News and Notes

NHL First Round Pick Leblanc Harvard Bound.

Forbort headed for bigger and better things.

Hope skates on.

UMASS hockey team staying close to home this season.

A little old, but I found this a little interesting. It's a grade for each Canadian NHL team following the NHL Entry Draft.

Breakdown: The host city was buzzing with rumours that the Canadiens would swing a trade for Tampa Bay’s Vincent Lecavalier. Instead, the team took another local boy in Leblanc — despite scouts ranking him much lower. The Point-Claire, Que., forward has committed to Harvard for at least the next two years, which might not be a smartest move for his development.
Seidel Says: “The concern began at 18 when they caved to public pressure and selected the hometown francophone Louis Leblanc, who played this past season in the weak United States Hockey League. The Harvard-bound Leblanc is an offensive player but needs a lot of work and time before he is ever expected to compete for a spot on the Habs."

Lee's untraditional chase of NHL dream.

Q & A with Nick Oliver.

Blais Resigns from Force; Takes UNO Head Coaching Job

Just received word and read some articles that have confirmed that Fargo has lost their head coach, Dean Blais, to the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks hockey program. The Mavs previous head coach took a different position within the team, and that opened up the head coaching spot. The Mavs were able to land Blais and should help them immensely.

Fargo will now look for a new head coach themselves.

USHL to West Virginia?

Is it too far east or would it possibly work for a USHL far east division?

They may want to check to see where the teams actually play, though. Here is the article and a link.

Huntington, WV (HNN) – Prior to the Tuesday, May 26 Huntington City Council meeting, Big Sandy Superstore Arena Director A.J. Boleski has requested to make a presentation regarding the United States Hockey League.

Huntington has had several experiences with professional minor league hockey, which at its best with the team winning saw an increase in downtown traffic and good attendance to the lower echelons when the team was near the cellar. The same with Arena Football and variations thereof. Even, graduated MU football players couldn’t turn several of those teams into financial survivors.

Although nothing has been made public about the proposal, the United States Hockey League is the top junior ice hockey leave in the U.S. It’s a strictly amateur league with players 20 years and under. Since the league is amateur, the players do not lose NCAA playing status.

Currently, the league has twelve teams from mostly the Midwest, including Minneapolis, Minn., Dubuque, Iowa, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Columbus, Ohio, and Fargo, N.D.

Jerseys4Jackie

Patty Alexander, the mother of Lincoln Stars forward Eric Alexander, has created a Facebook group to help support Jackie Teague. She has a rare form of cancer and Patty has decided to gather some jerseys and auction them on ebay to help raise money. I'll let Patty explain it a little better. Above is a picture that shows some of the jerseys collected so far. I believe they are all signed except for the Alaska jersey and it looked like the Michigan State jersey was signed by head coach Rick Comley.

This group is started to bring awareness to a cause to raise money to help Jackie Teague battle CUP cancer.

Jackie is a 20 year old student at Michigan State University who is battling a rare form of cancer. She is not only a student, but she also works to pay for her own college while facing this battle. She is amazing! Jackie graduated from East Kentwood High School.

Jerseys4Jackie was started by challenging the CCHA Hockey Teams to donate an autographed jersey to auction off for Jackie's medical expenses. We will begin to do that soon on Ebay. 100% of the proceeds will benefit Jackie.

We'd like to challenge other teams and individuals to donate Jerseys for Jackie to keep the awareness going of CUP and to support Jackie's medical expenses.

We'd like to bring awareness to the type of rare cancer that Jackie has because we found that it impacts 30,000 people in a variety of forms. This will give people an opportunity to share information and understand it a bit more. Jackie has what is referred to as "CUP" and it basically means that the origin is unknown, which makes it difficult to treat. Although she is one of the youngest to battle CUP, she is not alone.

Jackie is currently in her third round of Chemo, a total of 6 months. Two months after that they will reevaluate her next option.

SUPPORT Jackie by spreading the word. We'll update as the Jerseys go on Ebay for Auction. If you have an Autographed Jersey you would like to donate, please contact us at Jerseys4Jackie@gmail.com

OHL Draft

The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) held their Priority Selection Draft today. Nothing really too surprising, except the Kitchener Rangers are trying to pull a London Knights. What I mean is they chose a highly rated USHL defensemen in round 2 in hopes of luring them to the OHL and walk away from a college commitment.

Moore is currently committed to Colorado College, and I think they are a little more known for pro prospects than the University of Massachusetts, where John Carlson had been committed to. The drafting of Moore had been rumored for awhile, and I figured it would be London doing it again, but Kitchener beat them to it.

