USHL Paths to the Frozen Four

Peyton Tully

General | 4/9/2025 8:50:02 AM

The United States Hockey League (USHL) has 79 alumni across all four participating schools competing in the 2025 NCAA Frozen Four at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo.
 
Schedule:
  • Denver vs. Western Michigan | Thursday, April 10 at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2
  • Penn State vs. Boston University | Thursday, April 10 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2
  • Men’s Frozen Four National Championship | Saturday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Notes:
  • All four starting goalies played in the USHL.
    • Denver: Matt Davis, Green Bay Gamblers, 2020-21
    • Western Michigan: Hampton Slukynsky, Fargo Force, 2023-24
    • Boston University: Mikhail Yegorov, Omaha Lancers, 2023-25
    • Penn State: Arsenii Sergeyev, Sioux Falls Stampede/Tri-City Storm, 2021-22
  • There are nine players in the Frozen Four with a Clark Cup Championship, awarded to the USHL postseason champion.
    • Denver
      • Jake Fisher (Fargo Force, 2024)
      • Garrett Brown (Sioux City Musketeers, 2022)
      • Troy Pitner (Youngstown Phantoms, 2023)
    • Western Michigan
      • Grant Slukynsky (Sioux City Musketeers, 2022)
      • Hampton Slukynsky (Fargo Force, 2024)
      • Iiro Hakkarainen (Fargo Force, 2024)
    • Boston University
      • Shane Lachance (Youngstown Phantoms, 2023)
      • Jack Harvey (Chicago Steel, 2021)
      • Brandon Svoboda (Youngstown Phantoms, 2023 // Fargo Force, 2024)
  • The only student-athlete in the Frozen Four with a Clark Cup and an NCAA title is Denver’s Garrett Brown, who won a Clark Cup with the Sioux City Musketeers in 2022 and a national championship with the Pioneers in 2024. Denver's head coach and former Green Bay Gamblers assistant David Carle has been part of three national championships since 2017, the last two as head coach in 2022 and 2024.
  • Every Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalist played in the USHL with the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP): Zeev Buium (Denver), Ryan Leonard and Isaac Howard. Eight of the last 10 Hobey Baker winners are USHL alumni, including each of the last five.
  • Three of the top four finalists for the Mike Richter Award came from the USHL. Since the inception of the award in 2014, USHL alumni have received more than half of the nods recognizing the top goalie in college hockey.
  • More than half of Division I players in 2024-25 played in the USHL. More than 80% of players on current USHL rosters are committed to DI programs.
  • More than 70 players across Division I college hockey received all-conference honors. 
  • More than thirty USHL and NCAA alumni have signed NHL entry-level contracts within the last month.
  • USHL alumni have combined to make 25 NHL debuts this season. 
USHL Alumni in the Frozen Four:
 
Denver (NCHC)
  • Jack Devine, NTDP
  • Aidan Thompson, Lincoln Stars
  • Zeev Buium, NTDP
  • Matt Davis, Green Bay Gamblers
  • Sam Harris, Sioux Falls Stampede
  • Eric Pohlkamp, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
  • Boston Buckberger, Lincoln Stars
  • James Reeder, Dubuque Fighting Saints
  • Jared Wright, Omaha Lancers
  • Jake Fisher, Fargo Force
  • Kieran Cebrian, Tri-City Storm
  • Cale Ashcroft, Tri-City Storm
  • Hagen Burrows, Sioux City Musketeers
  • Connor Caponi, NTDP/Waterloo Black Hawks
  • Kent Anderson, Green Bay Gamblers
  • Garrett Brown, Sioux City Musketeers/Waterloo Black Hawks
  • Tory Pitner, Youngstown Phantoms
  • Paxton Geisel, Dubuque Fighting Saints/Muskegon Lumberjacks
Western Michigan (NCHC)
  • Alex Bump, Omaha Lancers/Tri-City Storm
  • Hampton Slukynsky, NTDP/Fargo Force
  • Grant Slukynsky, Fargo Force/Sioux City Musketeers
  • Owen Michaels, Dubuque Fighting Saints/Lincoln Stars/NTDP
  • Zachary Nehring, Sioux Falls Stampede
  • Samuel Sjölund, Dubuque Fighting Saints
  • Iiro Hakkarainen, Fargo Force
  • Joona Väisänen, Dubuque Fighting Saints
  • Matteo Costantini, Sioux City Musketeers
  • Brian Kramer, Fargo Force
  • Tristan Lemyre, Dubuque Fighting Saints
  • Cam Knuble, Des Moines Buccaneers/Muskegon Lumberjacks
  • Ty Henricks, Fargo Force/Muskegon Lumberjacks
  • Cole Crusberg-Roseen, Lincoln Stars
  • Zack Sharp, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders/Sioux Falls Stampede
  • Wyatt Schingoethe, Waterloo Black Hawks
  • Ethan Wolthers, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
  • Ean Somoza, Sioux Falls Stampede 
  • Zach Bade, Tri-City Storm
  • Jack Mesic, Lincoln Stars/Youngstown Phantoms
  • Ryan Kusler, Omaha Lancers
  • Connor Brown, Waterloo Black Hawks
  • Cameron Rowe, NTDP/Des Moines Buccaneers
Penn State (Big Ten)
  • Charlie Cerrato, NTDP/Youngstown Phantoms
  • Reese Laubach, Omaha Lancers/Youngstown Phantoms
  • Danny Dzhaniyev, Dubuque Fighting Saints/NTDP
  • J.J. Wiebusch, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders/Sioux Falls Stampede
  • Matthew DiMarsico, Green Bay Gamblers
  • Simon Mack, Des Moines Buccaneers
  • Ben Schoen, Tri-City Storm/Youngstown Phantoms
  • Dane Dowiak, Tri-City Storm
  • Jimmy Dowd, Chicago Steel
  • Carter Schade, Lincoln Stars
  • Nicholas Degraves, Waterloo Black Hawks
  • Jarod Crespo, Green Bay Gamblers
  • Tyler Paquette, Des Moines Buccaneers/Green Bay Gamblers
  • Keaton Peters, Lincoln Stars
  • Nicholas Fascia, Waterloo Black Hawks/Madison Capitols
  • Braedon Ford, Des Moines Buccaneers
  • Alexander Servagno, Green Bay Gamblers
  • Jason Gallucci, Green Bay Gamblers
  • Andrew Kuzma, Des Moines Buccaneers/Madison Capitols
  • Arsenii Sergeyev, Sioux Falls Stampede/Tri-City Storm
  • Noah Grannan, NTDP/Sioux Falls Stampede 
Boston University (Hockey East)
  • Quinn Hutson, Muskegon Lumberjacks
  • Cole Hutson, NTDP
  • Ryan Greene, Green Bay Gamblers
  • Cole Eiserman, NTDP
  • Shane Lachance, Youngstown Phantoms
  • Jack Harvey, NTDP/Chicago Steel
  • Jack Hughes, NTDP
  • Kamil Bednarik, NTDP
  • Devin Kaplan, NTDP
  • Gavin McCarthy, Muskegon Lumberjacks
  • Sascha Boumedienne, Youngstown Phantoms
  • Brandon Svoboda, Youngstown Phantoms/Fargo Force
  • Tristan Amonte, Youngstown Phantoms
  • Nick Roukounakis, NTDP/Tri-City Storm
  • Brehdan Engum, Waterloo Black Hawks
  • Doug Grimes, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders/Lincoln Stars/Sioux City Musketeers
  • Mikhail Yegorov, Omaha Lancers 
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.