The NHL schedule-makers decided to give the entire league the night off on Friday evening, following a hectic opening four days of hockey. There was quality hockey to be watched, however. The AHL opened its 2025-26 season on Friday, and for those interested parties, Anaheim Ducks top prospect Roger McQueen made his NCAA debut for #6/7 Providence College as they hosted perennial juggernaut #7/9 University of Michigan.
The Ducks drafted McQueen (19) with their tenth-overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft from the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL. He had only played 20 games between the 2024-25 regular season and playoffs due to a fracture in his vertebrae that required extended rest for full recovery, a significant factor in the 6-foot-6 ultra-talented center slipping to pick ten in the draft.
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Rather than return to the WHL to play for Brandon, McQueen was part of the trend of CHL players making the jump to the NCAA, permitted by a new agreement between the two leagues. He selected the environment that offered less demanding game and travel schedules, as well as more developed, older teammates and opponents.
McQueen chose to attend school and play for Providence College and head coach Nate Leaman, a program and coach not typically known for deploying a “high-flying” offensive brand, but rather focusing on detailed, 200-foot defensive and forechecking hockey.
Friday’s game between Providence and Michigan was a high-profile affair, with rosters brimming with NHL-drafted talent, including Jack Ivankovic, Malcolm Spence, William Horcoff, Michael Hage, Henry Mews, and Anaheim Ducks prospect Drew Schock on Michigan’s side, set to face John Mustard, Logan Sawyer, Hudson Malinoski, Philip Svedeback, and McQueen for Providence. Michigan had already gotten off to a 2-0 start in the season, dismantling Murceyhurst University in a pair of games last week by scores of 11-1 and 7-0.
Being McQueen’s first game in six months and just 21st in the last 12 and a half months, expectations were sure to be kept in check, as the most encouraging sign was simply having him on the ice again, playing a hockey game after such a significant injury.
That said, takeaways are always there to be had, so here are mine from Roger McQueen’s NCAA debut:
The NCAA doesn’t register TOI for individual players, so his minutes in this game were unknown. Slotted as the top-line center, he finished scoreless with a -2 rating, two penalty minutes, a shot on goal, and went 7 for 17 in the faceoff circle.
First Period
From McQueen’s first shift of the game, two aspects became apparent: his back is 100% healed, and he’s dripping with NHL upside. He immediately finished a pair of hits on the forecheck, putting to bed any ideas that he might be hesitant to physically engage opponents. His skating was on full display, fully showcasing his long, smooth stride and ability to cover great amounts of ice with little effort.
His special teams roles were defined in the first period as well. He slotted in on the left flank on Providence’s top power play unit and played on their second penalty kill. Aside from having a shot blocked and his length potentially being a disruptive and impactful asset, not much of note was to be taken away from his time up or down a man.
There was a slight mishap from McQueen in the dying seconds of the first period that led to a goal. Michigan was in the cycle low in the Providence zone, and as an attacker pulled the puck out of the corner and toward the net, it resulted in a broken play in which McQueen, who was guilty of being a tad puck-focused, and his teammates couldn’t knock down an errant puck as it flipped in front of the Providence crease to Michigan forward TJ Hughes in the low slot for an easy goal.
Second Period
The early minutes of the second period provided a similar situation, where Michigan scored a goal to extend their lead to 3-1, with McQueen battling a forward in front. He had a little trouble boxing out a smaller, slippery opponent, but ultimately never surrendered the inside as an activated defenseman (Schock) found a teammate (not McQueen’s check) on the far post for a tap-in.
Throughout this period, he played responsibly, but as became a theme with the entire Providence team, he had trouble connecting passes out of the defensive zone and through the neutral zone. When tracking, an area of improvement could be his quick-twitch reaction, as puck carriers too easily evaded his pressure.
His period ended with a skirmish in which he was assigned a roughing minor, a sequence in that likely gave Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek great pleasure, as McQueen displayed that aggression and physical play that initially endeared McQueen to Verbeek.
Third Period
More of the same from McQueen and Providence in the third period, as Michigan stifled their transition attempts through he neutral zone, forcing disconnected sequences.
McQueen performed well in the third, and throughout the game as a whole, by winning battles low in the offensive zone and retaining possession. He would then flash a bit of skill to move the puck to a point man or reverse it low for a cycle.
Final Thoughts
The biggest takeaway from this game, a 5-1 Michigan victory, was that it was great to see McQueen play unhindered hockey for 60 minutes. Expectedly, he struggled with some time and space aspects in the game, as it was his first at a new, higher level and given his limited game situations over the past year.
He will hopefully and likely become more comfortable as the games go by. Facing off against a powerhouse offensive program to start the season didn’t do him or Providence any favors, but a team can only play who’s on the schedule.
The two teams will have a second game today at 4pm pst, available on ESPN+ for subscribers.