CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard men's ice hockey once again led the Ivy League with nine players on NHL opening night rosters to start the 2021-22 season.
 
After a career year with the New York Rangers in 2020-21, Colin Blackwell '16 starts the year with the Seattle Kraken. A two-way forward, Blackwell recorded 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) in 47 games with the Rangers last year.
 
Blackwell's classmate Kyle Criscuolo '16 signed a two-year contract extension with the Detroit Red Wings organization after a strong end to the 2020-21 season with Detroit's AHL team in Grand Rapids, where he recorded 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) in 29 games.
 
Joining Blackwell in Seattle will be Ryan Donato '19, who signed a contract with the team this summer. Last night, Donato recorded the first goal in the history of the Seattle Kraken franchise on NHL's opening night. Donato recorded 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 50 games with the San Jose Sharks last year.
 
Adam Fox '20, the NHL's top defenseman in 2020-21, returns with the New York Rangers after an incredible sophomore season with the Blueshirts. Fox won the Norris Trophy as league's top blueliner, becoming the first ECAC Hockey or Ivy League player to win the award, and the first New York Ranger to earn the Norris Trophy since 1997, when Brian Leetch won it. He recorded 47 points (five goals, 42 assists) in 55 games, with a plus-19 rating and an average of 24:42 ice time per game, leading all NHL defensemen in assists, and finishing second among league blueliners in overall points and power play points (23).
 
Alexander Kerfoot '17 will enter his third year with the Toronto Maple Leafs after notching 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 56 games. Kerfoot was one of Toronto's top players in the playoffs last year, recording six points (goal, five assists) in Toronto's first round series against the Montreal Canadiens in 2021.
 
John Marino '20 enters his third season with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the first year of a six-year contract that Marino signed in January 2021. Marino emerged as one of the Penguins' top defensemen over the past two seasons. He recorded 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 52 games last year, with a plus-8 rating.
 
Jack Rathbone '22 made his first NHL opening night roster with the Vancouver Canucks this year. The defenseman was a late-season call-up with the Canucks, making his NHL debut on May 4, and scoring his first career goal two nights later. Rathbone played eight games total with Vancouver in the spring of 2021, notching three points (goal, two assists).
 
Jimmy Vesey '16 signed a one-year contract with the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 10 after a strong training camp with the team. Vesey spent time with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Vancouver Canucks last season, notching 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 50 games.
 
CRIMSON ON NHL OPENING NIGHT ROSTERS
Colin Blackwell (Seattle Kraken)*,
Kyle Criscuolo (Detroit Red Wings)*
Ryan Donato (Seattle Kraken)
Adam Fox (New York Rangers)
Alexander Kerfoot (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Alex Killorn (Tampa Bay Lightning)
John Marino (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Jack Rathbone (Vancouver Canucks)
Jimmy Vesey (New Jersey Devils)
 
*Injured and/or Non-Roster List