2024 USHL Annual General Meeting Recap
July 3, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL) News Release
In addition to an outstanding two days at the 2024 NHL Draft that saw 49 players of its players selected, the United States Hockey League also held its Annual General Meeting in Las Vegas, Nev., last Thursday and Friday.
The 2023-24 season was a historic one for the USHL that saw the Fargo Force establish a regular-season record for wins with 50 before claiming the Clark Cup as playoff champions for the second time.
The year started with 190 former USHL players beginning the season on NHL Opening Night Rosters and 908 USHL alumni listed on 2023-34 NCAA rosters.
Player success continued to rise at elite levels, with former Chicago Steel forward Macklin Celebrini capturing the 2024 Hobey Baker Award as the top player in the NCAA. Celebrini and former Green Bay Gamblers defenseman Artyom Levshunov were selected first and second overall, respectively in the 2024 NHL Draft.
League executives and coaches also advancing in their careers included Kalle Larsson (Dubuque GM) who was named Senior Director of Player Development for the NHL's Edmonton Oilers, Mike Leone (Green Bay GM/Head Coach) who was named head coach of the AHL's Rochester Americans, Kirk MacDonald (Dubuque Head Coach), who was named head coach of the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Americans and Anthony Noreen, who was named head coach of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference's Miami RedHawks.
A total of 1,122,616 fans attended USHL regular-season games in 2023-24, a slight increase from the 2022-23 total of 1,116,004. The Sioux Falls Stampede established a state of South Dakota record for most fans to attend a hockey game when it's annual Wiener Dog promotion game on Feb. 11 vs. the Sioux City Musketeers drew 11,025 fans.
The USHL saw growth in its streaming viewership with a 37% increase in total viewers, a 23% increase in live minutes watched and a 40% increase in the highest-viewed game. The USHL's Instagram platform now claims 81,400 followers and has over 72,000 followers on X (Twitter). A new video interview feature called USHL in Focus was launched, USHL Plays of the Week were reintroduced and USHL TikTok was created.
The USHL successfully launched its Spiideo Camera system (used for player safety, officiating training and goal review; and most teams used the platform for team video review) in all 16 of its arenas in 2023-24.
"Over the course of the 2023-24 season, the USHL has illustrated week after week why it is the premier development Junior league in the world, preparing young athletes to excel at the highest levels of the sport, as well as its officials, coaches, and General Managers," said Glenn Hefferan, who came on board as USHL President and Commissioner in the summer of 2023. "And while we're proud of the success and achievement, we all understand that there's still room for growth. We're looking forward to building upon our tremendous foundation with the start of the 2024-25 season only a few months away."
Items of note that took place at the 2024 USHL Annual General Meeting included:
Elected to the Executive Committee
Dan Lehv (Chicago)
Ryan Suter (Madison)
Named to the USHL Competition Committee
Andy Brandt (Madison), Coaches Representative
Bryn Chyzyk (Waterloo), Western GM Representative
Trevor Edwards (Dubuque), Eastern GM Representative
Brad Kwong (Dubuque), Owner's Representative
Player Safety Review
Pilot Program - All game misconducts will come under review
Expanded Video Review Policy
Made possible with Spiideo
Coaches Challenge - Goaltender Interference, In-game Stoppage, Unobserved Major Penalty
Hockey Operations
80% of USHL regular-season games with four on-ice officials.
Be sure to visit ushl.com for more information on the USHL.
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United States Hockey League Stories from July 3, 2024
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- 2024 USHL Annual General Meeting Recap - USHL
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- Sioux City Musketeers Golf Classic September 23rd - Sioux City Musketeers
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