St. Lawrence University Alumni Who Played in the NHL

 

Founded in 1925, the men's ice hockey team at St. Lawrence University has a decorated history that includes playing in two NCAA national championship games and winning seven conference tournament titles, the most recent of which occurred in 2021. Known as the Saints, the team has also produced 25 players who have gone on to play in at least one National Hockey League (NHL) game.

Gary Croteau is the most accomplished former Saint in the NHL based on both total games played, goals, and assists. Croteau leads all St. Lawrence alumni with 144 goals and 175 assists for 319 points in 684 career NHL regular season games. Crouteau recorded 105 points through three seasons with the Saints from 1965-68 and played for six teams, including the Los Angeles Kings and California Golden Seals, through 12 seasons in the NHL. Croteau had a career-best season in 1976-77, recording 51 points in 78 games with the Colorado Rockies.

Rich Peverley ranks second among St. Lawrence alumni in points in the NHL. Peverley spent four seasons with the Saints and registered 42 points in 41 games as a senior in 2003-04. He played three seasons in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and American Hockey League (AHL) before making his NHL debut with the Nashville Predators in 2006-07. Peverley later played for the Atlanta Thrashers, Boston Bruins, and Dallas Stars. He finished his NHL career with 84 goals and 157 assists for 241 points in 442 career games. He also had 21 points in 59 playoff games.

Jamie Baker and Eric Lacroix are the only two other former Saints to record at least 100 points in the NHL. Baker made his NHL debut with the Quebec Nordiques in the 1989-90 season and recorded 150 points in 404 career games with the Nordiques, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Lacroix, meanwhile, was a seventh-round draft pick of the Maple Leafs in 1990 who went on to record 137 points in 472 games with Toronto, Los Angeles, the Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers, and Ottawa.

Gary Laskoski is one of four goaltenders who played for the Saints to make the NHL and leads all goalies in games played with 59. Laskoski played 46 games for the Kings during the 1982-83 season and finished the year with a win-loss-tie record of 15-20-4 to go along with a 4.56 goals-against average (GAA) and .857 save percentage. Mike McKenna, who ranks second with 35 games played, was the last former Saint to appear in an NHL game. He started one game for the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2018-19 season.

Defenseman Gavin Beyreuther was the only St. Lawrence alumni on an NHL roster to begin the 2022-23 season. A native of Canaan, New Hampshire, Bayreuther recorded at least 17 points in each of his four seasons with the Saints and began his pro career with the Texas Stars of the AHL in 2016-17. He had 14 points in 71 career regular season games entering the 2022-23 season, his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Other notable former Saints who played in the NHL include Brandon Bollig, Kevin O'Shea, Kent Carlson, John Zeiler, and David Saunders.