USHL 2024-2025 Thread

[FrHockeyFan]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1835737426322469074

 

[JMCx4]

Game summaries to date in Cranberry Township, courtesy of the USHL Fall Classic Hub ...

Wednesday, Sept. 18

• Youngstown's Adam Benák and Kuzma Voronin each had two points to help the Phantoms overcome a two-goal deficit and win 4-3 in overtime vs. Tri-City (Box Score)
• The Sioux City Musketeers led 34 seconds into the game (with the Fighting Saints) and never looked back. Tate Pritchard and Giacomo Martino each had one goal and one assist (Box Score)

Thursday, Sept. 19

• Penalty trouble befelled the Lancers. Madison went 4/7 on the power play and Ryker Lee had three points (2-1-3) in the Capitols' 7-3 win (Box Score)
• Eliot Seguin-Lescarbeau made 19 saves for the Des Moines Bucaneers in their season-opening victory against the Gamblers (Box Score)
• Sioux City took a 2-0 lead with 1:28 left in the 2nd period en route to a 2-1 win over Youngstown (Box Score)
• Tri-City took a 2-0 lead for their second straight game, but the Fighting Saints responded with a goal and assist from
  Torkel Jennersjo to ultimately win 3-2 in a shootout (Box Score) ...

 

[JMCx4]

USHL Fall Classic play wrapped up on Sunday. Here are the defacto 3 stars of the event & their summary accomplishments. Interesting to note that each of them hails from a country other than the U.S..

Men's Ice Hockey 9/23/2024 2:00:00 PM

Hajibi, Rybakov, Urban Named Players of the Week

Amine Hajibi, Aleksandr Rybakov and Samuel Urban have been named United States Hockey League (USHL) Players of the Week following the DICK’s Sporting Goods Fall Classic.

Forward of the Week
Amine Hajibi (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders)
Hometown: Montreal, Quebec
Commitment: Northeastern University
Birth Year: 2005

• Led all USHL players with four points on two goals and two assists in the RoughRiders’ 4-0 win vs. Omaha and 3-1 win vs. Lincoln
• Helped Cedar Rapids go 3-for-10 on the power play with a power-play goal and assist
• Fired nine shots and finished with a +2 rating

Defenseman of the Week
Aleksandr Rybakov (Sioux Falls Stampede)
Hometown: Cyelyabinsk, Russia
Birth Year: 2005

• Led the Stampede with three points on one goal and two assists
• Helped Sioux Falls defeat the NTDP 6-3 with a shorthanded assist, then added a helper and the game-winning goal in the Stampede’s 4-3 overtime win vs. Muskegon
• Paced the USHL with a +6 rating and tied for the second-most shots among USHL defensemen (7)

Goaltender of the Week
Samuel Urban (Sioux City Musketeers)
Commitment: Arizona State University
Hometown: Dolne Kockovce, Slovakia
Birth Year: 2005

• Helped Sioux City to a perfect start to the season with a 21-save performance in the Musketeers’ 5-1 win vs. Dubuque and 23 saves in their 2-1 win vs. Youngstown
• Capped the Fall Classic with 44 saves on 46 shots, posting a .957 save percentage and 1.00 goals against average

 

[sjq]

What's going on in Youngstown? First Dylan Rozzi turns them down to head to Saint John and now Zach Morin leaves and is heading to Saint John.

 

[JMCx4]

What's going on in Youngstown? First Dylan Rozzi turns them down to head to Saint John and now Zach Morin leaves and is heading to Saint John.

Seems on the surface to be two players who got better offers/conditions/futures. Though there has been recent news involving the Phantoms org that may lead to further churn ... WFMJ-TV: Phantoms suspend hockey exec amid prostitution allegations

 

[VaCaps Fan]

That is ugly for the league.

 

[JMCx4]

From: The United States Hockey League > News

General 9/27/2024 9:53:55 AM

Best of Promo Nights: October​

Story Links​

• Schedule
• Standings

As the leaves turn and the puck drops in USHL cities across the U.S., here’s a look at what’s happening in rinks around the league next month.

Des Moines' Debut

• The Des Moines Buccaneers will play their first game of the 2024-25 season in the MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex in West Des Moines, Iowa on Oct. 4.

Light Up the Stable

• The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders will celebrate their 25th anniversary season with glow-in-the-dark, pinstripe jerseys on Sept. 28.

