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USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks

Single Game Saturday Sends Jacks to USA

February 14, 2025 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


PLYMOUTH, MI - Already the fifth time since the start of the new calendar year the Jacks and USA Hockey's National Team Development Program will see each other. Week 21 brings a single game between Muskegon and the Under-17 Team at USA Hockey Arena on Saturday night.

The Match-up

Over the last 12 months the Jacks have met the Under-17 team a total of 10 times and hold a commanding 9-1 record in the series. This season in 5 meetings between the two teams the Jacks are a perfect 5-0 with an 8-1 win last time out on January 25th.

Of course, the story around the NTDP remains the same every season. As the year goes on, the team gets exponentially better. Looking at the last 10 games against the Under-18 team the Jacks are just 2-7-1 showing that there is no team in the USHL, maybe the world that develops as much as the program does.

This season hasn't been an ideal one for the NTDP in the USHL. Through 37 games their combined record is 11-23-1-2. They sit second to last in the USHL standings but are also the only team with less than 40 games played in the league. As a whole, the 2024-2025 season has been good for the NTDP. In international play the Under-17 team made the medal round at the 2024 World Under-17 Challenge in November and is coming off a Gold Medal finish at the 2024 Vierumaki Cup in Finland in December. The Under-18, who the Jacks see one more time this season (4.04.25) is gearing up for the 2025 World Under-18 Championship in late April in Frisco, Texas.

About Last Week

Last week the Jacks welcomed the Western Conference's Tri-City Storm to Muskegon for the first time in over five years for a two-game series at Trinity Health Arena. Friday night the game started tight, but the Jacks found a way to turn on the offense to pick up a 5-2 win. Jack Galanek (Hopkinton, MA) led the way on the offensive end with a pair of goals while Stephen Peck (New York, NY) turned aside 29 of 31 shots in the winning effort.

Saturday was a bit different of a path to the same result. The Jacks won again this time by a score of 6-5. Four straight goals for the Jacks were met by three straight for the Storm to keep the game close. The squads traded goals through the second half of the game before Ivan Ryabkin (Balakovo, RUS) scored the game winner with 2:16 left in regulation. Ryabkin had 3 points (2g, 1a) while David Deputy (Gurnee, IL) put up 4 points (1g, 3a), and Peck stopped 20 of 25 shots in the 6-5 win.

The Under-17 Team is coming off their final International action of the season at the Five Nations Tournament in Finland. A tournament opening loss to Sweden 4-2 was followed by a pair of wins. First, the USA took down the hosts Finland 6-3, then Switzerland 8-5. The tournament came to a close on Sunday with a 4-1 loss at the hands of Czechia.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: DANNY KLAERS

The development a player goes through during their Under-17 and 18 seasons might be the biggest growth they'll see in their career. While the Lumberjacks have witnessed that with many of their young players Danny Klaers (Minnetrista, MN) stands as a clear example of that. Klaers spent the previous two seasons playing high school hockey back home at Minnetonka High (USHS-MN) as a standout defenseman on a highly skilled team. His strong play earned him a Phase I draft selection by Muskegon in the 2023 draft and a commitment to play NCAA Division I College Hockey at Notre Dame in the BIG Ten.

"It's a pretty big culture in Minnesota" said Klaers about playing youth hockey back home. "The whole Peewee, bantam, and high school hockey is different than everywhere else." He continued.

Klaers didn't just grow up playing hockey in Minnesota. He grew up playing hockey in Minnetonka, one of the biggest producers of high-level hockey players in the world. "I did a lot of development in Minnetonka, and a lot before with other coaches. The coaches are so driven to make you better. It's just a good place to grow and get better."

To read more about Klaers and his time in Muskegon check out his full player spotlight at muskegonlumberjacks.com.

Over the Airwaves

Saturday's game can be watched for free on USA Hockey TV with Voice of the Program Pete Krupsky. A free internet radio feed is also available on Mixlr and the Lumberjacks Hockey Network Presented by Lakeside Surfaces with Voice of the Jacks, Ezra Gennello.

30 minutes to puck drop every game day the Lumberjacks Hockey Network Pregame Show takes place on Facebook Live.

Upcoming Games

Sat. February 15 | 7:00 pm ET | at USNTDP Under-17

Fri. February 21 | 7:05 pm ET | at Youngstown

Sat. February 22 | 4:05 pm ET | at Youngstown

Fri. February 28 | 7:00 pm ET | vs Cedar Rapids

Sat. March 1 | 6:00 pm ET | vs. Cedar Rapids

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