2 weeks Ago By Jeff Mezydlo
One does not need to have a successful NHL career to be considered among the best college hockey players ever to play the game. Here's our list. Listed in chronological order.
Hobey Baker, Forward, Princeton (1912-14) We start with one of the greatest amateur athletes in the history of American sports. In addition to excelling on the ice at Princeton, Baker was a football standout for the Tigers. Though individual statistics were not kept during Baker's collegiate hockey career, it's been estimated that he totaled more than 100 goals and assists apiece.
Baker did help Princeton win a national championship in 1914. A veteran of World War I, Baker was among the first inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame and his name is famously branded on the award given annually to the best player in college hockey. Jack Garrity, Forward, Boston University (1950-51) Amid all the great hockey players that Boston University has produced, the venerable Garrity still rates high in prominence at the storied factory for the sport.
Garrity played just two varsity seasons for the Terriers, but led them to a pair of Frozen Four appearances. He still holds schools records for goals in a game (seven) and season (51 in 1949-50), plus points in a game (nine) and season (84, 1949-50). Garrity scored 85 goals as a Terrier and was a two-time AHCA First Team All-American.
John Mayasich, Forward, Minnesota (1953-55) Among all the stars that took the ice for the storied Golden Gophers program, Mayasich remains the program's all-time leader for goals (144) and points (154). He won WCHA scoring titles in 1954 (78 points) and again in '55 (80 points). During the 1954 NCAA tournament, Mayasich registered a record eight points in a game against rival Michigan.
The three-time All-American is a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.
Keith Magnuson, Defenseman, Denver (1966-69) The do-it-all defenseman, known for his hard-nosed play, Magnuson helped Denver win back-to-back national championships in 1968 and '69. In 96 games for the Pioneers, Magnuson recorded 16 goals with 59 assists. Just how good of an overall performer was Magnuson? He was named Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Most Valuable Player in 1967-68, and was a two-time, first-team All-American during his collegiate career.
Tom Ross, Forward, Michigan State (1973-76) As we'll note in this list, Michigan State has produced some highly talented hockey players. However, when it comes to offensive production, nobody stands out more than Ross, who remains the program's career leader for goals (138), assists (186) and points (324). In fact, Ross was the second player in NCAA history to reach the 300-point mark.
A two-time All-American for the Spartans, Ross is also the NCAA's career leader with 72 power-play goals. Chuck Delich, Forward, Air Force (1974-77) From the moment he stepped onto campus at the United States Air Force Academy, Delich was poised to be the best player to ever take the ice for the program. The team leader in goals and assists each of his four collegiate seasons, Delich is the NCAA's all-time leader with 156 goals in 109 games, and posted a program-best 279 points.
He also averaged 1.43 goals per contest, and was a two-time MVP for the Falcons. Delich then won 154 games as Air Force head coach from 1985-97.
Dave Rost, Forward, Army (1974-77) The name Dave Rost might not be familiar to the casual hockey fan. However, those who follow the college game should know about Rost, the Army standout who remains the NCAA's all-time leader with 330 points. Rost is also the nation's career leader with 226 assists, to go along with 104 goals.
Rost played on Army teams that compiled a 78-31-3 during his collegiate career. Mark Johnson, Forward, Wisconsin (1976-79) A famed member of the 1980 United States Olympic team, Johnson played for his father, coaching legend "Badger" Bob Johnson. As a freshman, Johnson helped the Badgers win the national championship.
When his collegiate career came to en end, Johnson amassed a school-record 125 goals and 131 assists in 125 games. Johnson's 256 points rank second all time among Wisconsin players entering the 2024-25 campaign. Since 2002, Johnson has coached the Badgers women's team, guiding the program to seven national titles.
Neal Broten, Forward, Minnesota (1979-81) Broten first played for the legendary Herb Brooks at Minnesota, and then again on the gold medal-winning 1980 U.S. Olympic team.
As a freshman during the 1978-79 campaign, Broten posted 21 goals and 50 assists to win WCHA Rookie of the Year and scored the winning goal of the Golden Gophers' 4-3 national title-game victory over North Dakota. After spending the 1979-80 season with the national team, Broten returned to Minnesota, where he recorded another 71-point season and became the first winner of the Hobey Baker Award. Mark Fusco, Defenseman, Harvard (1980-83) The Harvard star has the honor of being the first defenseman to win the Hobey Baker Award.
