Six Players with USHL Ties Win Stanley Cup

SUNRISE, FLORIDA - JUNE17: Nate Schmidt #88 of the Florida Panthers hands the Stanley Cup off to teammate Seth Jones #3 after their win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game Six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at the Amerant Bank Arena on June 17, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
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SUNRISE, FLORIDA - JUNE17: Nate Schmidt #88 of the Florida Panthers hands the Stanley Cup off to teammate Seth Jones #3 after their win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game Six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at the Amerant Bank Arena on June 17, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

General | 6/18/2025 8:02:32 AM

Six players and two scouts from the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers had United States Hockey League (USHL) experience. The USHL ties were spread across six organizations.

Florida Panthers

Mackie Samoskevich, Chicago Steel (2019-21)
Nico Sturm, Tri-City Storm (2015-16)
Nate Schmidt, Fargo Force (2009-10)
Jaycub Megna, Muskegon Lumberjacks (2010-11)*
Matthew Tkachuk, NTDP (2013-15)**
Seth Jones, NTDP (2010-12)**

Staff

Sean Backman, Pro Scout (Green Bay Gamblers, 2005-06)
Oleg Yevenko, Director of European Scouting (Fargo Force, 2009-11)

*Did not play in the postseason
**Also played in another development league

Samoskevich and Tkachuk became the first USHL alums to win back-to-back Stanley Cups since Blake Coleman (Indiana Ice) did it with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021. The pair also became the eighth and ninth USHL alums to win a pair of Stanley Cups in their careers. Samoskevich won a Clark Cup with the Chicago Steel in 2021, and Sturm won a Clark Cup with the Tri-City Storm in 2016. 

About the USHL

The United States Hockey League (USHL) and its 16 member clubs are committed to being the world's leading 16–20-year-old junior hockey league. During the 2024-25 season, USHL alumni held over 50% of NCAA Division I roster spots, and over 25% of NHL players had USHL experience. With 10 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.

Elevated through the recently announced Declaration of Excellence with the NHL and USA Hockey, 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), Matthew Knies (Tri-City Storm), Adam Fantilli (Chicago Steel) and Jeremy Swayman (Sioux Falls Stampede). More.