Ranking every dog name and pun from the 2026 'Stanley Pup'

The NHL's "Stanley Pup" is a friendly competition featuring adoptable rescue dogs that's airing in the U.S. and Canada on Monday. Many of the participants will be available for adoption through adoption partner Brandywine Valley SPCA.

There will be special appearances by celebrity dog lovers (and in some cases hockey enthusiasts) like Kenan Thompson, Jean Smart, Michael Strahan, Brooke Shields, Flavor Flav and many more at the third edition of this event.

There will also be appearances by NHL players who inspired the names of the Stanley Pup furry friends. And what a collection of names it is: a celebration of dog puns on increasingly absurd and creative levels.

Here is our ranking of all 32 NHL players-as-dog pun names, one for each team. Please note we are not ranking the dogs themselves because that would be cruel and weird. Just the names. Enjoy the Stanley Pup, everyone!

32. Cale Macollar (Colorado Avalanche)

Not a fan of using dog equipment for the pun. Although we do lament the fact that NHL center Rick MacLeish retired well before his name could be used for Stanley Pup contention.

31. Jordan Bone-ington (St. Louis Blues)

Of the several "bone"-related names, we'll clear the crease of this one.

30. Ryan Dognato (Chicago Blackhawks)

Adding a "G" to Donato does not make a classic NHL dog name.

29. Cutter Go-fetch-ier (Anaheim Ducks)

While the aggressive reimagining of Cutter Gauthier into a canine-adjacent name deserves some credit, that's one hyphen too many.

28. Linus Ullbark (Ottawa Senators)

Linus All-bark was right there, people.

27. Nate Schtick (Utah Mammoth)

Incredible name for an opening comic at the Chuckle Hut, not so much here.

26. Adam Howley (Winnipeg Jets)

It shouldn't bother us that this dog name erased the "r" from Adam Lowry's name. And yet ...

25. Owen Nip-It (Philadelphia Flyers)

Props for not going with the more obvious "Bowwowen Tippett."

24. Owen Bowower (Buffalo Sabres)

OK, they went for the obvious here instead, with Owen Power.

23. Devin Collie (Calgary Flames)

Devin Cooley. Devin Collie. No notes.

22. Kris Lefang (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Or in French, "the fang."

21. Max Dogi (Toronto Maple Leafs)

This one is low-key pretty good. On paper, it looks like "Max Doggy." But given how he pronounces his name, this is actually "Max Doge-ee."

20. Gabe Pawreault (New York Rangers)

Gabe Perreaultis one of two New York rookies on this list and the first use of the ever-reliable "Paw" in his dog name. Speaking of which ...

19. Artemi Pawnarin (Los Angeles Kings)

Former Rangers winger Artemi Panarin also gets the "Paw" treatment. We might have honored retiring Anze Kopitar with a "Pawnze," but this works too.

18. Evan Boucharf (Edmonton Oilers)

Evan Bouchard's name, tailor-made for this.

17. Brad Marchound (Florida Panthers)

The notorious agitator is known for hounding opponents, so this makes sense.

16. Cole Pawfield (Montreal Canadiens)

Cole Caufield's puppylike comportment fits this one well.

15. Jaden Snorts (Seattle Kraken)

Maybe a better fit for an NHL-endorsed pig race, but still a solid pun for Jaden Schwartz.

14. Jonathan Muttchessault (Nashville Predators)

Look, we're not going to ignore that Jonathan Marchess-snout was right there.

13. Charlie Attaboy (Boston Bruins)

Not sure if this is as well-grounded a dog pun as some of these others, but points for creativity for Charlie McAvoy.

12. Seth Arfis (Carolina Hurricanes)

While we might have preferred Sebastian Arf-o for this pun, Seth Jarvis seems like a dog guy.

11. Patrick Kanine (Detroit Red Wings)

This was a Victor Wembanyama-level layup.

9 (tied). Jack Chews/Quinn Chews (New Jersey Devils and Minnesota Wild)

Which Chews do you choose? The answer of course is Jack Chews, who fetched the first gold medal for U.S. men's hockey since the Miracle on Ice.

8. Jack Eichhowl (Vegas Golden Knights)

Wholly appropriate for Jack Eichel, former Boston University Terrier.

7. Bone Jenner (Columbus Blue Jackets)

One of the criteria for this list was how hard the name made us laugh the first time we read it. Hence,Boone Jenner's dog proxy makes the top 10.

6. Logan Chompson (Washington Capitals)

Logan Thompsonhad better watch out. There's a better than good chance that teammate Tom Wilson might now try to adopt him.

5. Matthew Schaefurry (New York Islanders)

You know how when you let an adorable dog sprint around a room and everyone wants to give the pup scratches and pets? That's basically the impact Matthew Schaefer had on the Islanders in his rookie season.

4. Macklin Celeweenie (San Jose Sharks)

Just an audacious pun on Macklin Celebrini. Kudos.

3. Jason Slobbertson (Dallas Stars)

We can't exactly explain why, but "Slobbertson" is so much funnier than "Slobbinson." Just another reason Jason Robertson deserves that blockbuster contract he's seeking as a restricted free agent.

2. Anthony Grrrelli (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Literally standing up on a chair and applauding while writing this entry about Anthony Cirelli. Just peak creativity here. What could possibly top this?

1. Zeev Boop-Em (Vancouver Canucks)

We stand corrected. Canucks defenseman Zeev Buium's name being repurposed for a delightful nose boop. the universal sign of dog cuteness, is clearly the greatest Stanley Pup name of 2026.

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