That came for his performance during the 1982-83 season, when Fusco set personal bests with 13 goals and 33 assists in 33 games. Those 46 points were a Harvard record for a defenseman until 2018-19. For his career with the Crimson, Fusco recorded 44 goals and 91 assists in 112 games.
A member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic hockey team, Fusco was inducted in the U.
S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002. Scott Fusco, Forward, Harvard (1981-83; 1984-86) Staying within the Fusco family, Mark's younger brother followed in his sibling's footsteps by winning the Hobey Baker Award.
Scott Fusco, a finalist for the award in 1985 (when he totaled a career-best 81 points), won it in 1986 for posting 24 goals, 44 assists and 68 points. To this day, Fusco is still Harvard's all-time leader with 240 points from 123 games. He's also the school's career leader with 133 assists, and his 107 goals are second-most by any Crimson player.
John Cullen, Forward, Boston University (1984-87) Many will argue that Cullen is the greatest offensive player in the history of BU. He's the program's all-time leader with 241 points and in games played (160). Cullen, the East Coast Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year in 1983-84, while totaling a team-leading 56 points, is also tied for the top spot in career assists (143) and tied for second in goals (98).
After a 10-year career in the NHL that included two All-Star nods, Cullen was also named to the school's Hockey East 25th Anniversary Team. Tony Hrkac, Forward, North Dakota (1986-87) The Hobey Baker Award winner for the 1986-87 season, Hrkac registered 116 points during that impressive campaign, which resulted in a national title for North Dakota. That point total (46 goals and 70 assists in 48 games) also remains an NCAA single-season record.
That special performance followed a solid freshman season for Hrkac, who recorded 18 goals and 36 assists in 36 games. Hrkac went on to play for nine teams during an NHL career that spanned parts of 12 seasons. Kip Miller, Forward, Michigan State (1987-90) The first Michigan State player to win the Hobey Baker Award, Miller did so during a remarkable 1989-90 campaign, where he recorded 48 goals and 53 assists in 45 games.
A two-time CCHA scoring leader (1989, '90) and first-team All-American, Miller is the school's career leader with 176 games played, sits third with 116 goals, fifth with 145 assists and is third at Michigan State with 261 points amassed during an exceptional four-year career. David Emma, Forward, Boston College (1988-91) Emma's NHL career spanned just 34 games over five seasons (1992-2001), but in the annals of Boston College hockey, Emma remains the king of offensive production. He's the storied program's all-time leader with 239 points over 147 games during a brilliant four-year career.
Emma is also the Golden Eagles' career leader with 127 assists and is second with 112 goals. In 1990-91, the All-American won the Hobey Baker Award while recording 35 goals and career highs of 46 assists and 81 points. Jim Montgomery, Forward, Maine (1990-93) Not only is Montgomery Maine's all-time leader with 301 points, but he's the only player in the history of the program to reach the 300-point mark.
In addition, Montgomery, current coach of the Boston Bruins, is the Black Bears' career leader in games played (170) and assists (198). He's also one of four Maine players to record at least 100 career goals. Perhaps most memorable when it comes to Montgomery's collegiate career were the three third-period goals he scored to help Maine rally by Lake Superior State for a 5-4 victory in the 1993 national championship game.
Paul Kariya, Forward, Maine (1993-94) While the aforementioned Jim Montgomery was Maine's postseason hero in 1992-93, teammate Kariya was the country's best player. During a season that is often regarded as the best from any player in the history of the college game, Kariya registered 25 goals and 75 assists to become the first freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award. Perhaps most important, Kariya led the Black Bears to 42 wins and the school's first national championship.
Kariya returned to Maine the next season, but played just 12 games — totaling 24 points — before joining Canada's national team. Brendan Morrison, Forward, Michigan (1994-97) The first player in University of Michigan history to win the Hobey Baker Award. Morrison did so for totaling 31 goals and a program-record 57 assists during the 1996-97 campaign.
That came a season after he earned Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player honors for helping the Wolverines win their first national championship in 32 years. Morrison, a two-time CCHA Player of the Year, is Michigan's leader in all-time assists (182) and points (284). Chris Drury, Forward, Boston University (1995-98) Arguably the best defensive forward in BU history, the former Little League World Series champion won a national championship as a freshman and the Hobey Baker Award in his final season of 1997-98.
