2017–18 USHL season

Sports season
2017–18 USHL Season
LeagueUnited States Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationOctober 6, 2017 – April 14, 2018
Number of games60
Number of teams17
Regular season
Anderson CupWaterloo Black Hawks
Clark Cup Playoffs
Western championsFargo Force
  Western runners-upWaterloo Black Hawks
Eastern championsYoungstown Phantoms
  Eastern runners-upTeam USA
Clark Cup Playoffs MVPGriffin Loughran
Clark Cup Champions
ChampionsFargo Force
USHL seasons
← 2016–17
2018–19 →

The 2017–18 USHL season was the 39th season of the United States Hockey League as an all-junior league. The regular season ran from October 6, 2017, to April 14, 2018.[1] The regular season champions, the Waterloo Black Hawks, were awarded the Anderson Cup. The playoff champions, the Fargo Force, were awarded the Clark Cup.

League changes

The Bloomington Thunder were rebranded as the Central Illinois Flying Aces.[2]

While the alignment remained the same from the previous season, the league increased the number of teams that qualify for the playoffs from eight to twelve. The top two seeds in each conference now have a bye in the first round. The third and fourth conference seeds than host the fifth and sixth conference seeds in a best-of-three series. The rest of the playoffs are a best-of-five series.[1]

Regular season

Final standings:[3]

Eastern Conference

Team GP W L OTL SOL PTS GF GA PIM
yTeam USA 60 41 18 0 1 83 295 211 739
xYoungstown Phantoms 60 33 20 5 2 73 180 189 976
xMuskegon Lumberjacks 60 33 25 1 1 68 202 206 1131
xGreen Bay Gamblers 60 30 24 4 2 66 172 170 1019
xDubuque Fighting Saints 60 26 21 10 3 65 179 194 606
xChicago Steel 60 28 25 2 5 63 219 218 907
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders 60 26 24 8 2 62 179 198 933
Madison Capitols 60 23 33 2 2 50 183 224 755
Central Illinois Flying Aces 60 14 39 3 4 35 161 258 928

Western Conference

Team GP W L OTL SOL PTS GF GA PIM
yWaterloo Black Hawks 60 38 14 6 2 84 199 150 1017
xOmaha Lancers 60 39 16 2 3 83 192 143 996
xFargo Force 60 37 16 3 4 81 208 133 985
xSioux Falls Stampede 60 32 19 4 5 73 187 181 1018
xLincoln Stars 60 35 23 1 1 72 197 168 1260
xTri-City Storm 60 29 27 2 2 62 137 155 967
Sioux City Musketeers 60 26 26 4 4 60 159 197 981
Des Moines Buccaneers 60 20 33 4 3 47 145 199 796

x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched conference title; z = clinched regular season title

Post season awards

USHL awards

Award Name Team
Player of the Year Anthony Del Gaizo Muskegon Lumberjacks[4]
Forward of the Year Jackson Cates Waterloo Black Hawks[4]
Defenseman of the Year Ben Finkelstein Waterloo Black Hawks[4]
Rookie of the Year Matej Pekar Muskegon Lumberjacks[4]
Goaltender of the Year Filip Larsson Tri-City Storm[4]
Coach of the Year P.K. O'Handley Waterloo Black Hawks[5]
Scholar-Athlete Alex Steeves Dubuque Fighting Saints[6]
Curt Hammer Marc McLaughlin Cedar Rapids RoughRiders[7]
General Manager of the Year P.K. O'Handley Waterloo Black Hawks[5]
Executive of the Year Brandon Bruss[8] Green Bay Gamblers
Organization of the Year Sioux Falls Stampede[9]

All-USHL First Team

Pos Name Team
G Filip Larsson Tri-City
D Ben Finkelstein Waterloo
D Graham Lillibridge Chicago
F Jackson Cates Waterloo
F Anthony Del Gaizo Muskegon
F Jack Dugan Chicago

Source[10]

All-USHL Second Team

Pos Name Team
G Zach Driscoll Youngstown
D Marc Del Gaizo Muskegon
D Ty Farmer Fargo
F Jack Drury Waterloo
F Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup Fargo
F Filip Suchy Omaha

Source[10]

All Rookie First Team

Pos Name Team
G Oskar Autio Chicago
D Michael Callahan Youngstown
D Tyler Jubenvill Cedar Rapids
F Paul Cotter Lincoln
F Robert Mastrosimone Chicago
F Matej Pekar Muskegon

Source[11]

All Rookie Second Team

Pos Name Team
G Zach Borgiel Muskegon
D Mason Klee Lincoln
D Matt Staudacher Muskegon
F Ryan O'Reilly Madison
F Tyler Madden Tri-City
F Michael Mancinelli Madison

Clark Cup playoffs

First Round
(Best-of-3)
Conference Semifinals
(Best-of-5)
Conference Finals
(Best-of-5)
Clark Cup Championship
(Best-of-5)
            
E1 Team USA 3
E6 Chicago 1
E3 Muskegon 1
E6 Chicago 2
E1 Team USA 1
Eastern Conference
E2 Youngstown 3
E4 Green Bay 0
E5 Dubuque 2
E2 Youngstown 3
E5 Dubuque 0
E2 Youngstown 1
W3 Fargo 3
W1 Waterloo 3
W5 Lincoln 1
W4 Sioux Falls 1
W5 Lincoln 2
W1 Waterloo 1
Western Conference
W3 Fargo 3
W3 Fargo 2
W6 Tri-City 0
W2 Omaha 1
W3 Fargo 3

References

  1. ^ a b "USHL Announces 2017-18 Schedule". USHL. July 18, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  2. ^ "It's Official: Thunder Hockey Team Becomes Flying Aces". WGLT. August 24, 2017.
  3. ^ "USHL Standings". USHL. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e "USHL Announces End of Year Awards". OurSportsCentral.com. April 30, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "P.K. O'Handley Named USHL Coach & General Manager of the Year". USHL. May 2, 2018.
  6. ^ "USHL Scholar-Athlete Award and All-Academic Team Announced". USHL. May 1, 2018.
  7. ^ "Marc McLaughlin Named Curt Hammer Award Recipient". USHL. May 1, 2018.
  8. ^ "EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR". USHL. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  9. ^ "Sioux Falls Stampede Named USHL Organization of the Year". OurSportsCentral.com. June 27, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "All-USHL Teams Announced". USHL. May 1, 2018.
  11. ^ "All-USHL Rookie Teams Announced". USHL. May 1, 2018.

External links

  • Official website of the United States Hockey League