USHL Notes: March 21, 2023

Published on March 21, 2023 under United States Hockey League (USHL) News Release

Players of the Week: Including a pair of game-winning goals, Jack Harvey (Chicago/USHL Forward of the Week) registered five points in two games on four goals and two assists last week. The Stacy, Minn., native who was +3 during that span, had a pair of tallies and an assist in a 7-1 win over Madison last Sunday. A two-time USHL Forward of the Week this year, the Boston University commit has upped season totals to 33-31- 64 in 52 games played on the season.

Artyom Leshunov (Green Bay/USHL Defenseman of the Week) had a four-point week with a goal and three assists and was +1, with three shots on goal over the course of two games. A native of Zlobin, Belarus, Leshunov had two assists including one on the game-winning goal in a 7-4 win over the NTDP last Friday. Now a two-time USHL Defenseman of the Week this year, Leshunov has 11-24--35 in 51 games on the season.

Emmett Croteau (Waterloo/USHL Goaltender of the Week) went 2-0-0-0 with a 1.44 goals against average and a .963 save percentage last week. The Clarkson commit, who had 79 saves on 82 shots, registered a career-high 42 stops in a 3-2 shootout win at league-leading Fargo last Thursday. The Bonnyville, Alta., native stands 12-9-0-0 on the season with a 2.52 goals against average and .915 save percentage.

2023 Clark Cup Playoff Format & Dates Announced: The USHL has announced the format and dates for the 2022-23 USHL Clark Cup Playoffs. This season's playoffs (featuring the top six teams from each of the Eastern and Western Conferences) is slated to begin April 24. Conference semifinals (best of three series) run April 28 - April 30, conference finals (best of five series) are May 5-11 and the Clark Cup Final (best of five series) takes place May 13-23. The USHL Clark Cup format announcement is available HERE.

Magic Numbers: Speaking of the Clark Cup, a pair of teams in the Western Conference in Fargo and Waterloo were first to punch tickets to the USHL postseason. As the league heads toward the end of the regular season, a few other teams are on the verge to join the Force and Black Hawks. The top team in the Eastern Conference, Chicago, has a magic number of two and the third-pace team in the Western Conference, Lincoln, has a magic number of three. Youngstown and the NTDP both sit at seven and Tri-City's number is eight.

Raging Tempest: Currently ranking fourth in the Western Conference with a 26-17-3-3 mark, Tri-City saw its eight-game winning streak end last week with a pair of losses to Sioux City. The Storm, who hadn't lost since Feb. 11 (3-2 vs. Waterloo) prior to the two games vs. the Musketeers, have gone 8-1-1-0 in their last 10 contests.

Using the Force: Fargo, the first team to clinch a spot in the 2023 Clark Cup playoffs, has gone 7-1-1-1 in their last 10 games and own the best record in the USHL with a 36-9-2-4 mark. Waterloo (33-17-1-0) ranks second in the Western Conference with 61 points.

Chicago (33-15-3-1), won both of its games last week and has gone 6-3-1-0 in its last 10 games. The Steel have 70 points in ranking as the top Eastern Conference squad. Owners of a 7-3-0-0 mark in its last 10 games, Youngstown (30-17-4-1) and the NTDP (31-16-1-2, 7-3-0-0 in last 10) both rank five points behind the Steel with 65 points.

Point Taken: Trevor Connelly (Tri-City) and Ryan Leonard (NTDP) are both riding 11-game point-scoring streaks. Connelly, a Tustin, Calif., native, has tallied 10-11--21 during that span, while Leonard, who hails from Amherst, Mass., has posted a 9-8--17 ledger.

Save Dwelling: Fargo netminder Matej Marinov leads USHL netminders with a 2.36 goals against average and his .917 save percentage ranks second in the league. Marinov, a Nitra, Slovakia native who's committed to Quinnipiac, lost in regulation for the first time this year when the Force fell to Waterloo Saturday. His record for the season stands at 20-1-1-3.

USHL NHL Alumni Spotlight: Currently in his seventh season in the National Hockey League, goaltender Thatcher Demko has seen action in 159 games with the Vancouver Canucks over the course of his career during which he's registered a 2.91 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. Selected in the second round (36th overall) by the Canucks in the 2014 NHL Draft, the San Diego, Calif., native played two seasons in the USHL with the NTDP and Omaha (2011-13) before matriculating at Boston College from 2013-16.

USHL Alumni Front and Center in NCAA Postseason Awards: Including four league Player of the Year recipients, several former players from the United States Hockey League were honored as NCAA Division I men's hockey leagues across the nation announced their individual award winners for the 2022-23 campaign.

Picking up Player of the Year recognition this season include former Cedar Rapids goaltender Blake Pietela, who plays for Michigan Tech (CCHA), former NTDP and Chicago forward Sean Farrell, who plays for Harvard (ECAC), former Cedar Rapids forward Jason Polin, who plays for Western Michigan (NCHC) and former Tri-City forward Matthew Knies, who plays for Minnesota (Big 10).

USHL College Commitments 2022-23: A total of 354 current USHL players have committed to play NCAA Division I college hockey. 50 schools are represented amongst the 354 commitments including 92 players headed to Hockey East teams, 86 players to the National Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHC), 77 players to Big 10 programs, 57 players to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Association (ECAC), 32 players to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), six players to Atlantic Hockey (AHA) teams and four players to independent programs.

United States Hockey League Stories from March 21, 2023

• USHL Notes: March 21, 2023 - USHL
• 13 Former Caps to Battle for NCAA Title - Madison Capitols
• Waterloo Black Hawks Weekly Preview - Waterloo Black Hawks

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