With the 2026 NHL Draft wrapped up, Notre Dame’s player pipeline stayed busy in a big way. Five current and committed Fighting Irish skaters heard their names called, with incoming freshman centerman Beckham Edwards leading the group as the first Notre Dame connection off the board. Detroit took Edwards 143rd overall in the fifth round.
He was joined by future Irish players and committed skaters Eric Frossard, André Mondoux, Cole Zurawski and Parker Trottier. And because the first Notre Dame selection didn’t come until the fifth round, there’s a good chance all five will still be in the fold for the Golden Domers.
“As a program we are proud to have five current and future Fighting Irish go in the NHL Draft,” head coach Brock Sheahan said in an official statement. “It is a dream come true for these young men, and something to be truly proud of.
Our goal is to continue to add the right kind of people and talent, and build our depth through recruiting. Today shows that we are on the right track.
They know that being drafted is just a step toward playing in the NHL one day. The work to get there continues day in and day out.
We are excited to help them develop into the type of players, and people that will have long term success on and off the ice.”
The five selections also extended a notable Notre Dame run. The Fighting Irish have now had a current or future student-athlete picked in 23 straight NHL Drafts, a streak that reaches back to Victor Oreskovich going in the second round of the 2004 Draft.
On the football side, former Notre Dame and NFL running back Julius Jones had plenty to say about Marcus Freeman after seeing both of his sons, Julius Jones Jr and Andre Jones, commit to the Irish last week. Speaking on the Always Irish podcast over the weekend, Jones said the trust he has in Freeman comes from conversations he’s had with the head coach and from what he’s seen himself.
“You know we've had that discussion before, and I think, from many of the conversations I've had with Coach Freeman, the impact that he's able to make on young men. And I'm not bulls-- you when I say this because, you know, I've seen it firsthand,” Jones said. “The impact that he's able to make on these young players, young men, young college students is way greater than in the NFL.”
There’s also growing buzz around CJ Carr after the quarterback has reportedly turned heads this offseason, including at the Manning Passing Academy. That has some analysts projecting a possible path to the 2027 NFL Draft, with Tampa Bay mentioned as a potential landing spot as a backup and eventual successor to Baker Mayfield.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Legacy Family Just Sent Marcus Freeman A Powerful Message
Marcus Freeman keeps hearing the outside noise that comes with success, but one of the more meaningful endorsements of his job came from inside the Notre Dame family. Julius Jones, the former Irish and NFL running back, recently talked on a podcast about what Freeman has meant to young players, saying the head coach has a way of developing college athletes and shaping them as people in a way that matters far beyond the field. For Jones, that kind of presence helped reinforce why Notre Dame remains such an appealing place for families who already know the program well.
Jones also said Freeman's approach was a big part of why he felt comfortable with both of his sons choosing Notre Dame, a small but telling sign of how the coach is building trust with legacy families. It comes at a time when Freeman's name continues to surface in conversations about possible NFL or other college opportunities, and Jones addressed the usual negative recruiting chatter with a view from the other side: for some parents, the promise of staying at Notre Dame and developing young men is the whole point. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Has One Massive Question Around Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa
Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa gave Notre Dame exactly the kind of sophomore leap the defense needed, flashing as a fast, disruptive linebacker who looked more and more comfortable as the season wore on. His rise mattered not just because he produced, but because it showed how quickly he was growing into a central piece of the Irish front seven, the kind of player opponents have to account for snap after snap.
The bigger issue now is whether that growth keeps rolling once the pads come back on. Viliamu-Asas season ended with a knee injury, and after a year that put him on a much steeper trajectory, Notre Dames next step is making sure the progress carries over when he returns to full strength. How smoothly he gets back into the defense will say a lot about both his ceiling and how high this unit can climb with him anchoring the middle. [Read more 🡒]
Why Joe Otting Suddenly Matters So Much For Notre Dame
As Notre Dame settled in for the stretch run, Joe Otting went from depth piece to a central figure on the offensive line when Ashton Craigs season-ending knee injury opened the door at center. Otting ended up starting the final six games, and the change did not seem to rattle anyone around the program for long, especially after he helped steady the line in a 34-24 win over USC.
The Irish have liked what they have seen since then, with coaches and teammates pointing to his athleticism and the way he handles communication in the middle of the line. His play against USC stood out in particular, and it only reinforced why Notre Dame suddenly has reason to feel good about a position that can shape everything an offense wants to do. [Read more 🡒]