Nelson and Finley Reflect on their Experience at the 2025 Spengler Cup

New York Islanders prospects Danny Nelson and Quinn Finley laced up with the U.S. Collegiate Selects squad competing in the 2025 Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland. They made their country, the NCAA, and the Islanders proud, as they were runners up in the world’s oldest invitational hockey tournament dating back to 1923.

“It’s definitely a different experience and a really cool vibe playing in the Spengler Cup,” Nelson said. “Just how rich the history is with that tournament, and how much the fans really love and appreciate hockey over there. The way the fans took us in and supported every team and also us there was really fun to be a part of.”

Nelson and Finley were part of the first all-star team of US college athletes invited to compete in the Spengler Cup, which is hosted by HC Davos and features top European teams, as well as an entry from Hockey Canada. Those veteran squads feature some of the top European players in the world, as well as former NHLers, but the college kids embraced the challenge.

“It was definitely something that a lot of people talked about, but all of us on the team and even the coaching staff, we didn't really feel that much pressure going in,” Finley said. “We were just going with an open mind. When we got over there, we were trying to play with a lot of speed and a lot of skill and that showed in different games.”

After the U.S. Collegiate Selects fell to Canada 3-2 on Dec. 26, they gutted out back-to-back wins against the HC Davos (the host city) 5-3 on Dec. 27, followed by another 5-3 win over the HC Sparta Prague in the Semifinals. Although they dropped the championship game in a 6-3 decision to HC Davos, it was a valiant effort where Nelson and Finley learned a lot in a short span.

“Every time you go overseas, or you play against older, stronger players, you're trying to pick up on things and add as many things as you can to your toolbox as you can,” Finley said. “So overall, we were trying to soak up as much information as possible and just learn from it.”

Finley, the Islanders’ 2022 third-round pick (78th-overall) contributed five points (3G, 2A) through four games of the tournament, while Nelson, the Islanders’ 2023 second rounder (49th-overall) notched an assist and finished with a plus-one rating.

Both are juniors at the NCAA level and can take what they learned playing against veteran teams in the Spengler Cup to add to their performance in their respective regular seasons, mainly noticing the detail these teams played with. Their game plan going into competition was to use youth and speed to their advantage.

“Just trying to frustrate guys and get in guys' ways, pull them away from the way they play,” Nelson explained. “They’re always looking to step in your way and make it harder for you to get on the forecheck, the backcheck, whatever it is. They’re just always involved in the play even if they don’t have the puck and I think that was the biggest thing I noticed while playing over there.”

The tournament featured a pretty cool venue, as it marked the first trip to Switzerland for Nelson, a Minnesota native and Finley, who was born in Indiana. When it came to the culture of the city and the fans, Finley and Nelson didn’t know what to expect, but they were greeted with friendly faces wherever they went. Fans said hello to Nelson and Finley in the streets, and congratulated them after winning games, while they packed the arena and created a loud atmosphere each night they played.

“I loved it,” Finley said. “It was super cool. It was a beautiful town, and the people really embraced us. When we first got there, we didn't really know how the people were going to be or how was going to shake out, but they really embraced us. And yeah, it was a super cool environment to the rink itself, and the fans really got into it. It was really fun.”

Between games, U.S. Collegiate Selects did some sightseeing and took in Switzerland’s breathtaking mountain views. Nelson and Finley spent a lot of time together, where it was getting food, taking pictures of cool sights and walking around Switzerland together, as the team took advantage of exploring the international venue.

“We got to a restaurant on top of the mountain and go on top of the gondola,” Finley said. “Got to sightsee over in Switzerland, it was pretty cool.”

Nelson and Finley are used to being adversaries, frequently going head-to-head in NCAA action. Nelson plays for the University Notre Dame and Finley plays for the Wisconsin Badgers.

“He’s obviously a very good player so it kind of sucks to play against him sometimes,” Nelson said with a laugh. “But it’s a lot of fun. “Our friendship has grown a lot over the years, I love the kid. Someone you always look forward to hanging out with.”

Aside from playing against each other, the two have spent time together at Islanders Development Camp last summer, while they have their future in the Islanders organization to cross paths – but competing in the Spengler Cup was just a highlight along the way.

“It's a blast,” Finley said. “We text a lot, especially throughout the weeks and who he's playing or who I'm playing, and he's an unbelievable kid. I love hanging out with him outside the rink and inside the rink. He's really good player too. So yeah, our friendships been really good. I just want to keep it going.”