Six former Gophers hockey stars in hunt for Stanley Cup

_{Photo courtesy of Gophers athletics}

Six former Gophers hockey stars will compete for the Stanley Cup this postseason.

The standout group includes Wild forwards Erik Haula and Jordan Schroeder. Phil Kessel, Paul Martin, Nate Schmidt and Brady Skjei round-out the alumni.

Here is what you should know about the former Gophers entering the postseason:

Eirk Haula, Wild forward
Haula scored a career-high 15 goals in the 2016-2017 regular season with four game-winning goals. He also had 11 assists. Haula is making his fourth playoff appearance and has six goals, six assists in 20 postseason games.

Series info: Wild vs. St. Louis Blues, Game 1 in St. Paul, Wednesday at 8:30 p.m., NBCSN

Jordan Schroeder, Wild forward
Schroeder is making his third consecutive postseason appearance with the Wild. He scored two goals in the Wild's final three games and totaled six goals, seven assists in 37 games this season. He has one career playoff goal.

Paul Martin, San Jose Sharks defenseman
Martin has reached the playoffs in all 13 of his NHL seasons. He is ranked third among Gophers hockey alums in playoff points (45) and playoff games (109). He also ranks second in playoff assists (40) and has five postseason goals. The 36-year-old produced four goals, 22 assists and a plus-10 rating for the Sharks this season.

Series info: San Jose Sharks vs. Edmonton Oilers, Game 1 in Edmonton, Wednesday at 9 p.m., USA

Phil Kessel, Pittsburgh Penguins forward
Kessel, last season, became the 10th former Gophers star to win a Stanley Cup. He returns to the postseason for the fifth time in his career to defend the 2016 title with the Penguins. His 23 career playoff goals are second among Gophers alumni and his 43 points rank fourth. Kessel scored 23 goals, 47 assists for Pittsburgh this season.

Series info: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, Game 1 in Pittsburgh, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., USA

Nate Schmidt, Washington Capitals defenseman
Schmidt is appearing in his second postseason after helping the Capitals claim the President's Cup Trophy with the NHL's best regular season record for the second straight year. He totaled three goals, 14 assists, a plus 22-rating and played his 200th career game this season. Schmidt has one career playoff goal.

Brady Skjei, New York Rangers defenseman
Skjei is making his second consecutive postseason appearance with the Rangers. He had two assists in his playoffs debut last season. Skjei produced five goals, 34 assists and a plus-11 rating in 80 games this season.