When the New York Islanders signed Travis Mitchell as an undrafted NCAA free agent in March 2023, they brought in a defenseman who had quietly developed into a reliable two-way contributor at Cornell Universit y. Over four seasons with the Big Red, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound blueliner appeared in 95 games, registering 11 goals and 36 assists for 47 points. He capped off his college career by helping Cornell capture the ECAC regular-season title in 2019-20, setting the stage for his jump to the professional ranks.