HOUGHTON, Mich. (WLUC) – Summer may be here, but that isn’t stopping hockey players from getting onto the ice.

“My last time on the ice was April, and I broke my collarbone,” 8th grader Isacc Haugland said. “This is my first time back on the ice after that.”

Haugland has been itching to play hockey again. He’s played since he was four years old and has wanted to play for even longer.

“It’s kinda just been a family thing,” Haugland continued. “Both my older brother and older sister played hockey. I’ve just wanted to play hockey since I was, like, two.”

The BR.ICE Hockey Development program is letting him get back in the game. The program started last year in Houghton and wrapped up its first program in Marquette last month. Haugland is joining 175 other players between 6 and 18 years old to sharpen their skills across several programs.

“Each program is different,” BR.ICE Hockey Development Owner Raymond Brice. “Our elite programs are progression programs for varsity athletes only. We want to push those kids to move on to the next level, teaching super detailed skills… and then for our younger groups, we’re trying to teach foundational skills. We want to preach good habits.”

The program is being held at Michigan Tech University’s MacInnes Student Ice Arena this year. Haugland is no stranger to the arena. He moved to the area from Ohio two years ago after already attending MTU hockey camps for several years. While currently playing on Calumet’s middle school hockey team, he hopes one day to wear the black, yellow and white.

“I’d like to go play college hockey, hopefully for Tech,” Haugland added. “One of the reasons we moved up here is multiple people in my family are looking towards going to Tech. I want to see if I can get a scholarship or at least play some juniors hockey.”

There is a very limited number of open slots still open for this year’s program, which runs until August. Costs vary depending on which program you sign up for, ranging from $300 to $610. To view openings, click here.

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Congressman Michael Baumgartner ripped the recent House Settlement and called for President Donald Trump to “save college sports.” He called it an “unsustainable model” for college athletics.

The argument is that this new settlement will only enrich the power conferences, such as the Big Ten and SEC. Baumgartner’s new act claims it’ll be the roadmap to fixing college athletics.

As The Athletic’s Chris Vannini pointed out, Baumgartner is from Spokane and a friend of late-coach Mike Leach. It appears the call for President Trump to help in this process is of utmost importance.

“The House settlement locks in an unsustainable model that enriches the power conferences at the expense of everyone else – walk-ons, women’s teams, Olympic sports,” Baumgartner said in a statement. “And just like Teddy Roosevelt saved college football in 1905, President Trump can step in to save college sports today. My Restore College Sports Act is the roadmap, with fair revenue-sharing, rationalized conferences, and reasonable student compensation.”

President Trump has been involved in trying to change college athletics for the better. He created a commission on college sports and recently played golf with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua. What comes of it remains to be seen considering Baumgartner claimed the power conferences, such as the one Sankey is in charge of, will be the downfall of the rest of college athletics.

Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported President Trump’s meeting with Sankey and Bevacqua could ultimately lead to action from the White House or even expedite Congressional negotiations over college sports legislation. The president created a commission and selected a chair group that would oversee the look to solve the issues in college athletics. President Trump even wanted to tap former Alabama head coach Nick Saban to lead the charge. The commission work was paused two weeks ago.

All of this is on the heels of the House Settlement which now allows colleges and universities to directly pay their athletes. It was a near $3 billion settlement.

The Stanley Cup Final shifts to Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla., for Game 3 tonight (8 p.m. ET on TNT, MAX, Sportsnet, TVA Sports) with the rematch between the Oilers and Panthers deadlocked 1-1. This will mark the fifth consecutive postseason that the state of Florida has hosted games in the Final.

* Some of the biggest names in this series have provided noteworthy performances through two games, including Sam Bennett, who is leading the entire playoffs and the Final in goals (tied), Sergei Bobrovsky, who has made 42 saves in each of the first two contests, as well as the duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who both posted multi-point performances in each game so far.

* An annual tradition will continue in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final with four of the top prospects for the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft attending the game: Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa, James Hagens and Jake O’Brien.

STANLEY CUP FINAL RETURNS TO FLORIDA FOR GAME 3

After the 2025 Stanley Cup Final opened with a pair of thrilling games in Edmonton, with each team winning once in extra time, the series shifts to a familiar place with Game 3 set for Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, a venue that has hosted six Final contests since 2023. The Panthers own a 4-2 record on home ice in the Final since 2023, including a 3-1 mark against the Oilers in 2024 that culminated with a Game 7 victory and the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

* This will mark the fifth consecutive year the state of Florida hosts a Stanley Cup Final contest, with 12 total games across that span (FLA: 6 GP & TBL: 6 GP entering Game 3).