Drury, the first Terrier to record 100 career goals and assists, ranks third in school history with 214 points — entering the 2024-25 season. His 113 career goals are still a school record, while he's tied for eighth among all Boston University skaters with 101 assists. Marty Turco, Goaltender, Michigan (1995-98) During Turco's four seasons at Michigan, the Wolverines reached the Frozen Four every year, and won two national titles (1996, '98).
He was a big factor in both championships, earning Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player in 1998, and remains one of the greatest athletes that the University of Michigan has ever produced — in any sport. Turco is the school's all-time leader career in wins (127, which is also a NCAA record), shutouts (15) and wins in a season (34, set in 1995-96). Ryan Miller, Goaltender, Michigan State (2000-02) Born and raised in East Lansing, Miller was a two-time CCHA Player of the Year and followed cousin Kip Miller as the second Spartan to win the Hobey Baker Award.
That came to conclude the 2000-01 season, when Miller went 31-5-4, with a 1.32 goals-against average, then-record .950 save percentage and 10 shutouts.
He still owns the NCAA record for career shutouts (26), posted a .941 save percentage and a stellar 1.54 goals-against average during his three seasons at Michigan State.
Jimmy Howard, Goaltender, Maine (2003-05) Howard played in 82 games over his three seasons with the Black Bears. No doubt, the best of the lot came in 2003-04, when he set NCAA records for goals-against average (1.19) and save percentage (.
956), while helping Maine reach the national championship game. Howard was named Hockey East Most Valuable Player and an all-American that season. During his stellar collegiate career, Howard won 47 games, set a school record with 15 shutouts and never posted a save percentage lower than .
916. Johnny Gaudreau, Forward, Boston College (2012-14) As the hockey world and its fans mourn the loss of Johnny Gaudreau and brother Matthew, it's easy to remember how great a college player the former was before he became an NHL star. In three seasons at Boston College, "Johnny Hockey" ranks among the program's all-time leaders with 78 goals and 97 assists for 175 points in just 119 games.
He tallied 44 points as a freshman, when the Eagles won the national title. Gaudreau totaled 51 points as a sophomore, when he was named a Hobey Baker Award finalist. Then in 2013-14, he won the prestigious award while setting career highs with 36 goals, 44 assists and 80 points as BC again made it to the Frozen Four.
Connor Hellebuyck, Goaltender, Massachusetts-Lowell (2013-14) In just two seasons at UMass-Lowell, Hellebuyck certainly established himself as one of the best netminders to ever grace the college game. As a freshman, Hellebuyck went 20-3-0 with a 1.37 goals-against average, an NCAA-record .
952 save percentage and 12 shutouts, while helping the River Hawks reach the Frozen Four. The next season, Hellebuyck was 18-9-2 with a 1.79 GAA, .
941 save percentage, and named winner of the inaugural Mike Richter Award as the nation's top collegiate goaltender. Cale Makar, Defenseman, Massachusetts (2017-19) Makar's college career spanned just two seasons, but he certainly made the most of his stay while also helping putting the UMass-Amherst program back on the collegiate hockey map. As a freshman, Makar totaled 21 points in 34 games, then established himself as the best player in the college game one season later.
In his final collegiate campaign, and with the NHL waiting, the current Colorado Avalanche star posted 16 goals and 33 assists in 41 games, all while being named Hockey East Player of the Year, Hobey Baker Award winner and helping UMass reach the national championship game. A Chicago native, Jeff Mezydlo has professionally written about sports, entertainment and pop culture for parts of four decades. He was an integral member of award-winning sports sections at The Times of Northwest Indiana (Munster, Ind.
) and Champaign (Ill.) News-Gazette, where he covered the NFL, PGA, LPGA, NCAA basketball, football and golf, Olympics and high school athletics. Jeff most recently spent 12 years in the editorial department at STATSPerform, where he also oversaw coverage of the English Premier League.
A graduate of Northern Illinois University, Jeff's work has also appeared on such sites at Yahoo!, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated and NBA.com. However, if Jeff could do it again, he'd attend Degrassi Junior High, Ampipe High School and Grand Lakes University.
