Cornell men’s hockey senior forward Nick DeSantis has signed a professional contract with the ECHL’s Greensboro Gargoyles, the organization announced on Apr. 10.
DeSantis’ move to the Gargoyles, an affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes and American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves, continues a recent trend of Cornell players moving into professional hockey. He is the third former Big Red player to sign professionally in the past two weeks, following junior forward Jonathan Castagna with the Calgary Flames and junior defenseman Hoyt Stanley with the Ottawa Senators. Both Castagna and Stanley signed three-year entry-level contracts on March 30.
During his senior season at Cornell, DeSantis recorded eight points in 33 games, including four goals—three of which were game-winners—and four assists. He had notable performances against St. Lawrence University, scoring both a goal and an assist in games held on Dec. 6 in Canton and Feb. 27 in Ithaca.
Over his collegiate career spanning 131 games, DeSantis accumulated a total of 56 points and finished with a plus-49 rating. This achievement places him among just eleven active Division I players who have reached that mark over the last four seasons.
DeSantis may make his professional debut as soon as tonight when Greensboro hosts the Worcester Railers at First Horizon Coliseum to start a six-game homestand concluding their season. The Railers’ roster includes another former Cornell player, defenseman Michael Suda from the class of ’25.