For more on the OHL Draft, check with the Western College Hockey Blog later on.

Report Card: Tri-City Storm

Team Record: 11-48-1

Total Points: 23

Goal Leader: Radoslav Illo - 21

Assist Leader: Anthony DeCenzo - 26

Points Leader: Anthony DeCenzo - 44

PIM Leader: Bo Dolan - 62

+/- Leader: Danny Heath - +1

Wins Leader: T.J. Massie - 5


Tri-City had some funds cut and that left Coach Tom Rudrud with a difficult season ahead of him. He was forced to recruit off the internet and could never really find quality players. The Storm went through a few goalies before hanging onto T.J. Massie, who had left U-Mass. Massie struggled a bit once he first joined the Storm, but despite the team being bad, Massie played pretty well. Matt Margitan went 0-12 for the Storm and didn't post very good numbers. Massie could be a solid goalie and post some better numbers if he had some help in front of him. If he stays with the Storm next season, I'd expect a much improved T.J. Massie.


The defense, like the rest of the team, really struggled. There were a few bright spots in Rick Pinkston and Charlie Carkin. Pinkston was a draft pick and was a very reliable player for the Storm. Carkin was added after the season had started, and he proved to be a very good addition. Though both were a -29 on the season, it didn't reflect on their play at all. Another defensemen I enjoyed watching was St. Paul native Bo Dolan. He made the Stampede roster as a futures pick and was eventually traded in a deal that sent him and David Donnellan to the Storm in exchange for Sean Escobedo. Dolan is a smaller guy, but throws his body around and isn't afraid to scrap. He's a player that will be even more fun to watch come next season.


The forwards were led by Mike Cichy to start the season, and then he was traded to Indiana. Cichy continued his success out East, but the Storm offense really struggled without him in the lineup. Anthony DeCenzo picked up as much slack as possible and led the team in points with 44. Not bad for a guy who was originally unprotected by the Storm prior to last May's entry draft. Josh Berge put up some decent numbers, but was hampered by injuries to conclude the season. He's a 2010 Minnesota State recruit, so keep an eye on him next season. The Zarbo's, Matt and Joe, played very well together and put up some solid seasons for rookies. Matt Bailey was another rookie to post a solid campaign and should be a key forward come next season. And lastly, the biggest surprise for me was the import, Radoslav Illo. Illo made the team as a free agent and was scorching hot to end the season, though he battled some injuries as well. I believe Illo is still uncommitted, so he may return and he could be one of the better forwards in the entire league come next season.



Team Grade: D-

Report Card: Sioux City Musketeers

Team Record: 24-30-6

Total Points: 54

Goal Leader: Stephane Da Costa - 31

Assist Leader: Stephane Da Costa - 36

Points Leader: Stephane Da Costa - 67

PIM Leader: Mike Keenan - 129

+/- Leader: Drew Daniels - +8

Wins Leader: Steve Thompson - 16


Sioux City had some promise in net coming into the season, but the veteran under-performed and the rookie couldn't match his tryout camp results. Thompson still played well and earned a scholarship, but couldn't keep his record above .500 on the season. Thompson was one of only four goalies to see over 1000 shots (1040) and he played in the least amount of games of those four. Adam Janecyk had a tremendous tryout camp, but he didn't appear to adapt to the USHL level as quickly as hoped. I feel Janecyk has a bright future in front of him at this level and beyond. The team never seemed like they got going, but never seemed to give up, either.


The Musketeer defense was the team's achilles heal this season. Mike Keenan was the Musketeers' anchor on the blue line and was on the ice for every situation. He was very solid in his own zone and was also able to contribute on the offensive side as well. Also a fixture on the blue line was projected NHL draft pick, Seth Helgeson. Helgeson has a laser from the point, but always seemed reluctant to use it. He is big and physical, so he will most likely get drafted before suiting up for Minnesota next fall.


The Musketeers offense was led by the import line of Stephane Da Costa, Stephan Vigier, and Mitch Bruijsten. Da Costa was one of the biggest threats on the ice and one of the better forwards this season. Da Costa was used in all situations and was successful wherever he was playing. He could stick handle around the defense to drive in or he could take a blast from the outside. Da Costa was extremely tough to defend. Another player I enjoyed watching this season was Austin Mattson. He was never the biggest guy on the ice, but threw his body around and would do all he could to get a puck. Clarkson recruit, Adam Pawlick, ended the season with 20 goals. He had a great shot and used it effectively.



