General | 3/3/2025 11:45:29 AM

In the News

• USHL Playoff Picture
• Zajic, Lessard, Peck Named Players of the Week
• Stampede Enjoys Turnaround Season Under Cruthers
• Fighting Saints Could be Next to Clinch Playoff Spot
• Green Bay's Samuelson Carves His Own Path

What to Watch For

• Sioux Falls became the second team to clinch a spot in the Clark Cup playoffs with a win last Saturday. The Herd is 6-3-1-0 in its last 10 games.
• The Eastern Conference-leading Dubuque Fighting Saints have a magic number of one to solidify their spot in the postseason. Dubuque swept Chicago last weekend, outscoring the Steel 15-5.
• Madison is 8-1-1-0 in its last 10 games. The Capitols fell to the NTDP U18s last Friday before defeating Waterloo the following night. Madison will trek to Youngstown for three games in three days this weekend. The Capitols have a magic number of five to clinch a playoff spot.
• The NTDP kept its playoff hopes alive as the U17s and U18s combined for a trio of wins last week. Reigning USHL Forward of the Week and Wisconsin commit Lukas Zajic (NTDP U17s) set this season’s single-game point record (6). He became the first player since James Hagens last season—and one of only two since 2019-20—to record more than five points in a game.
• Ohio State commit Landen Gunderson (Sioux City Musketeers) leads the league with 60 points on 23 goals and 37 assists. Colorado Avalanche prospect and North Dakota commit Will Zellers (Green Bay Gamblers) leads the USHL with 37 goals and ranks second in points (58) and points-per game (1.45). Wisconsin commit Bruno Idzan (Lincoln Stars) leads the USHL in points per game (1.48). Idzan has scored in 17 of his 23 games since joining the Stars in mid-December. The Croatian forward has not gone more than two games without a point.
• Cornell commit Aiden Long (Madison Capitols) is on a nine-game point streak with five goals and 13 assists in that stretch. His teammate and Michigan State commit Ryker Lee is on a five-game point streak with five goals and five assists. Lee has scored in his last three games. St. Thomas commit Josh Giuliani (Dubuque Fighting Saints) is on a five-game point and assist streak with three goals and five helpers in the run. Michigan commit Cole McKinney (NTDP U18s) has eight points in his last five games, has scored in each of his last three games and has eight goals and five assists in nine games since the start of December.
• Maine commit Lukas Peterson (Green Bay Gamblers) leads USHL defensemen in points with 41 on seven goals and 34 assists. Vermont commit Caeden Herrington (Lincoln Stars) and Brown commit Matthew Desiderio (Dubuque Fighting Saints) lead defensemen with 13 goals each.
• St. Cloud State commit Yan Shostak (Lincoln Stars) leads USHL goalies with 2.35 goals against average. Miami commit Shikhabutdin Gadzhiev (Muskegon Lumberjacks) paces netminders with a .915 save percentage. Michigan State commit Melvin Strahl leads the league with 25 wins. Lindenwood commit AJ Reyelts (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders) is the only goalie with four shutouts this season.  
• Listed in order, Ryker Lee (Madison Capitols), Adam Benák (Youngstown Phantoms)  and Boston University commit Tynan Lawrence (Muskegon Lumberjacks) are the only rookie scorers with 45 or more points.
• Lincoln, Green Bay and Madison have the league’s best power plays, converting on roughly 30% of all chances. Sioux Falls, Sioux City, Madison and Fargo have the league’s top penalty kill units, all around 83%.
• When Alex Stezka (Chicago Steel/Sioux Falls Stampede) made his NHL debut for the Seattle Kraken on Feb. 23, he became the 17^th USHL alum to make their NHL debut this season.
• Cedar Rapids RoughRiders head coach Mark Carlson has 770 career regular-season USHL wins. The record for all-time USHL regular season wins is held by O’Handley at 778. The RoughRiders have 14 games remaining. Carlson has coached more regular-season games than any coach in USHL history, breaking the record held by O’Handley earlier this season.

About the USHL
The United States Hockey League and its 16 member clubs are committed to being the leading 16–20-year-old junior hockey league in the world. More than half of Division I men’s hockey roster spots are held by USHL alumni and more than 195 alumni were listed on NHL rosters at the start of the 2024-25 season.

The league's player-first approach, including a 2:1 practice-to- game ratio and a schedule with 92% of games played on weekends, provides its players with the optimal environment for athletic and personal growth, creating pathways for the next generation of stars like Kyle Connor (Youngstown Phantoms), Macklin Celebrini (Chicago Steel), Cole Caufield (NTDP), Adam Fantilli (Chicago Steel) and Jeremy Swayman (Sioux Falls Stampede). More.