BIG NAMES HAVE DELIVERED ON THE BIG STAGE EARLY IN FINAL

Not only has the Stanley Cup Final provided edge-of-your-seat action, comebacks, overtime and memorable highlight-reel plays, but some of the biggest names in hockey have been stepping into the spotlight with noteworthy performances in the grandest of moments, including Florida’s Sam Bennett and Sergei Bobrovsky as well as Edmonton’s dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

* Bennett enters Game 3 tied for the series lead with three goals, while he paces all skaters in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 13 tallies overall. As the series shifts to Florida, the Panthers forward will look to extend his goal streak to four games and establish the longest run in franchise postseason history.

* The further into the season the Panthers go, the more productive Bennett becomes. He averages 0.49 points per game in the regular season, 0.73 P/GP in the playoffs and it increases even more when appearing in the Final (0.79 P/GP; 5-6—11 in 14 GP).

* Bobrovsky made 42 saves for the second straight contest in Game 2 to help the Panthers tie the series and can become the fourth goaltender on record with 40-plus stops in three consecutive playoffs games, following Craig Anderson (3 GP in 2010), Ron Tugnutt (3 GP in 2000) and Mike Palmateer (3 GP in 1983). No goaltender on record has posted 40-plus saves in three straight games during the Final.

* Bobrovsky owns a career .884 save percentage and a 3.38 goals against average through 14 games in the Stanley Cup Final, while those numbers dramatically improve to .929 and 1.84, respectively, when he plays on home ice.

* McDavid (0-5—5 in 2 GP) leads all skaters in points and assists during the 2025 Stanley Cup Final including wowing the home crowd with a highlight-reel helper in Game 2. The Oilers captain owns a career rate of 1.78 points per game in the Final (3-13—16 in 9 GP) – the fifth-highest mark in NHL history (min. 2 GP) behind Mario Lemieux (10-9—19 in 9 GP; 2.11 P/GP), Babe Dye (9-1—10 in 5 GP; 2.00 P/GP), Daniel Briere (3-9—12 in 6 GP; 2.00 P/GP) and Mark Stone (5-4—9 in 5 GP; 1.80 P/GP).

* Draisaitl did not register a goal in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final (0-3—3 in 7 GP), but the 2024-25 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner has had a big impact through two games of this series. He scored the series-opening goal just 1:06 into Game 1 – the fastest opening goal of a Final in nearly 50 years – and completed that contest with his third overtime winner of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs to tie the NHL record for most in a single postseason.

* In Game 2, Draisaitl capped off the highest-scoring first period in a Stanley Cup Final game since 2016 with his 10th goal of the postseason – the third time in his career he has hit double digits in a single postseason. The only other active player to reach 10 postseason goals three times is Evgeni Malkin (also 3x).

* Draisaitl’s next point will mark his third career 30-point postseason. The only players in NHL history to accumulate 30 points in a single playoff year three or more times are Wayne Gretzky (6x), Mark Messier (3x) and McDavid (3x including 2025).

TOP PROSPECTS SET FOR ANNUAL VISIT TO FINAL

A tradition every year at the Final, and with the 2025 NHL Scouting Combine presented by Fanatics in the rearview mirror, the next stop for the top four ranked North American Skaters for the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft is a trip to Sunrise, Florida for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart, Leon Draisaitl and Sam Bennett, the top four picks in the 2014 NHL Draft, reminisced about a similar experience when they attended the 2014 Staney Cup Final between the Kings and Rangers prior to being selected into the NHL.

* Matthew Schaefer (Erie, OHL), Michael Misa (Saginaw, OHL), James Hagens (Boston College, NCAA) and Jake O’Brien (Brantford, OHL), ranked Nos. 1-4 on NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings, respectively, will be in attendance for Monday’s game to meet some of the players, the media and soak in the atmosphere.

* Schaefer, a defenseman and the top-ranked North American skater, had a standout start to the season but missed a major portion of the 2024-25 campaign after being sidelined by an injury sustained at the 2025 World Junior Championship. He can become the first Ontario Hockey League skater to be selected first overall since Oilers forward Connor McDavid – who also played for Erie – in 2015 and the first OHL defenseman taken with the top spot since Panthers defenseman Ekblad in 2014. Click here to read more about how Schaefer is inspired by the memory of his late mother.

* A trio of dynamic forwards will join Schaefer, including Misa, who also has something in common with McDavid and Ekblad as a player who received exceptional player status to enter major junior hockey a year early. Misa is coming off a season in which he won the OHL scoring race by a 10-point margin (62-72—134 in 65 GP), recording the league’s highest single-season point total since 2006-07 (Patrick Kane had 145 points that year, while John Tavares ranked second with 134).