Team Grade: D

Report Card: Sioux Falls Stampede

Team Record: 28-28-4

Total Points: 60

Goal Leader: Terry Broadhurst - 27

Assist Leader: David Eddy - 35

Points Leader: Terry Broadhurst - 58

PIM Leader: Marcus Perrier - 128

+/- Leader: Max Grover - +23

Wins Leader: Eric Hartzell - 20


Sioux Falls was very inconsistent this season. They would lose a handful of games and roar back to win a bunch in a row. Coach Hartzell kept going to his son, Eric, in almost every situation. Young rookie, Clay Witt, saw action in only 18 games, yet posted better stats than Hartzell. Assuming Witt returns, the Stampede have a solid goalie to build around for next season. Witt played well in his limited action and helped the Stampede win a game in Lincoln during the playoffs. Witt lost the following game, and despite many fans wanting Clay in net for Game 4, the Stampede went back to Hartzell. Eric just didn't seem to have it in the playoffs and that game was no different.


The Stampede defense was anchored by veteran Max Grover. Outside of Grover, the Stampede didn't really have any standout defensemen. Sean Escobedo, a BU recruit, is a highly regarded player, but hasn't quite reached that potential though. Chad Ruhwedal and Dan Furlong turned in solid rookie campaigns and should anchor the blueline next season. Another defensemen that is intriguing to me is Marcus Perrier. Following tryout camp, some fans were raving about this kid and he was a physical presence in the games he appeared in this season. Coach Hartzell had claimed he was going to have a team built around old time hockey. Perrier seems to be the only one who really fits the profile. He is still pretty young, but should be able to be a force on the blue line for the Stampede.


The Stampede had some talent up front and were led by Terry Broadhurst. Broadhurst led the team in goals and points. He was always a threat when on the ice, along with rookie David Eddy. Eddy is the type of player you can't help but enjoy and be a fan of. He gives 110% on every shift and isn't afraid to take a hit. He's gotten the bad end of a couple of hits a few times this season, but he was able to continue. One incident, he collided with Max Grover and ended up with a bloddy mouth. He was able to come back and finish the game after some repairs and a jersey change. Third year veteran, Robbie Vrolyk, posted 24 goals. With those 24, he eclipsed his goal total in his previous two seasons in Sioux Falls. The Stampede could return some key players in Patrick Divjak, Josh Holmstrom, and Dane Walters. Walters may not return and that's good news for the rest of the players in the league. Dane is one of the hardest hitters in the league, and he's a small guy to boot.



Team Grade: C

USHL appears close to deal with Chevy Centre

It sounds like the USHL and Youngstown are very close to finalizing a deal for the USHL to open up shop in Ohio for next season. Likely owner, Bruce Zoldan, seems excited about bringing Tier I hockey to Youngstown.

“The city and [Zoldan] have reached a preliminary understanding and are moving forward,” Prince said today.

“Protocol” calls for the announcement of a deal to wait until the Phantoms’ season is finished, Zoldan and Prince said. If the Phantoms keep on winning, the team’s season could end as late as May 3.

That’s probably too long to wait to make an announcement of a final deal, Prince said.

Zoldan said Thursday that he hopes a deal can be finalized and announced in the next five to eight business days.

News and Notes

I'm going to apologize now, some of these articles are a little old. Just cleaning out my inbox.


Kings ink Mullen.

Jundt playing in Frozen Four.

Flyers scramble for defensive help.

Q & A with Jeff Blashill.

Samuelsson Jr. Lands with USA.

Gamblers are wary of Waterloo.


Bucs endure dismal season, but coach eager for draft.

More BGSU players skate away.

Tri-City Storm announces new head coach.

RoughRiders hope this MJ can come up big in playoffs, too.

Though far from flashy, Broadhurst produces.

Q & A with defending league champions.

A chat with USHL commissioner.

Q & A with Patrick Wey.

Brighton's Kennedy will suit up for Miami.

Making the stars shine.

USNTDP: A Parent's Response.

2nd Annual Unofficial USHL Blog Awards

Today, the USHL announced their award winners, so it's time for my award winners. These will all be different from the official award winners. Last season's Unofficial Awards can be found here.



Defensive Forward of the Year: Brent Gwidt - Indiana Ice
A repeat winner, Gwidt is still one of the best defensive forwards the USHL has to offer. Gwidt enjoyed three successful seasons in Indiana and will now move on to UNO to help the Mavericks next season.



