While Thompson was racking up points in Buffalo, Gatcomb was making a name for himself on the opposite coast. The Vegas Golden Knights center scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period of a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks — but the timing of it is what stands out.

Gatcomb netted the game-winner just 34 seconds after Vancouver tied the score, swinging the momentum right back to Vegas before the Canucks could exhale. The Golden Knights held on in the third, with Adin Hill slamming the door to preserve the win. Head coach Ryan Craig specifically cited the team's composure — a quality Gatcomb's quick-strike response embodied perfectly.

It was the kind of goal that defines early impressions: high-stakes, immediate, and decisive.

The Bigger Picture

Through the first week of the season, UConn's NHL contingent is off to a strong start. Thompson remains the centerpiece — a franchise player playing like one, earning far less than his market value suggests he should. Gatcomb, in a complementary role with Vegas, showed he can deliver when the game is on the line.

No notable stats were recorded this week for Ryan Tverberg (Maple Leafs), Chase Bradley (Predators), or Matthew Wood, who dressed for Nashville's Saturday loss to Ottawa without recording a point.

For UConn alumni trackers, the early returns are encouraging. The Huskies have two players contributing meaningful minutes on legitimate playoff-caliber rosters — and one of them is quietly one of the best bargains in the entire league.

Matthew Wood arrived at NHL preseason with something to prove — and he delivered in the most dramatic fashion possible.

The UConn product and Nashville Predators right wing scored two goals in the final period to erase a deficit and force overtime against the Tampa Bay Lightning, capping a 3-2 OT victory after Felix Nilsson delivered the winning shot. Wood didn't just pad a comfortable lead; he manufactured a comeback, which is the kind of résumé line that catches a coaching staff's attention in September.

Sports Illustrated described Wood as "relentless" in the final period — a word that tends to follow players who end up sticking in the lineup once the regular season arrives. For a young forward fighting for an NHL roster spot, two clutch goals in a single preseason game is about as strong an audition as it gets.

Wood isn't the only Husky making noise in the NHL this week.

Thompson Back to Business in Buffalo

Tage Thompson, the most established UConn alumni currently active in the league, picked up right where he left off in the preseason. The Sabres center contributed a goal and an assist as Buffalo cruised past the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-1. Thompson continues to be the anchor of Buffalo's forward corps, and even in exhibition play, his efficiency stands out — a multipoint effort in a lopsided win is a reminder of why he remains one of the league's most dangerous centers heading into 2026-27.

For UConn alumni trackers, this was a strong week. Two Huskies, two different franchises, both making tangible impacts in the NHL's pre-season window.

The Bigger Picture

Nashville now has two UConn alumni on its roster in Wood and left wing Chase Bradley, giving the Predators a notable Storrs connection. Whether both make the opening-night roster remains to be seen, but Wood's performance against Tampa Bay did him no favors in the "easy cut" column. Teams remember players who score in the third period to force overtime — that's the kind of moment that lives in a coach's memory long after the final preseason whistle.

Marc Gatcomb (Golden Knights) and Ryan Tverberg (Maple Leafs) did not surface in game reports during this period, but both remain active in their respective camps.

The 2026-27 regular season is approaching fast. For UConn's NHL contingent, the early returns look sharp.

Buffalo's training camp is generating noise beyond the usual preseason optimism — and Tage Thompson is right at the center of it. Literally.

Thompson, one of the most productive forwards in the NHL over the past several seasons, is drawing significant attention at Sabres camp as he transitions to center, a positional shift that carries real implications for Buffalo's offensive structure heading into 2026–27. The move signals that the Sabres are leaning into Thompson's playmaking at the pivot, where his size and skating can create mismatches against opposing centers rather than wingers.

The Thompson storyline isn't the only one generating headlines out of Buffalo's camp, however. Swirling in the background are trade rumors involving goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, which have cast an undeniable shadow over what should be a moment of optimism in Western New York. Whether those rumors are resolved before puck drop or linger into the regular season, they represent a significant subplot for a Sabres team still trying to end one of the NHL's longest postseason droughts.

For UConn alumni tracking the Huskies' pro footprint, Thompson remains the program's marquee NHL name — a first-round talent whose development into an elite scorer has validated the program's push toward Division I prominence. His positional evolution this camp is the kind of story that matters not just for Sabres fans but for anyone tracking how top-end talent ages and adapts in the league.

Elsewhere across the NHL's UConn contingent, the alumni pool is quietly growing. Marc Gatcomb is with the Golden Knights, Ryan Tverberg is in the Maple Leafs organization, and Chase Bradley and Matthew Wood are both in Nashville's system with the Predators. None generated the same camp buzz as Thompson this week, but the breadth of UConn representation across the league — from Vegas to Toronto to Nashville — reflects a program that has become a legitimate pipeline to professional hockey.

This week belongs to Thompson, though. A positional transition at his level of the game is a calculated bet, not a desperation move, and the fact that Buffalo is making it suggests the coaching staff sees upside in what Thompson can do with more puck touches through the middle of the ice. Camp storylines don't always survive contact with the regular season, but this one is worth watching closely.