USHL Sioux City Musketeers

Musketeers Alumni Wins AHL Playoffs with Grand Rapids

Published on June 19, 2013 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Sioux City Musketeers News Release


Four years after winning the USHL Clark Cup, Jeff Blashill led the Grand Rapids Griffins to the AHL Calder Cup along with rookie forward and USHL alum Chad Billins. (photos courtesy of the Grand Rapids Griffins)

A former USHL coach wins AHL championship for third consecutive year

The Grand Rapids Griffins captured the Calder Cup championship in the American Hockey League on Tuesday night with a 5-2 victory in Game Six of the series, and a number of USHL alumni helped the team win the title.

It was the first AHL championship in the history of the organization as they were led by first-year head coach Jeff Blashill. It was the second time that Blashill won a championship in his first season with the team as just four years ago he led the Indiana Ice to their first USHL Clark Cup title. He compiled a 72-43-5 record over two seasons (2008-10) in the USHL. He then moved on to the head coaching position at Western Michigan University and then to the NHL as assistant with the Detroit Red Wings before taking his current role in Grand Rapids.

It marked the third consecutive season that a former USHL head coach was behind the bench for the AHL champion, following Jon Cooper (Green Bay Gamblers, 2008-10) who guided the Norfolk Admirals to the title last season and Kurt Kleinendorst (Team USA, 2009-10) who led the Binghamton Senators to the championship in 2011.

The Griffins roster in their Game Six victory to win the series against the Syracuse Crunch included rookie Chad Billins, a defenseman who played in the USHL for the Waterloo Black Hawks in 2007-08 before he embarked on a four-year collegiate career at Ferris State University. Defenseman Dan DeKeyser was also part of the AHL champion, playing all six games of the final series. The former Sioux City Musketeers defenseman (2009-10) made his NHL debut for the Griffins parent club, the Detroit Red Wings, this season. He played for Blashill at Western Michigan University during the 2010-11 season.

A third defenseman for the Griffins, Brett Skinner, appeared in 21 playoff games and collected six assists. He was an All-USHL First Team selection in the 2001-02 season when he produced 47 points (9g, 38a) in 46 regular season games for the Des Moines Buccaneers.

Two other USHL alumni suited up for the Griffins this season, including goaltender Jordan Pearce (Lincoln Stars, 2004-05) and defenseman Max Nicastro (Chicago Steel, 2007-09). Neither appeared in the AHL playoffs.

In the AHL playoffs, the runner-up Syracuse Crunch also had several USHL alumni take the ice. Forwards Dan Sexton (Sioux Falls Stampede, 2006-07) and J.T. Brown (Waterloo Black Hawks, 2008-10) appeared in all 18 postseason contests, as did defenseman Andrej Sustr (Youngstown Phantoms, 2009-10). Defenseman Brian Lee (Lincoln Stars, 2004-05) suited up in seven playoff games for the Crunch.

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United States Hockey League Stories from June 19, 2013


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