Defensive Defenseman of the Year: Ross Henry - Lincoln Stars
Ross shared the award last season, but locks it down as his own this season. Ross is the type that is very reliable in the defensive end, but it's going to crack the scoresheet repeatedly. He takes care of things in the defensive zone and makes very few mistakes.



Tim Ferguson Most Points Award: Andrew Miller - Chicago Steel
Miller started the season off on fire, and never let up. Although the gap closed at the end of the season, Miller had been atop the scoring race for most of the season.



Rod Taylor Trophy (Most Goals): Mike Cichy - Indiana Ice and Andy Taranto - Fargo Force
Cichy exploded ever since he arrived in Indiana from Tri-City. In 30 games with the Ice, Cichy recorded a whopping 47 points. Taranto is in his 3rd year in the league, and hadn't scored more than 7 goals in a season. Andy finished the season scorching, as he had 11 points in his last 5 games.



Tim Ferguson Trophy (Most Assists): Andrew Miller - Chicago Steel
Miller picks up another award, as he notched 50 assists. Craig Smith was a very close 2nd with 48 helpers, but just missed out on his first Unofficial Award.



Ryan Ronkowski Trophy (Most PIM): Sebastian Geoffrion - Indiana Ice
In his rookie season, Geoffrion amassed 182 PIM for the Ice. Geoffrion appeared in only 45 games, but still led the league in this category. He outdid Des Moines' Andrew Panzarella by 11 PIM.



Dan Ellis Trophy (Most Shutouts): Brett Bennett - Indiana Ice
Bennett appeared in a remarkable 54 games this season for the Ice. The next most was 48 appearances and 3 shutouts. There were 9 less shutouts this season from last, so you should feel lucky if you were able to witness one.



Jeff Lerg Trophy (Most Goalie Wins): Brett Bennett - Indiana Ice
Bennett recorded 35 wins, which is 9 more than Mike Lee. Very impressive season for Bennett, and that should continue through the playoffs and into next season with Wisconsin.



Unofficial USHL Hockey Blog Most Underrated Player: Anthony DeCenzo - Tri-City Storm
DeCenzo had a very good year, but was on a bad team. DeCenzo came to play every night and was almost constantly a factor in Storm games. Despite being -41, DeCenzo posted 44 points.



Black and Blue: The Unofficial Lincoln Stars Blog Most Improved Player Award: Dean Chelios - Chicago Steel
Chelios posted 18 points last season in Cedar Rapids and only 1 this season before being traded to Chicago. Since the trade, Chelios has amassed 53 points in 49 games for the Steel. Chelios was even able to sneak into the top 20 in scoring after a slow start in Cedar Rapids. Another factor that probably helped Dean this season was being reunited with former high school linemate, Andrew Miller.



Unofficial USHL Hockey Blog Player of the Year: Mike Seidel - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Seidel has been a consistent force all season, but seems to go unrecognized most of the time. Seidel is the franchise leader in points and, I believe, goals as well. He has had an outstanding career with Cedar Rapids.



Unofficial USHL Hockey Blog All-First Team:
G - Mike Johnson - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
D - Ross Henry - Lincoln Stars
D - Lee Moffie - Waterloo Black Hawks
F - Danny Kristo - Omaha Lancers
F - Brandon Richardson - Indiana Ice
F - Kirt Hill - Lincoln Stars

Unofficial USHL Hockey Blog All-Second Team:
G - Reid Ellingson - Green Bay Gamblers
D - Michael Keenan - Sioux City Musketeers
D - Joe Lavin - Omaha Lancers
F - Michael Forney - Green Bay Gamblers
F - Terry Broadhurst - Sioux Falls Stampede
F - Pat Mullane - Omaha Lancers

Unofficial USHL Hockey Blog All-Third Team:
G - Anthony Borelli - Lincoln Stars
D - Patrick Wey - Waterloo Black Hawks
D - Mike Dalhuisen - Lincoln Stars
F - Kyle Flanagan - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
F - Jordan Samuels-Thomas - Waterloo Black Hawks
F - Dean Chelios - Chicago Steel

Unofficial USHL Hockey Blog All-Rookie Team:
G - Parker Milner - Waterloo Black Hawks
D - Dan Sova - Waterloo Black Hawks
D - Philip Samuelsson - Chicago Steel
F - Ben Miller - Waterloo Black Hawks
F - Stephan Vigier - Sioux City Musketeers
F - William Rapuzzi - Green Bay Gamblers
F - Josh Birkholz - Fargo Force

USHL Announces Award Winners

Congrats to all those who have been honored this season. I will be posting the Unofficial USHL Hockey Blog Awards shortly. Here are the award winners.

