General | 10/31/2023 1:40:37 PM

Numbers Game: A total of 908 players who have played at least one game in the USHL are suiting up for NCAA teams in 2023-24.

Led by 179 players skating with Hockey East programs, the USHL has at least two players on every team in the nation.

Colorado College (NCHC) and Ohio State (Big 10) have the most former USHL players on their rosters with both schools listing 25 USHLers. 14 schools have at least 21 former USHL players listed on their rosters. 

As of Oct. 1, the NCAA listed 1,800 players on the rosters of the nation's 64 DI men's hockey teams, with 50.4% of those players having played in the USHL. 

Fargo Focus :  The Fargo Force have not lost a game in 2023-24 and have now ran their winning streak to 10  games after picking up two wins at Omaha last week (4-3 in overtime and 4-1). 

The Force, who own a 7-0-0-0 road record, stand atop the Western Conference standings with 20 points.

Sioux Falls, which owns a 7-3-3-0 record, is second in the Western Conference with 17 points.

Dubuque, which owns a 9-1-1-1 mark on the season and has won its last four games, ranks as the top team in the Eastern Conference with 20 points. 

Youngstown, witch has gone 4-0-1-0 in its last five games and to stand 8-3-1-0 for the year, ranks second in the East with 17 points. 

Players of the Week: Paul Minnehan (Des Moines/USHL Forward of the Week), who’s committed to Arizona State, totaled four points on three goals and one assist last week.  The Cypress, Calif., native scored game-winning goals in Buccaneer victories over Sioux City and Lincoln.

Tory Pitner (Youngstown/USHL Defenseman of the Week), a University of Denver commit, led all USHL players in scoring last week with six points on two goals and four assists. A native of El Cerrito, Calif., Pitner had three assists and was +3 in a 6-3 win over Sioux Falls last Saturday.

Harrison Boettiger (USA Hockey NTDP/USHL Goaltender of the Week), a Wheat Ridge, Colo., native, posted a 29-save shutout in a 1-0 overtime win over Madison last Friday. Boettiger is the youngest goaltender in the USHL

PP & PK: Sioux City has registered 18 power play goals on the season and owns the top power play percentage in the league with a 41.9% mark. 

Dubuque, the top-scoring team in the USHL with 66 goals in 12 games, leads the league with 19 power play goals and owns a 39.6% mark with the man advantage for the year.

Fargo has allowed one power play goal in its 10 games and leads the league with a 93.8% penalty killing mark. 

Put some Mustard on it:  Waterloo forward John Mustard’s six goals lead all rookies and his nine points on the season stands tied for fifth. Sioux City forward Hagen Burrows leads all rookies in scoring with 14 points on four goals and nine assists.

Silver Streak:  Fargo blueliner Leo Gruba leads all USHL defensemen in scoring with 14 points on five goals and nine assists. A Lake Elmo, Minn., native, Gruba has recorded at least one point in all 10 of Fargo’s games this year.  Sioux Cities forward Brian Nicholas heads into this week’s action riding a seven-game point-scoring streak (3-6--9).

Streaming:  Just a reminder that all league games are streamed live via FloHockey.