Men's Ice Hockey | 4/21/2026 2:00:00 PM

Defenseman Jack Willson of the Youngstown Phantoms has been named United States Hockey League (USHL) Defenseman of the Year, the league announced Tuesday.

Willson finished second in scoring among USHL defenseman with 12 goals and 35 assists through 57 games with the Phantoms. The Alaska Fairbanks commit and Northville, Mich. native’s 47 points in a single season eclipsed his point totals from the past three years combined, helping Youngstown to an Anderson Cup-winning campaign. His 27 points on the power play tied for first among blueliners across the league and helped the Phantoms to the second-best power play in the USHL, converting at 27.6%. Willson finished the season with a +6 rating and a pair of game-winning goals.

All end-of-season league award winners were nominated and voted upon by team general managers. Recent winners of the USHL Defenseman of the Year award include Luke Osburn (Youngstown Phantoms), Leo Gruba (Fargo Force), and Eric Pohlkamp (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders).

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 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).