Cornell men’s hockey players Jonathan Castagna and Hoyt Stanley have signed three-year entry-level contracts with the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators, respectively, according to a March 31 announcement by the organizations.
The contracts will begin with the 2026-27 season. In the meantime, Castagna will join the Calgary Wranglers and Stanley will report to the Belleville Senators, both American Hockey League affiliates of their respective National Hockey League teams, on amateur tryout contracts.
Castagna was originally drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in 2023 before his rights were transferred to Utah. On March 4, he was traded to Calgary as part of a deal involving several players and draft picks. Reflecting on his new contract, Castagna said, “Signing the contract was a dream come true and I haven’t been able to stop smiling since. The Flames organization has welcomed me in like family and I’m so excited to get started. I owe my life to Cornell and the men’s hockey program and I will stay forever in touch with the people I met there and the profound impact it has had on my life.”
During his time at Cornell, Castagna led his team in goals (15), points (34), short-handed goals (3), plus-minus rating (+25), and achieved a faceoff win percentage of 65.2 percent during his last season. He played in 101 games over three years for Cornell’s Big Red team.
Stanley was selected by Ottawa in the fourth round of the same draft year as Castagna. After signing his contract, Stanley said, “I’m excited to start my pro career and would like to thank the Ottawa Senators organization for their belief and this opportunity. It was a hard decision to leave Cornell as I spent the best three years of my life here and it became like a second home for me. The program is first class and I’ll be forever grateful for the incredible coaching staff and their work ethic. I’ll miss playing in front of the Lynah Faithful.” Over three seasons at Cornell, he played 104 games.
Cornell head coach Casey Jones commented on both players’ achievements: “Jonny represents everything we want in a Cornell player and was a huge part of our culture here,” Jones said about Castagna. Regarding Stanley’s progress: “Hoyt has worked hard and has made progress every year. We are excited to watch him take this step and want to thank him for three great years with the Big Red.”
