Men's Ice Hockey | 10/15/2026 2:07:31 PM

Here’s how all 16 USHL clubs stack up heading into mid-October.

1. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (7-2-0-0) | Previous Rank: 1

Cedar Rapids holds the top spot and leads the USHL with 14 points after opening the season with a league-best seven-game win streak. The RoughRiders then dropped both home games this past weekend, 6-2 to Madison and 2-1 to Omaha, but remain a perfect 4-0 on the road. They rank second in both goals per game (3.78) and goals against (2.11), allow a league-low 24.8 shots per game, and their 96.6% penalty kill ranks second.

Henry Lechner leads the league with 14 points (8-6-14), owns a league-best +12, and has three game-winning goals. Nathan Chorlton (3-10-13) leads the USHL in assists. Carter Ernst (10 points) and David Bosco (9 points) round out a deep offensive attack. In net, Joseph Skidmore is 4-1 with a pair of shutouts, and Ethan Phillips owns a 1.76 GAA and .927 save percentage.

2. Waterloo Black Hawks (5-0-1-0) | Previous Rank: 3

Waterloo moves up a spot as the last team without a regulation loss. The Black Hawks are tied atop the West with 11 points, riding a six-game point streak, including a 3-2 overtime win against Madison this past Saturday. The Waterloo power play leads the league at 42.9% (9-for-21), they rank third in goals against (2.33), and they have taken the second-fewest penalties in the league.

Colin Dustin is tied for the league lead with three power-play goals. Rookie Miles Jinman leads the USHL with five power-play assists and has helpers in five straight games, and Cody Sokol has four assists on the man advantage. Sebastian Charvat is 3-0 with a 1.99 GAA and .928 save percentage, and Charlie Menard is 2-0-1 on the year as well.

3. Des Moines Buccaneers (5-2-0-1) | Previous Rank: 2

The Bucs slip one spot in the rankings. After winning their first five games, they’re winless in three following a pair of one-goal losses to Lincoln: 4-3 in a shootout Friday and 1-0 on Saturday. Des Moines is tied with Waterloo atop the West and ranks fourth in goals against (2.63). The penalty kill is third (92.3%), but the power play has struggled so far at an 8.8% clip.

Joey Argentina (6-6-12) is third in USHL scoring and leads the league with three shorthanded goals. Riley Zupfer (3-8-11) recently saw his season-long seven-game point streak come to an end. Defenseman Becker Wenkus has three goals, two of them game-winners. Rookie Jon Kavcic leads all qualified goaltenders in both GAA (1.49) and save percentage (.949).

4. Fargo Force (5-3-0-0) | Previous Rank: 10

Fargo makes the biggest jump of the week, climbing six spots on a four-game win streak that included a weekend sweep of Sioux Falls, 3-2 and 5-0. The Force sit tied for third in the West with 10 points and allow a league-low 2.00 goals per game. That’s despite giving up 32.9 shots per game, 15th in the USHL, which says plenty about their goaltending.

Speaking of, Samuel Hrenak leads the league in wins (5), minutes, and saves (220), and has a 1.88 GAA and .944 save percentage with two shutouts. Bryce Mattern had a hat trick and four points in Saturday’s 5-0 win and was named USHL Forward of the Week. AJ Francisco (2-6-8) leads all USHL defensemen in scoring, and AJ Garcia has assists in five straight games.

5. Tri-City Storm (5-3-0-0) | Previous Rank: 8

Tri-City climbs three spots behind a league-leading 40 goals (5.00 per game), 12 more than any other team. The Storm split a series with the NTDP, winning 7-4 before dropping an 8-5 track meet Saturday. Goals against (3.75 per game) is the concern early on, but the power play ranks third at a 25.0% clip.

Rookie Jackson Smith (3-9-12) leads all first-year players in scoring. Aleksandr Sokolov is tied for the league lead with eight goals. Dylan Krayer (3-7-10) and rookie Matthew Krayer (4-5-9) share the league lead with six power-play points each. Samuel Courtemanche has five goals and a plus-9 in six games. Quinn Beumer is 3-1 in net with a .919 save percentage.

6. Chicago Steel (4-1-1-0) | Previous Rank: 5

Chicago sits second in the East with nine points after sweeping Muskegon at home. The Steel are 3-0-1 at home with a four-game home point streak, and they’ve controlled second periods, outscoring opponents 11-3 in the middle frame. They haven’t allowed a shorthanded goal. Chicago has averaged just 25 shots per game, 15th in the league.

Easton Pace has scored four goals on just five shots. Rookie MJ Campbell (2-2-4) has chipped in early. Stepan Houdek is 3-1 with a shutout, and rookie Alex Wang owns a 1.71 GAA and .927 save percentage in three appearances.

7. Sioux Falls Stampede (4-4-0-0) | Previous Rank: 4

Sioux Falls drops three spots after being swept by Fargo, 3-2 and 5-0, and enters the week on a three-game skid. The Stampede lead the USHL in shots per game (38.8) and are the only team that hasn’t allowed a power-play goal, going a perfect 23-for-23 on the PK. Their own power play is hitting at a 10.4% clip, despite drawing the most chances in the league.

Joey Macrina (3-6-9) leads the team in scoring, Ryland Rooney is tied for second in the league with 32 shots, and defenseman Anthony Bongo has seven points. Ryan Cameron has made five starts (2-3, 3.21 GAA).

8. Muskegon Lumberjacks (3-4-0-1) | Previous Rank: 7

Muskegon is winless in three after being swept at Chicago but still sits third in the East with seven points. The penalty kill has been strong at a 90.5% clip. The Lumberjacks have allowed 29 goals, though, and are 1-2-0-0 on the road.

