The 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics are filled with former Boston College Eagles to look out for on the ice.
BC’s strongest program—hockey—accounts for all 2026 Olympians, with seven former athletes (five women and two men) competing. All seven deserve recognition for their accolades at BC and beyond.
Alex Carpenter ‘16 is widely regarded as the greatest BC women’s ice hockey player of all time, scoring 133 goals and 145 assists for 278 total points over her four seasons with the Eagles. She left BC as the all-time leading scorer, a two-time Hockey East Player of the Year, and the 2015 Patty Kazmaier Award winner—the first in BC and Hockey East history.
Beyond these historic honors, she set program records in power-play goals (26) and game-winning goals (27), while maintaining a 24-game point streak. With such a strong resume, “Carp” was selected first overall in the 2015 NWHL Draft by the New York Riveters. She continued to excel in the pros, earning a First Team All-Star spot in 2024 before signing with the expansion Seattle Torrent in 2025, where she wears the “A.”
Her international achievements are equally impressive, earning seven gold medals and two silver medals across multiple Olympic appearances. So far for Team USA in Milan, she has scored three goals and two assists during the preliminary round as an alternate captain.
If Alex Carpenter is the offensive GOAT, Megan Keller ‘19 is the defensive GOAT. She left BC as the all-time leader in defenseman, scoring with 45 goals and 113 assists for 158 points. She was a three-time AHCA First Team All-American and a three-time Hockey East Best Defenseman. She remains the only defenseman to win the Hockey East Player of the Year award twice.
Keller currently serves as captain of the Boston Fleet and as Team USA’s alternate captain. A veteran of the 2018 gold medal team and the 2022 silver medal squad, she also holds six World Championship gold medals. Like Carpenter, Keller has experienced early success at these Olympics, recording one goal and three assists.
Daryl Watts had a brief two-year stint at The Heights before transferring to Wisconsin, where she won a National Championship, a common but “unfortunate” trend for BC fans. In the 2017/18 season, she became the first freshman ever to win the Patty Kazmaier Award, leading the NCAA with 82 points. Along with that prestigious award, she won NCAA Rookie of the Year and Hockey East Player of the Year.
Professionally, she won the Isobel Cup with the Toronto Six in 2023. After the PHF disbanded, she signed with the Toronto Sceptres and was named a 2025 PWHL Second Team All-Star. Representing Team Canada, she aims to add to her trophy collection after winning silver at the 2025 IIHF World Championships. She has excelled in the prelims, scoring two goals and two assists.
Cayla Barnes ‘23 was another outstanding defenseman for the Eagles, ending her BC career ranked 7th among defenders in points (75). Her real strength is shot blocking; she led the team in blocks during the ’20, ’21, and ’22 seasons. Like Watts, she departed in 2023 and went on to win a National Championship with the Buckeyes. This was enough to see her go 5th overall in the PWHL draft to Montreal, though she eventually signed with Seattle in 2025. Barnes was the youngest member of the 2018 gold team and a key part of the 2022 silver group. She is a three-time gold medalist and the first player to win three consecutive U18 gold medals. While she has yet to tally a point in Milan, her defensive presence continues to warrant significant ice time.
The final women’s player is Hannah Bilka ‘23, who seems to be glued to Barnes. Her standout rookie year, in which she led in scoring, culminated in her winning the 2020 National Rookie of the Year and Hockey East Rookie of the Year honors.
She served as BC’s captain in 2023 before leaving for Ohio State to win a National Championship. Drafted 4th overall to Boston, she followed Barnes to the Seattle squad. Her international resume includes a 2023 World Championship gold and silver in 2022 and 2024. This Olympics, she is on fire offensively with three goals and one assist through four games.
The men’s tournament is just beginning, sparking major excitement as it marks the first time NHL players have taken part since 2014. Team USA and Canada are already showing their strength, both easily winning with five goals each in their first games.
Among the BC alumni is U.S. defenseman Noah Hanifin ‘15. One season at BC was all he needed, scoring 23 points in 37 games and earning All-Rookie and Second Team All-Star honors. The Carolina Hurricanes drafted him 5th overall in 2015, and he represented them as an All-Star in 2018. Having played for the Flames and now the Vegas Golden Knights, he is making his first Olympic appearance, though he previously won gold at the U17 and U18 World Championships.
The final BC representative is Minnesota Wild forward Matt Boldy ‘21. He led the Eagles in scoring during the shortened 2020/21 season with 31 points in 22 games. The Wild drafted him 12th overall in 2019 and secured him to a seven-year, $49 million extension in 2023. Just before the Olympic break, Boldy recorded a hat trick in the first 12:58 of a game—a great omen for his scoring prospects in Milan.
All three represented teams have strong chances of winning gold, and all alumni will play an important role in achieving that goal. Be sure to keep an eye out for these players and cheer them on.
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