Andrew Miller – Chicago Steel
B2 Networks USHL Player of the Year
CCM USHL Forward of the Year

Louis Leblanc – Omaha Lancers
The Collegian Group USHL Rookie of the Year

John Moore – Chicago Steel
ProGuard USHL Defenseman of the Year

Mike Lee – Fargo Force
Stauber’s Goalcrease USHL Goaltender of the Year

Mike Walsh – Chicago Steel
USHL Curt Hammer Award

Jeff Teglia – Omaha Lancers
USHL Scholar-Athlete Award

Dean Blais – Fargo Force
KwikRink USHL Coach of the Year

Jon Cooper – Green Bay Gamblers
JLG Architects USHL General Manager of the Year

Jim Pflug – Lincoln Stars
Dave Tyler Executive of the Year

Fargo Force
Highwood Rings USHL Organization of the Year

RBK First-Team All-USHL
Goalie: Brett Bennett – Indiana Ice
Defense: John Moore – Chicago Steel
Defense: Matt Donovan – Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Forward: Andrew Miller – Chicago Steel
Forward: Mike Cichy – Indiana Ice
Forward: Craig Smith – Waterloo Black Hawks

Second Team All-USHL
Goalie: Kevin Murdock – Lincoln Stars
Defense: David Makowski – Green Bay Gamblers
Defense: Jake Newton – Lincoln Stars
Forward: Mike Seidel – Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Forward: Stephane Da Costa – Sioux City Musketeers
Forward: Andy Taranto – Fargo Force

Center Trophy USHL All-Rookie Team
Goalie: Mike Lee – Fargo Force
Defense: Torey Krug – Indiana Ice
Defense: Brett Kostolansky – Chicago Steel
Forward: Louis Leblanc – Omaha Lancers
Forward: David Eddy – Sioux Falls Stampede
Forward: Stanislav Galiev – Indiana Ice
Forward: Alex Chiasson – Des Moines Buccaneers

Storm Fire Rudrud

The Tri-City Storm have fired head coach Tom Rudrud.

Following Saturday's 5-2 season-ending loss to Sioux Falls, Rudrud said he was told on Thursday by new team owner Kirk Brooks that he would not be retained.

This is surprising to me. Despite the bad season, Rudrud seemed like a good coach. Former owner, Joel Wiens, didn't really believe in scouting and reportedly fired scouts. So, the coach was left to find players off the internet.

It does sound like Kirk Brooks has some money to throw around, so perhaps he has something up his sleeve. I just hope that the Storm organization picks a head coach a little earlier than they did last season as well.

Anderson Cup Race

This has been an exciting race to crown the Anderson Cup champion for this season. It turned into a four team battle between Cedar Rapids, Green Bay, Indiana, and Lincoln. After tonight, Lincoln and Indiana have been eliminated and Cedar Rapids and Green Bay are left. The Gamblers control their own destiny, as they and Des Moines have a game remaining tomorrow, while Cedar Rapids is done. Des Moines only suited up 13 skaters tonight, so it will likely take some sort of miracle for the Buccaneers to upset the Gamblers. Also on the line is home ice for the entire playoffs, and it looks like home ice would help the Gamblers much more than the Riders. The Riders are an outstanding 18-8-4 away from the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena, while the Gamblers are 16-12-2. Very good, but still not Cedar Rapids-like.

Cedar Rapids could be hoping for a Gamblers OT loss so they would have a share of the Cup. Last time there was a share of Andy, the Riders went on to win the Clark Cup as well.

Here is a rundown of playoff matchups:

East:
1 - Green Bay vs 4 - Waterloo
2 - Cedar Rapids vs 3 - Indiana

OR

East:
1 - Cedar Rapids vs 4 - Waterloo (How great would that be?)
2 - Green Bay vs 3 - Indiana

What we know? Indiana is locked in as the 3rd seed and Waterloo the 4th.
What we don't? Who will be the 1st and 2nd seeds.


West:
1 - Lincoln vs 4 - Sioux Falls
2 - Omaha vs 3 - Fargo

Tri-City Storm SOLD

Great news for Storm fans and USHL fans in general. Hopefully the new owner can bring some excitement back to Stormland and get attendance numbers up. Previous owner, Joel Wiens, had helped save hockey in Kearney, but had recently been cutting back on lots of things.