Military Appreciation Night

• The Green Bay Gamblers will salute to service members on Oct. 5. (Learn more)

Charitable Causes

• Fargo Force: Rally 4 Demmy – Sept. 28 (Learn more)
• Dubuque Fighting Saints: Fill the Food Bank Night – Oct. 5 (Learn more)
• Fargo Force: Autism Awareness Night – Oct. 11 (Learn more)
• Lincoln Stars: Nebraska Epilepsy Night – Oct. 12 (Learn more)
• Sioux Falls Stampede: Sioux Falls Area Humane Society Night (Learn more)
• Lincoln Stars: First Responders Night – Oct. 25 (Learn more)
• Dubuque Fighting Saints: Pink the Rink – Oct. 25 (Learn more)
• Cedar Rapids RoughRiders: – Oct. 19 – Brooke’s Wiping Out Cancer Night*
• Omaha Lancers: – Oct. 26 - Pink in the Rink* (Learn more)

Taylor’s Tour Begins

• Each (Sioux City Musketeers) fan who attends T-Swift Night on Oct. 12 is entered into a drawing to see Taylor Swift in Indianapolis on Nov. 1, plus funds to be used toward travel & lodging. (Learn more)

Guaranteed Win Night

• If the Lancers win on Oct. 12, all fans in attendance will receive a free ticket to their Oct. 13 game. (Learn more)

Turtle Races

• The Chicago Steel will host the slowest two minutes in sports with Turtle Races on Oct. 19. (Learn more)

Celebrating Women in Sports

• The Chicago Steel will host U.S. Olympian Kendall Coyne Schofield for the cermonial puck drop on Oct. 20 (Learn more)

Flannel Fest

• The Muskegon Lumberjacks are set to host its fourth annual Flannel Fest, a two-day opening weekend celebration on Oct. 25-26 (Learn more)

Heavy Metal & Horror Night

• LOUD NOISES! The Green Bay Gamblers will ease into their home schedule with Heavy Metal & Horror Night on Oct. 26* (Learn more)

Oktoberfest & 5K

• The Madison Capitols will host a 5K fundraiser on Oct. 12 with funds going toward Tri-4-Schools, a local non-profit. All runners will recieve a free ticket to the game where polka music will pump through the speakers as part of Madison's Oktoberfest special (Learn more)

*Special jerseys will be worn

 

[JMCx4]

From: The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA)

How will inevitable changes to college hockey affect the United States Hockey League?

The advent of NIL and a lawsuit filed by a major junior player in Canada has many wondering how the league will be affected

Jeff Johnson
Oct. 5, 2024 1:15 pm, Updated: Oct. 5, 2024 1:32 pm

CEDAR RAPIDS — He was blunt.

“I think this is going to be one of those conversations you are not going to be excited about,” Mark Carlson said.
The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Coach/General Manager/CEO was asked this week to give his feelings on what appears to be inevitable seismic changes to college hockey and how that will affect Cedar Rapids and the rest of the United States Hockey League.

He wasn’t really certain.

NIL is a thing that has exploded in college basketball and football but has been slow to show itself in hockey. Not anymore.
Players are receiving money from name, image and likeness deals. High school athletes are beginning to make money from NIL deals.

In August, a player on a major junior team in Canada sued the NCAA in order to be allowed to play college hockey. Major junior players receive a regular financial stipend, thus always have been ineligible for college hockey in the United States.

You’d have to think the aforementioned player will win his lawsuit, which would mean the main supplier of college hockey players won’t just be the USHL. The USHL does not pay its players, at least not yet.
“I’m happy to talk about things, but I haven’t thought much about them,” Carlson said. “Obviously I’m aware of it. I don’t think it has affected our league. What’s to come? We don’t know. My thought on it is if it becomes a factor, our league will adapt. As we always have.” ...


Read more at: Is there future trouble brewing for the United States Hockey League? | The Gazette

 

[Slowdive]

From: The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA)

Read that yesterday. Pretty interesting stuff.

 

[VaCaps Fan]

Big changes…

 

[JMCx4]

From: FloHockey.tv

2024-25 USHL Power Rankings
Updated 1 day ago (Oct. 16, 2024) by Ryan Sikes ...

Welcome to FloHockey’s monthly Clark Cup contender power rankings for the USHL. Find out which of the league's 16 teams rise and fall over the course of the long regular season.

1. Lincoln Stars ​

Record: 6-1-0-0

The Stars are a wagon.

Led by Daniel Shlaine, who already has nine points on five goals and four assists in his first seven games, Lincoln leads the league in goals scored (30).

Blake Montgomery (OTT), Jack Pechar and Dashel Oliver also all have at least seven points.

Added, Yan Shostak has been one of the best goaltenders in the USHL thus far. The St. Cloud commit owns a 1.41 goals-against average and .948 save percentage, with one shutout in five appearances. ...

