SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A trio of Irish skaters in Danny Nelson, Paul Fischer, and Evan Werner, have been recognized by the Big Ten Conference for their performance on the ice during the 2025-26 ice hockey regular season, as announced by the conference Wednesday afternoon. All three juniors, Nelson and Fischer served the team as captains this past season and contributed heavily at both ends of the ice this year en route to the All-Big Ten Honorable Mention recognition. Werner was honored with the Sportsmanship Award by the conference office at the conclusion of the regular season.
Nelson, who hails from Maple Grove, Minnesota, was named co-captain prior to the start of the year and went on to record a career-high 29 points in his third season at Notre Dame. His 13 goals ties his personal best set as a sophomore in 2024-25 while ranking second on the team this year. Additionally, his 16 apples was a career mark for Nelson this season.
Fischer capped the year off with 23 points from the blueline, marking his second time eclipsing the 20-point mark and tripling his previous best in goals with six on the year. In the final week of the regular season, the River Forest, Illinois native was recognized as Big Ten First Star of the Week when he scored the latest regulation goal in program history to force overtime in the series finale at Ohio State. His shot crossed the line with 0.1 seconds remaining in regulation to ultimately clinch the weekend sweep of the Buckeyes. The goal, his sixth of the year and third in conference play, both marked career bests.
All three men played large roles on the special teams front as well this season, as Fischer served as quarterback on the team’s top-power play unit while Nelson’s seven goals led the team in scoring on the man-advantage. Werner finished just one goal shy of Nelson’s total on the man-advantage as the pair combined for 13 of the team’s 30 powerplay goals this season. The Irish powerplay ranked among the nation’s best for the duration of the year, ending the year with a clip of 27.5-percent which ranks fourth nationally.
Werner was recognized for his efforts both on the puck and away from play with the conference’s annual Sportsmanship Award. As a forward with high minutes on the ice, Werner was one of the least penalized skaters in the league, clocking just 12 minutes off six penalties while leading the team in scoring with 17 goals, a team-best, and 17 assists for 34 points.
All three earned weekly honors by the conference during the course of the 2025-26 season but this is the first postseason Big Ten honor for each.