"We're privileged to have someone of Kirk Brooks' experience, integrity, and intelligence join the USHL. His presence will be a real boon to the Tri-City Storm," said USHL Commissioner Skip Prince. "Kirk also brings a commitment to youth hockey that is second to none, and he will continue that effort in the Tri-City area. We extend thanks and best wishes to outgoing owner Joel Wiens as well for his able stewardship of the team and the FirsTier Event Center over the past several years. Without Joel's investment of time, effort, and capital, this USHL membership might no longer be in Nebraska."

Stampede Unhappy with Playoff Schedule

The #4 seed Sioux Falls Stampede is unhappy about the playoff scheduling.

First off, the Stampede announce the schedule.

Stampede CEO, Gary Weckworth, is apparently extremely unhappy about the scheduling.

"There's a reason they stretch the first round out over two weeks," Weckwerth told the Argus Leader on Wednesday. "The intent is that everyone should have an equal opportunity to host weekend dates to allow everyone to generate as much revenue as possible. I challenged Lincoln to be 'league guys' and do right by all the teams, but they just care about Lincoln. We always have problems with them, and I'm tired of it. It's disappointing."

I think a couple years back, Lincoln had helped SF out and gave them game 1, even though the Stars were the higher seed. Lincoln ended up losing that series, so I don't blame them one bit for not wanting to budge. If they had, it could very well have given SF the advantage that Lincoln played so hard for. I am glad the league sided with Lincoln here, as the 1-1-1-1-1 format just doesn't seem like it would work very well. If Sioux Falls and Lincoln was about an hour apart, it might make more sense, but they're not. Lincoln can't help that the Stampede have to compete with other entities for dates at their arena. They had been nice to SF previously, and it backfired.

News and Notes

Race for playoff positioning heats up.

Brian O'Neill makes a name for himself.

USHL chief cites league's top quality.

Rider cashing in goal opportunities.

Getting to know Jimmy Hayes.

Pierre native enjoying 2nd season with Stampede.

What it's like spending time in the penalty box.

Chiasson's future home could be the NHL.

Attitude adjustment puts Kristo on right track.

Young blood gives boost to Northeastern.

P.K. O'Handley loses his cool

Waterloo Black Hawks coach, P.K. O'Handley, decides he's had enough of Tim Mayer and hops off the bench to chase after Mayer.

Report Card: Omaha Lancers

Team Record: 28-20-7

Total Points: 63

Goal Leader: Louis Leblanc - 28

Assist Leader: Pat Mullane - 34

Points Leader: Pat Mullane - 57

PIM Leader: Ian Ruel - 119

+/- Leader: Jake Hauswirth, Joe Marciano - +15

Wins Leader: Jeff Teglia - 19


The Lancers lost arguably the best goalie in Drew Palmisano during the off season, so that put them in a bind. Jeff Teglia was brought in to be the backup, though coach Bliss Littler couldn't find the veteran goalie to take the #1 spot. Teglia is young and raw, but made the most of his opportunity to play and kept the Lancers in games early in the season. The Lancers then added Kris Lazaruk out of the WHL, and he has been given the #1 spot over Teglia. Lazaruk continues to get starts, though he has been less than stellar. He's had a couple of great games, but they seem to be followed up by not so great performances. I feel that if the Lancers want to go anywhere in the playoffs, Lazaruk needs to step up his game or Teglia needs to play.

The Lancers defense is very inconsistent. Joe Lavin is one of the best overall defensemen in the entire league and helps anchor the Lancers blue line. C.J. Ludwig is a player who has developed very well over the course of the season and has become a reliable force. Dennis Brown is very offensive minded and has great puck handling abilities, though he lacks strength to win one on one battles routinely and hurts his team. Drew Olson is another player that has been developing very nicely. He still makes mistakes here and there, but brings a lot of energy to the team and isn't afraid to throw his weight around.

Omaha may just have the most talented forwards in the entire league. Led by Montreal Canadiens draft pick Danny Kristo and projected 1st rounder Louis Leblanc, this team has many options to put the puck in the net. Pat Mullane is currently leading the team in points and assists, and is also a threat whenever he steps on the ice. Jake Hauswirth is a goal scoring machine and has an extremely hard and heavy shot. I remember one goal where he deked around the defenseman, took the shot, and hit the puck out of midair into the back of the net. The Lancers are able to roll all four lines and still put the puck in the net. Steven Whitney has been really impressive so far. He is small, but very quick and has a knack for the net.


Team Grade: B

News and Notes

Q & A with Joe Tolles.

