Four NLers named to NHL Opening Night Rosters

The province of Newfoundland and Labrador will be well-represented in the NHL this season with four native sons cracking Opening Night rosters.

Dawson Mercer, Alex Newhook, Ryan Greene and Zach Dean will all start their respective seasons playing in the top hockey league in the world when the 2026-27 schedule kicks off on Tuesday. 

Carbonear’s Dawson Mercer is preparing for his sixth season as a member of the New Jersey Devils. Heading into the final year of his three-year $12 million contract, Mercer netted 20 goals and 22 assists for 44 points last season, and appeared in all 82 regular season contests. 

Fresh off signing a brand-new four-year contract extension with the Montreal Canadiens, Alex Newhook is hoping to build upon his stellar 2026 playoff run. In 42 regular season games last season, Newhook scored 13 goals and added 12 assists for 25 points. He elevated his game in a big way in the postseason, scoring seven goals in 19 games. 

Heading into his second full season in the NHL, St. John’s native Ryan Greene hopes to take a step forward in his development in 2026-27 as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. Last season, playing in 81 of 82 games, Greene scored 12 times and added 17 assists for 29 points. 

Born in Grande Prairie, Alberta but raised in Mount Pearl, 2021 first-rounder Zach Dean is set to start the season with the St. Louis Blues. Dean spent the last three seasons developing in the AHL with the Springfield Thunderbirds. Last season in 2025-26, Dean appeared in 36 games with the Thunderbirds and scored four goals while adding 10 assists. He made his NHL debut with the Blues in the 2023-24 season, appearing in nine contests without recording a point.