Rookie Zaac Charbonneau (6-4-10) leads all first-year players in goals, is second in the league with 32 shots, and has scored in three straight home games. Defenseman Felix Färhammar has six points, and rookies Maxim Simko and Strider Carhart have five apiece. Oscar Westman is 2-2 with a .908 save percentage.

9. Dubuque Fighting Saints (3-4-0-0) | Previous Rank: 6

Dubuque slides three spots after splitting a home weekend with Youngstown, winning 5-3 Friday before being shut out 2-0 Saturday. The Saints sit fourth in the East with six points. Special teams have been an issue, as their penalty kill ranks last in the USHL at a 67.9% clip. Meanwhile, they have also allowed 3.86 goals per game.

Travis Lefere owns the longest active point streak in the USHL, logging eight points in six games. Defenseman Joe Wahlund (0-8-8) is tied for the lead among defensemen in points and leads them in assists. Caden Dabrowski had a four-point night Friday. Luke Carrithers has carried a heavy workload in goal, with 292 minutes played thus far.

10. Sioux City Musketeers (3-5-0-0) | Previous Rank: 11

Sioux City split a series with Green Bay, winning 6-1 before falling 4-3. The Musketeers lead the USHL by a wide margin with 251 penalty minutes (31.4 per game), and their 24.6 shots per game rank last so far. The Muskies have also struggled at home, with a 1-5-0-0 record, compared with 2-0-0-0 on the road.

Daniil Butin (4-5-9) leads the team in scoring, and Max Anderson has goals in four straight games, the longest active goal streak in the league. Rookie Dominik Bednar has four goals and two game-winners, including an opening-night hat trick. Defenseman Evan Jones has seven points. Hugo Severgardh has played 358 minutes with a 3.02 GAA in net.

11. Lincoln Stars (3-3-0-0) | Previous Rank: 9

Lincoln won both ends of its home-and-home with Des Moines this past weekend, taking a shootout 4-3 and a 1-0 shutout. Scoring has been tough to come by, as the Stars’ 13 goals rank 15th in the league. The defense has held up, though. Lincoln allows just 25.2 shots per game, second-fewest in the USHL, and is tied for sixth in goals against (2.83).

William Prowse is tied for the league lead with two shutouts and owns a 1.76 GAA and .926 save percentage. Griffin Brown scored the shootout winner Friday, and Lukas Stuhrmann earned the win in net.

12. Madison Capitols (2-3-1-0) | Previous Rank: 14

Madison climbs two spots from the last rankings. The Capitols have played five of their six games on the road and carry a three-game point streak after a 6-2 win at Cedar Rapids and a 3-2 overtime loss at Waterloo. The Caps generate chances, ranking second in shots per game (33.7), but the power play hasn’t capitalized yet, ranking last in the league at a 3.7% rate.

The blue line has driven the offense. Harper Frey leads all USHL defensemen with four goals and recently earned USHL Defenseman of the Week honors, and Logan Lutner has three tallies as well. Landon MacSwain has points in four straight road games. Elliot Lennon is 2-1 with a 2.88 GAA in between the pipes.

13. USA Hockey NTDP (2-4-0-0) | Previous Rank: 13

The NTDP split this past weekend with Tri-City, falling 7-4 before scoring eight goals in Saturday’s win. The power play is second in the league, hitting at a 27.3% clip. Defensively, though, Team USA has allowed a league-high 5.17 goals and 37 shots per game.

Carter Morris has four goals on seven shots and has scored in three straight, and Cameron Evans has four points in two games for the U-17 team. Meanwhile, Nolan Fitzhenry has goals in three straight road games for the U-18 team.

14. Green Bay Gamblers (2-4-0-0) | Previous Rank: 16

Green Bay climbs out of the basement, though the offense remains a work in progress, as the Gamblers have scored a league-low 12 goals. They lost 4-1 to Cedar Rapids Tuesday, then split at Sioux City this past weekend, falling 6-1 before a 4-3 win Saturday. The power play sits at 9.5%, 14th in the league.

Defenseman Quentin Bourne leads all blueliners with 43 penalty minutes. Joey Slavick is 2-2 with a 2.83 GAA and .902 save percentage.

15. Omaha Lancers (2-4-0-0) | Previous Rank: 12

Omaha drops three spots and sits last in the West with four points. The Lancers are 2-1 on the road and 0-3 at home. Their penalty kill is fourth in the league (91.3%), but the offense ranks 13th at 2.50 goals per game.

Ryan Aaronson has two shorthanded goals and three goals on just seven shots. Anthony Sciere is 2-2 with a 2.95 GAA and .893 save percentage.

16. Youngstown Phantoms (1-5-0-0) | Previous Rank: 15

Youngstown opened 0-5 before earning its first win of the season, a 2-0 shutout at Dubuque Saturday. The Phantoms are 0-3 at home, 0-4 against Western Conference teams, and have allowed 4.50 goals per game (15th). They’ve scored only 14 goals, though the power play is clicking at a respectable 19.2% clip.

Defenseman Brayden Thompson (0-5-5) leads the blue line, and rookie defenseman Jack Hair has two goals on five shots. Owen Lepak has already logged 200 minutes in between the pipes, registering an .839 save percentage.
 

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, 45% of NCAA Division I men's hockey players and 25% of NHL players have USHL experience. The USHL has developed more than 315 direct NHL Draft picks since 2020, and nine 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 90% 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).