USHL Shifts Futures Draft to May.

Worst to First.

Former Stars goalie garners MJHL honors.

Aaron Crandall is no longer committed to Wisconsin.

Hayes commits to MSU.

Iowa native Gerths thriving in Lincoln.

Hockey a family affair for Seth Ambroz.

USHL Player Feature: David Gerths.

Kalemba a Hobey Finalist.

Report Card: Fargo Force

Team Record: 28-20-3

Total Points: 59

Goal Leader: Andy Taranto - 23

Assist Leader: Matt Leitner - 34

Points Leader: Matt Leitner - 46

PIM Leader: Jake Areshenko - 111

+/- Leader: Luke Witkowski - +29

Wins Leader: Mike Lee - 22


Fargo's goalie situation was crowded when the team first started participating in the league. They had tendered Cody Campbell and Mike Lee, drafted Matt Hemingway, and held the rights to Ohio standout goalie Pasquale Terrazzano. If that wasn't enough, Dean Blais ended up adding another goalie in Tyler Bruggeman. Lee was the most hyped and made the tough decision to leave Roseau for a year in the USHL. Fargo ended up releasing Terrazzano and left Hemingway on their affiliated list, deciding to go with three goalies. Mike Lee has seen the bulk of the action and has posted some good numbers. He struggled a bit out of the gate, as he went 1-4 in his first 5 USHL games. Since that time, he has gone an impressive 21-9-3. Lee is arguably the best goalie prospect in the USHL right now, and quite possibly the best in recent memory. Cody Campbell has been the backup for much of the season, and has posted respectable numbers for such a young player. He is 6-6 in 14 appearances this season. Tyler Bruggeman has appeared in just one game, and that was at the Ice Box in Lincoln. He played well, despite the loss, stopping 37 Lincoln shots.

The Force defense is led by Ohio holdovers Luke Witkowski and Steve Spinell. Both are big and physical in their end, and both have racked up over 100 PIM this season. A surprise for me has been Eamonn McDermott. He's very small, so I wasn't sure how he'd adjust to the size and pace of the USHL, but he has done a tremendous job for the Force and has adapted quite well.

Fargo's offense is loaded with lots of young and talented forwards. Leading that pack is highly touted Josh Birkholz. Birkholz is a projected 1st round NHL draft pick and is a Minnesota Golden Gopher recruit. He has been fairly consistent this whole year so far and capped his season with a four goal performance against Chicago. Colten St. Clair is a kid out of Arizona and he has lots of potential. Already committed to Colorado College, St. Clair has posted a respectable 18 points in his rookie campaign. Nate Condon is yet another young gun on this Fargo squad. He is a draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche, and is averaging roughly a point every other game. Rounding out my group of young guns for this team is point leader Matt Leitner. Yes, I know he's not a rookie, but he's still just 18 and is a great player.


Team Grade: B+

Youngstown to the USHL?

The Vindicator in eastern Ohio is reporting that the NAHL's Mahoning Valley Phantoms are leaving the Chevy Centre next season. Owner Bruce Zoldan wants to purchase a USHL team and have them operate in Youngstown.

Bruce Zoldan, owner of the Mahoning Valley Phantoms team that plays at the center, said he’s only interested in fielding a team for the 2009-10 season from the United States Hockey League.

And Zoldan says it’s only a 50-50 chance he’ll own a team from the USHL, the highest junior hockey league in the United States. Also, it would be up to the city, which owns the center, to determine if it wants another season of junior hockey. It might not.

Zoldan said he wants to own a USHL team, named the Phantoms but with different players, that would call the Chevrolet Centre home next season.

This would be a huge travel expense for all teams, since Youngstown is much further east than Colunbus. Though if Youngstown does happen and works, it could spark some more expansion in the east and make travel a little less of a headache.

New Lincoln Stars Blog

There is a new blog on the USHL circuit and it's dedicated to the Lincoln Stars. Be sure to stop by and check it out!

Live Hockey, Dump Cancer

Lincoln Stars defenseman, Mike Dalhuisen, has created a new item to help support the cure for cancer this season. I'll post a picture below (they are magnets.)

For those who may have forgotten or are just finding this for the first time, I'll give a brief story of why Mike is supporting this cause.

Mike's mother, Romy, had been diagnosed with leukemia, not for the first time, but for a second. She fought it and beat it the first time around, but lost a tough battle the second time through. In an effort to help all those affected by cancer, Mike had created LIVEHOCKEY bracelets to sell last season. Those went over very, very well and Mike was able to donate a good portion of money to support the cause. This season he has created a new item for people to buy who would like to help out.

