Jardine, Willson, Axelsson Named Players of the Week

Men's Ice Hockey | 1/26/2026 2:00:00 PM

Evan Jardine, Jack Willson, and Carl Axelsson have been named United States Hockey League (USHL) Players of the Week for games played on or between Monday, Jan. 19, and Sunday, Jan. 25.

Evan Jardine, F, Youngstown Phantoms
NCAA Commitment: Ohio State University
  • Tied his teammate Malachi McKinnon with ten points on five goals and five assists in Youngstown’s sweep of the NTDP U17 team last week.
  • Scored the game-winning goal, the final goal of the game, and had three primary assists in the Phantoms’ 12-1 win on Friday.
  • Recorded his second career hat trick and two primary assists, one shorthanded and one on the power play, to complete Youngstown’s sweep with an 8-1 victory against the NTDP U17 team.
  • Finished the week with seven shots and a +10 rating.
Jack Willson, D, Youngstown Phantoms
NCAA Commitment: University of Alaska Fairbanks
  • Tied his teammate Carter Murphy for the scoring lead among USHL defenseman last week with five points on one goal and three assists in two wins against the NTDP U17 team.
  • Earned his second-career, three-point game with a goal and two assists in the Phantoms 12-1 win on Friday.
  • Helped Youngstown to an 8-1 victory against the same squad on Saturday, assisting on the game-winning goal and adding another helper for his fourth multi-point game of the month.
  • Finished the week with three shots and a +6 rating.
Carl Axelsson, G, Muskegon Lumberjacks
NCAA Commitment: University of Minnesota Duluth
  • Helped Muskegon to a 3-2 win against Green Bay on Friday, stopping 26 of 28 shots.
  • Made 30 saves on 32 shots in the Lumberjacks’ 3-1 loss to the Gamblers on Saturday.
  • Finished the week 1-1-0-0 (W-L-OTL-SOL) with a 2.03 goals against average and .933 save percentage, the highest mark for any goalie with more than 65 minutes played over the week.
About the USHL

The United States Hockey League (USHL) and its 16 teams are committed to being the world's leading junior hockey league. This season, more than 50% of NCAA Division I men's hockey players and nearly 25% of NHL players have USHL experience. The USHL has developed more than 285 direct NHL Draft picks since 2020, and eight of the last 10 Hobey Baker Award winners, including Macklin Celebrini (Chicago Steel).

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 Auston Matthews (NTDP), Kyle Connor (Youngstown Phantoms), Jeremy Swayman (Sioux Falls Stampede), and Johnny Gaudreau (Dubuque Fighting Saints).