2. Dubuque Fighting Saints​

Record: 5-2-0-0

Despite losing some key pieces from last year’s Eastern Conference-winning team, Dubuque looks poised to make another run this year. The Fighting Saints sit atop the Eastern Conference standings and have scored the third-most goals (28) in the league.

Heikki Ruohonen (PHI) has made the transition from overseas to the USHL look seamless. The Flyers’ prospect has seven points on three goals and four assists and will look to extend his current five-game point streak this weekend.

3. Waterloo Black Hawks​

Record: 5-2-1-0

Waterloo is quietly sitting in second place, one point behind Lincoln in the Western Conference standings.

Matt Smaby’s squad has backed its offensive firepower with solid goaltending.

Reid Morich is establishing himself as a solid re-entry candidate in the 2025 NHL Draft. After recording just 19 points in 54 games last year, the Minnesota State commit already has four goals and eight points in his first seven games. ...


Read more at:

USHL Power Rankings

The Lincoln Stars lead the USHL in goals scored and found their way to the top of the season's first power rankings.

www.flohockey.tv

 

[VaCaps Fan]

What’s the quality of USHL games?

 

[JMCx4]

What’s the quality of USHL games?

This recent League media post claims: "With ten first-round selections and 49 total picks in the 2024 NHL Draft, the USHL has developed the most draft choices of any junior hockey league since 2012. The USHL has produced more selections than the OHL, WHL and QMJHL for eight straight years." The unspoken caveat to all that is the USHL takes credit for the USNTDP U17 & U18 rosters who play vs. the other USHL teams semi-regularly each season. Those statements & tidbits should help you set your "quality" bar.

 

[JMCx4]

From: USHL.com > News > Top Stories

USHL Weekly Notes

General | 10/23/2024 8:31:14 AM

Schedule
Standings
Players of the Week

The Lincoln Stars sit atop the USHL standings on a seven-game winning streak ahead of a 16-game slate for the league from Oct. 25-27.

WATCH: THE U-SHOW: WEEK 5

TOP STORYLINES

• Led by USHL point leaders Jack Pechar (Northeastern) and Daniel Shlaine (Minnesota Duluth), the Lincoln Stars lead the USHL with an 8-1-0-0 record and a seven-game winning streak. The Stars faceoff against the Tri-City Storm for a home-and-home series this weekend.
• After dropping their first four games of the season, the Omaha Lancers are on a four-game winning streak and carry a positive goal differential into a three-game weekend. Grant Dillard has scored in each of the Lancers’ last four games and joins Tate Pritchard (SC/Minnesota State) as the league’s top goal scorer (6).
• After scoring a franchise-record number of goals in a 10-2 win vs. Chicago last Friday, the Madison Capitols will host Cedar Rapids on Friday before heading to Green Bay for the first time this season on Saturday. The Capitols lost to the Gamblers 5-2 on Oct. 12.
• NHL Central Scouting published its preliminary players to watch list for the 2025 NHL Draft featuring 96 players with USHL ties. Of that group, 64 players are on active USHL rosters, 26 are on affiliate lists and six are former USHL players in the NCAA. The USHL averaged four players per team, more than any other singular development league in North America. ...

Read more at:

USHL Weekly Notes

The Lincoln Stars sit atop the USHL standings on a seven-game winning streak ahead of a 16-game slate for the league from Oct. 25-27.

ushl.com

 

[GindyDraws]

This recent League media post claims: "With ten first-round selections and 49 total picks in the 2024 NHL Draft, the USHL has developed the most draft choices of any junior hockey league since 2012. The USHL has produced more selections than the OHL, WHL and QMJHL for eight straight years." The unspoken caveat to all that is the USHL takes credit for the USNTDP U17 & U18 rosters who play vs. the other USHL teams semi-regularly each season. Those statements & tidbits should help you set your "quality" bar.

I mean, a USHL player not on the USNTDP occasionally sneaks into a top spot, so it's not as if the entire league is filled with scrubs. Just there should be modest expectations especially when you think about the facility conditions of some teams like Des Moines.

 

[JMCx4]

Minus the outcome of the Halloween matchup of Fargo @ Des Moines, here are the 2024-25 USHL Conference standings as October fades to black ...

 

[JMCx4]

I began & ended my 2024-25 USHL road trip series this past weekend with these two games (game summaries below from The Rink Live). I had a 1-1 record for picking the winners, and was treated kindly by the home crowds at each arena ...

• Waterloo Black Hawks win at home against Sioux Falls Stampede

• Muskegon Lumberjacks dig deep in the third to win against Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

 

[VaCaps Fan]

You get around...

 

[Slowdive]

Love hockey road trips.