Help Mike out and let's help try to find a cure for cancer! If you're interested in purchasing one of these, you can contact Mike at mikedalhuisen@hotmail.com or myself at ryan171120@yahoo.com.

USNTDP back to USHL

The USNTDP has returned to the USHL ranks. I've heard rumblings about this for awhile, but it is now official.

Team USA will play a full, 60-game schedule in the USHL, as well as maintain its commitment to international and college competition. They will compete for the Anderson Cup in the regular season, and will be a participant in the Clark Cup playoffs. Team USA will also participate in the annual USHL Fall Classic, which has evolved to become the most heavily scouted and most significant try-out showcase event in hockey. The USHL expects that nearly 200 scouts will participate in this year's showcase in Sioux City, Iowa, home of the USHL Sioux City Musketeers.

Adding the NTDP will help increase the exposure for the USHL and its players and help them catch the eyes of scouts and move up in their careers. It will also be interesting seeing them compete for Andy and Clark Cups. I don't think they were allowed to play for the Cups when previously affiliated with the USHL. It will also be fun to see some future NHL stars in the USHL rinks. Reserve your seats now for the Fall Classic, because there will be a ridiculous amount of scouts this year with the NTDP taking part.

"For us, (the biggest benefit) is the elite caliber of competition, a step up in competition for us," said Scott Monaghan, NTDP's director of operations. "This gives us a great opportunity to play the very best and be challenged every game, which ultimately is what we want."

No knock on the NAHL, but this statement pretty much sums it all up. The U-18 team would play a handful of NAHL games and then some exhibition games. It just didn't seem like the NAHL gave the NTDP the type of challenge they needed each night. Hopefully the USHL teams can do a better job.

Chris Peters, coordinator of media relations and marketing for the NTDP, said players not selected to play for Team USA at the international junior tournament will play in the USHL playoffs. He also said the U-17 team will play about 34 games in the USHL, and the U-18 squad will play the remaining 26.
Thirty of those games will be held on the development program's home rink at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube, Monaghan said.
He added the program, which previously played in the USHL in the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons after going about five years with a partial USHL schedule, also intends to maintain its relationship with the NAHL in the form of exhibition games or other scheduled contests.

This was brought up by another fan, but is it fair if a team plays the U-17 team 3 times, but the U-18 team just once? Maybe they will think about it and make sure it's evened up.

News and Notes, Again

RoughRiders sale in hands of USHL.

Stampede all-decade team.

Conboy back to his fighting ways.

Unusual script for Lancer.

Making the jump.

Marty Mjelleli returns to Buccaneers.

From I-Falls to Iowa: Des Moines' Youso.

On the road with the Gamblers.

Joe Hartman making his mark in Indiana.

News and Notes

Siciliano to receive distinguished service award.

City could offer $2 million for FirsTier Events Center.

Tough decision paying off for Fargo's Lee.

Big man growing into scorer role.

J.T. Brown proving hockey is his game.

Former East Kentwood hockey teammates meet in all-star game.

Houser blossoms as goalie in USHL.

What will happen with the Tri-City Storm hockey team?

Madore is steady backstop.

Civic can give Lancers edge.

Hartzell commits to Quinnipiac.

Q & A with Aleksei Dostoinov.

Ryan Johnson is no flamingo.

Broadhurst commits to UNO.

Hopper shines in Wildcats loss.

Lawrence star will get USHL taste.

Omaha will be Omaha again

The Omaha Lancers of Council Bluffs will be moving back across the river to the Civic Auditorium in downtown Omaha. This move will make them be the Omaha Lancers and they will actually be IN Omaha.

I love this move. The Civic is a great, great venue for hockey. The fans will love it and the team will love it. The MAC is a nice place, but it's just too bland and has zero atmosphere. I'm not even a Lancer fan and I'm excited about next season already. I think the Civic could possibly rival the atmosphere in Lincoln, which may be the best in the league. A word of advice for anyone who would make the trip, get there early because there aren't a whole lot of parking spots are free.

Here is a link to the article.

Also, this was really cool and I think this would be a big hit for the league.

One possibility is what Robert calls the Nebraska Winter Classic, which would pit the Lancers against the Lincoln Stars for an outdoor winter hockey game in the new Omaha downtown baseball stadium each February. The yearly game would be modeled after the National Hockey League's successful Winter Classic games held the last two years on New Years Day.