* Hagens, a forward at Boston College, grew up an Islanders fan as a native of Hauppauge, New York, less than 40 miles from UBS Arena. The Islanders hold the top pick in this year’s Draft. He concluded the 2024-25 season fourth in points among NCAA freshmen (11-26—37 in 37 GP) and helped Team USA earn gold at the 2025 World Junior Championship. Should Hagens be selected among the top-five picks, it would mark the first time in NHL Draft history that a top-five selection has come out of U.S. college hockey for three consecutive years.

* O’Brien finished the 2024-25 campaign tied for seventh in assists and points across the OHL (32-66—98 in 66 GP) while leading the league with 41 power-play assists. He was on the ice at hockey school as young as three years of age – his mother, Amy Turek, represented the Canadian National Team in both ice and in-line hockey, played in the National Women’s Hockey League and ran summer hockey camps where Jake got his start as the youngest player on the ice.

* All four players were featured with notes in the recently released #NHLStats Pack: Looking Ahead to the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft.

QUICK CLICKS

* Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart, Leon Draisaitl, Sam Bennett ‘brothers for life’ since 2014 NHL Draft

* Panthers must protect home-ice advantage in Stanley Cup Final

* Ryan Nugent-Hopkins expected to be a game-time decision for Game 3

* Sam Bennett jokes Brad Marchand ate Dairy Queen again before 2OT winner

* 10 things learned at the 2025 NHL Scouting Combine presented by Fanatics

Related

It was just over 13 years ago when Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula signed one final check to complete his funding of $102 million to Penn State, financing the men’s hockey program in its jump to the Division I level. The Pennsylvania native had a dream — he wanted hockey players to grow up in the Keystone State, play for the blue and white and then go on to play in the NHL.

Fast forward through five NCAA Tournament berths, one conference postseason tournament title and one regular season championship and Pegula’s vision is finally coming to fruition. All it really took was one Frozen Four run.

The Nittany Lions’ extended playoff surge in 2025 has fueled a new hype around the outlook of the team and garnered an increasing amount of recruiting interest in the program from top-tier athletes.

Here are a few notable prospects Penn State has been linked to.

Jackson Smith (LHD, 18)

Just one week ago, Scott Wheeler of the Athletic reported that left-handed defenseman Jackson Smith, a projected top-15 NHL entry draft pick, committed to Penn State. Just moments later, Wheeler walked back on that report.

Wheeler said “nothing’s done until it’s done done,” and that Smith feels that there is a potential fit at Penn State. While the commitment has not been announced, it seems as though both sides have mutual interest.

On Smith’s side, there’s an opportunity to develop and clean up his game in one of the best conferences in college hockey. For head coach Guy Gadowsky, he’d achieve the ability to add a two-way defenseman and a quarterback to his top power-play unit.

Smith met with Pegula’s Sabres during the NHL draft combine on Saturday, with reportedly a “good amount” of the conversation surrounding Penn State, according to Chad DeDominicis on X.

The Canadian is scheduled to visit Penn State immediately after the NHL Draft combine, which was completed on Saturday, per Cam Robinson of Eliteprospects. He’ll make other campus visits with Boston College and Michigan both linked to the defenseman.

Gavin McKenna (LW, 17)

Now to the crown jewel of prospects, Gavin McKenna.

The 2007-born forward has been a hot name as of late in the recruiting trail with Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State all rumored to be within the mix.

On 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, hosted by Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas, Friedman mentioned that he’s talked to numerous NHL sources and an “informal straw poll” leads him to believe Penn State is the favorite in the McKenna sweepstakes.

Friedman said he was told it would be “premature” to make any proclamation as to where McKenna will play next season, but when asking around, most of his sources picked Hockey Valley as the most-likely destination.

McKenna is the consensus top prospect in the 2026 NHL entry draft and just lifted the Medicine Hat Tigers to a Western Hockey League (WHL) championship. The Canadian recorded 129 points along with a WHL-leading 88 assists during the 2024-25 season.

Friedman mentioned the WHL hopes McKenna stays with the Tigers but he doesn’t “know the odds of that (happening).” McKenna is expected to make a few college visits and State College will most likely be one of them.

Michael Misa (C/LW, 18)

Back in early May, the Nittany Lions garnered a commitment from Luke Misa. Since then, the floodgates opened with rumors swirling about potential additional signings — including his brother, Michael Misa.

Earlier this week in a report via Puck Preps, Michael Misa said he’s never played on the same team as his brother.

