ITHACA, N.Y. — Four former Cornell men’s hockey players have made rosters of National Hockey League (NHL) teams as the professional hockey season begins this week. Winnipeg Jets defenseman Morgan Barron will begin his fifth NHL season, while Sam Malinski will start his second season in the league with the Colorado Avalanche. Both Riley Nash of the New York Rangers and Joakim Ryan of the Carolina Hurricanes were chosen as non-roster injury selections. All four were listed on opening day rosters for their respective NHL teams, according to the Cornell University Athletics Department, though Nash and Ryan are not listed on their respective teams’ depth charts. Of the group, Barron saw the most NHL action last year. In his fourth year, Barron played in 80 games and scored 11 goals last season for the playoff-bound Jets. He’s listed as the third-line left winger on the Jets depth chart heading into the season. Ryan is attempting a comeback to the NHL after playing the last three seasons professionally in Sweden. He signed back with the Hurricanes in July, but hasn’t appeared in an NHL game since the 2020-2021 season with Carolina. Nash is the elder statesman of the group, entering his 13th NHL season. He appeared in one game last year with the Rangers, but primarily played in the lower-level American Hockey League (AHL), which serves as a developmental league for NHL teams. He has played a significant role for several NHL teams over his career, appearing in at least one game for eight teams.On the other hand, Malinski is the youngest, with only a successful rookie season under his belt. He played in 23 games with the Avalanche last year, recording three goals and seven assists. He is listed as the third-line right defenseman for the Avalanche. The post Four former Cornell men’s hockey players make NHL rosters as season begins appeared first on The Ithaca Voice.First published by The Ithaca Voice.