2026 Transfer Portal: Breaking down the numbers
Plus: Notes on assistant coaches, the Spengler Cup, and a minor Harvard note
The bulk of the transfer portal activity was concentrated into just a few weeks this season, thanks to the NCAA shortening the entry window and most players committing within days of entering.
So while the portal isn’t technically finished for this cycle — there will still be additional commitments, and Harvard players have until a new head coach is announced to enter the portal — there likely won’t be many, if any, major moves that significantly alter the numbers we track each year.
Today’s newsletter breaks down the portal data from the 2026 cycle, including several notes on recent commitments and late additions to the portal.
Also in today’s edition: More on recent assistant coaching hires at Colorado College and Yale, the United States Collegiate Selects have finalized their schedule for December’s Spengler Cup, and I have a small note on the connection between Jason Lammers and Harvard.
This is issue #684 of the College Hockey Insider newsletter.
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2026 Transfer Portal: Breaking down the numbers
It’s been a few weeks since I updated the data on this year’s transfer portal. Here are the numbers:
Total Entries
Total Entries (not incl. 5th years): 341
Forwards: 173
Defensemen: 119
Goaltenders: 49
Entries by Class
3 YOE Remaining: 114 entries (33.4% of entries)
2 YOE Remaining 124 entries (36.4% of entries)
1 YOE Remaining 72 entries (21.1% of entries)
5th Years: 18 (5.3% of entries)
Commitments
Overall: 61.3% of players have committed
D-I Commitments: 56.6% of players have committed to D-I schools
D-I: 193
D-III: 5
USport: 2
ACHA: 6