“The chance to play with him has been a dream for a while,” Michael Misa told Puck Preps. “It’s never actually happened, but maybe someday it will.”

That dream could become a reality as soon as next season. Michael Misa is a consensus top-two prospect in the 2025 NHL entry draft, but there is a chance his drafted team wants him to develop elsewhere next year.

With a plethora of money available and his brother committed, Penn State is at the top of the list for Michael Misa’s 2025 destinations.

Porter Martone (RW, 18)

Arguably the most talked about prospect linked to the Nittany Lions has been Porter Martone.

Martone, former teammate of Luke Misa on the Brampton Steelheads, is projected to land in the top six of the 2025 NHL entry draft and offers size at the wing, standing 6-foot-3.

Penn State has been speculated to be getting aggressive with dollar offers to Canadian Hockey League (CHL) athletes, including reportedly offering a deal north of $250,000 to Martone over a month ago.

The forward recorded 98 points, 37 goals and 61 assists in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) last season and would offer star power at the right wing for the Nittany Lions.

MORE HOCKEY CONTENT

Days after a multibillion-dollar legal settlement changed college athletics by allowing schools to directly pay their athletes, the most powerful conference commissioners are bullish in their ability to enforce NIL rules in a new system, even though specific punishments remain unclear.

Hours after the House v. NCAA settlement was approved on Friday, former MLB executive Bryan Seeley was named CEO of a new enforcement organization called the College Sports Commission. His job will be to lead the team responsible for enforcement of the new rules around revenue sharing, third-party payments to players for NIL deals, and roster limits.

One of the biggest questions, though, is what happens when those rules are broken?

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, who spoke Monday on a Zoom press conference with fellow commissioners Greg Sankey (SEC), Tony Petitti (Big Ten), Brett Yormark (Big 12) and Teresa Gould (Pac-12), said they’ve all had ideas, but nothing they’re “ready to come forward with.” Ultimately, Phillips said, the rules and boundaries will be under Seeley’s purview.

“We’re in the process of developing some of those rules and structure and overall implementation of that,” Phillips said. “Now that we have Bryan on board, I think we’ll be able to move a little bit quicker. But we want to get this right. It’s one of those areas that until you have somebody leading the College Sports Commission, it’s difficult to get together with that individual and start some of that framework that will be in place.”

Yormark called it “progress over perfection,” and said that while there will be challenges, they will meet them over time.

“Our schools want rules, and we’re providing rules, and we will be governed by those rules,” Yormark said, “and if you break those rules, the ramifications will be punitive.”

The annual cap is expected to start at $20.5 million per school in 2025-26 and increase every year during the decade-long deal. Those payments will be in addition to scholarships and other benefits the athletes already receive. Starting June 7, players have to report NIL deals of $600 or more to the College Sports Commission.

LBi Software and accounting firm Deloitte will monitor salary cap management and the NIL clearinghouse, an online platform called NIL Go. Those NIL deals will be outside of the revenue directly shared by schools, and will be vetted to determine if they are for a valid business purpose – not recruiting.

Sankey met with his head coaches in football and men’s and women’s basketball this past February, and said he has asked the same question at every level – including up to the university presidents.

“If you want an unregulated, open system, just raise your hand and let me know,” Sankey said. “And universally, the answer is ‘no. We want oversight. We want guardrails. We want structure.’ Those individuals don’t have the luxury to just say that in meeting rooms, period. They don’t have the luxury to just be anonymous sources. They have a responsibility to make what they’ve sought – what they’ve asked for – to make it work.”

The commissioners agreed, though, that in order to “make it work,” they need Congressional help. Sankey, who said he played golf recently with President Donald Trump and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua, continued to stress the need for an “effort to preempt state laws.”

“Congress exists to set national standards, and we’re not going to have Final Fours and College Football Playoffs and College World Series with 50 different standards,” Sankey said. “Codification of at least settlement terms or around settlement terms would be enormously healthy.”

Sankey said he has always “appreciated [Trump’s] interest in college sports,” and while it was “helpful for me and Pete as well to hear his thoughts and his perspectives, and to share some of ours,” he said those are “best left for the moment on the golf course.”

Even with a multitude of questions still looming, Phillips said college athletics is in a “much better place” than it was 48 hours ago, before the settlement was approved.

“What’s not debatable is that this new model does bring stability and fairness to student-athletes in college sports,” Phillips said, “and we’ve been in an unregulated environment with no rules and no enforcement. It has paralyzed the NCAA in Indianapolis, and we’re responsible for certainly some of that. We’re now going to have a foundation and structure laying out those rules. The new structure provides our student-athletes with more opportunities and benefits than ever before.”