USHL Notes April 28, 2023
USHL Notes April 28, 2023 (pdf)
Fargo Claims 2023 Anderson Cup: Under the guidance of first-year head coach Nick Oliver, the Fargo Force claimed the Anderson Cup as the 2022-23 USHL regular-season champions. The Force, who posted a 40-14-4-4 mark during the season led the USHL with a franchise record 88 points with its 40 wins (also a franchise-high) tying for the most in the league this year. The Force also had a league-low 159 goals against and this year’s Anderson Cup marks the first time they have accomplished the feat.
2023 Clark Cup Playoffs Update: The 2023 edition of the USHL Clark Cup playoffs got underway at the beginning of this week with four first-round best-of-three series. Winning first-round matchups to advance to the second round were Cedar Rapids (2-1 over USA Hockey NTDP), Dubuque (2-1 over Green Bay), Lincoln (2-0 over Des Moines) and Tri-City (2-0 over Sioux City).
2023 USHL Conference Semifinal Matchups
Western Conference
#1 Fargo hosts #4 Tri-City
#2 Waterloo vs. #3 Lincoln
Eastern Conference
#1 Chicago hosts #5 Dubuque
#2 Youngstown hosts #6 Cedar Rapids
Detailed Conference Semifinal information, with dates and times, is available
here.
Players of the Week:
Grant Slukynsky (Sioux City/USHL Forward of the Week) led the USHL with six points with three goals and three assists last week. The Warroad, Minn., native scored twice and assisted on two others in a 5-3 win over Omaha last Saturday. The Northern Michigan commit finished the 2023 USHL regular season with 21 goals and 27 assists for 48 points in 61 games.
Chase Pietila (Youngstown/USHL Defenseman of the Week) had 0-2--2 and was +2 with five shots on goal over the course of two wins last week. The Michigan Tech commit had two assists in a 5-1 win over USA Hockey NTDP last Saturday. The Howell, Mich., native totalled 7-29--36 in 60 regular-season games this year.
Boston College commit
Jacob Fowler (Youngstown/USHL Goaltender of the Week) went 2-0-0 with 48 saves, a 1.00 goals against average and 0.960 save percentage last week. The Melbourne, Fla., native registered back-to-back 25-save performances in a pair of home wins over USA Hockey NTDP last week. Now a six-time USHL Goaltender of the Week this year, Fowler had a 27-9-3-1 record to go along with a 2.28 goals against average and .921 save percentage in the 2022-23 USHL regular season.
USHL to Announce 2022-23 Awards: Individual awards for the 2022-23 season will be unveiled by the USHL next week.
USHL All-Rookie Teams (first and second) Mon/May 1 Noon
All-USHL Teams (first, second and third) Mon/May 1 2:00 p.m.
USHL Rookie of the Year Tues/May 2 10:00 a.m.
USHL Defenseman of the Year Thur/May 4 10:00 a.m.
USHL Goaltender of the Year Thur/May 4 Noon
USHL Forward of the Year Thur/May 4 2:00 p.m.
USHL Coach of the Year Fri/May 5 10:00 a.m.
USHL GM of the Year Fri/May 5 Noon
USHL Player of the Year Fri/May 5 2:00 p.m.
2023 USHL Draft Slated for Tuesday and Wednesday: The United States Hockey League hosts its Phase I and Phase II Drafts Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, looking to stock talent into the league in the coming years. Be sure to check out USHL.com the days of the draft for links to pick-by-pick selections. The USHL is excited to partner with Neutral Zone for the 2023 USHL Draft Show featuring live coverage and analysis.