Western Conference Eastern Conference Des Moines Buccaneers USHL.COM | @USHL Bloomington Thunder 7201 Hickman Road 101 S. Madison Street Urbandale, IA 50322 850 West Jackson, Suite 703 Bloomington, IL 61701 515-278-9757 Chicago, IL 60607 309-434-2980 phone bucshockey.com (312) 546-7300 bloomingtonthunder.com [email protected] Fargo Force Cedar Rapids RoughRiders 5225 31st Ave. South 1100 Rockford Road SW Fargo, ND 58104 Bob Fallen Cedar Rapids, IA 52404 701-356-7656 phone President and 319-247-0340 fargoforce.com Commissioner ridertownusa.com Lincoln Stars Chicago Steel PO Box 80327 Joe Macdonell 735 East Jefferson St. Lincoln, NE 68508 Vice President of Bensenville, IL 60106 402-474-7827 Business Operations 630-594-1162 lincolnstars.com chicagosteelhockeyteam.com Omaha Lancers Brian Werger Dubuque Fighting Saints 7300 Q Street Director of 1800 Admiral Sheehy Drive Ralston, NE 68127 Communications Dubuque, IA 52001 402-344-7825 and Public Relations 563-583-6880 lancers.com dubuquefightingsaints.com Adam Micheletti Sioux City Musketeers Green Bay Gamblers Director of Hockey PO Box 3313 1901 South Oneida Street Operations Sioux City, IA 51102 Green Bay, WI 54304 712-252-2116 920-405-1237 musketeershockey.com gamblershockey.com Aaron Westendorf Sioux Falls Stampede Manager of Madison Capitols 1001 N. West Avenue Media & Digital 1880 Veterans Drive Sioux Falls, SD 57104 Communications Madison, WI 53713 605-336-6060 608-257-CAPS sfstampede.com madcapshockey.com Doug Christiansen Director of Player Tri-City Storm Development & Muskegon Lumberjacks 609 Platte Road Recruitment 470 W. Western Ave. Kearney, NE 68845 Muskegon, MI 49440 308-338-8809 231-726-3879 stormhockey.com Scott Zelkin muskegonlumberjacks.com USHL Referee-In-Chief Waterloo Black Hawks Team USA 125 Commercial Street 2121 Oak Valley Drive Waterloo, IA 50701 Ann Arbor, MI 48103 319-232-3444 Dave Siciliano 734-327-9251 waterlooblackhawks.com Senior Advisor of usantdp.com Hockey Operations Youngstown Phantoms 229 East Front Street Skip Prince Youngstown, OH 44503 Senior Advisor 330-747-7825 youngstownphantoms.com 2 / 2015 USHL PLAYER COMBINE Welcome to Tier I CONGRATULATIONS on being continue their hockey career. More than selected to compete at the 2015 USHL 350 players currently playing in the USHL Combine. After receiving more than 3,000 already have college commitments. applications you have been selected to With more than 250 USHL alumni compete in front of scouts representing currently signed to NHL contracts, the the USHL and other junior leagues. league has become one of the quickest As America’s only Tier I junior league, development paths to the pro ranks the USHL has set an increasingly high as well. More and more, NHL teams standard both on and off the ice for young and scouts look to the USHL to find hockey players to begin their development players that want to develop at their own path. It is because of this that college and pace. Former Dubuque Fighting Saints NHL scouts alike watch the league so teammates Johnny Gaudreau and Zemgus closely. Every year more than 95% of USHL Girgensons are a good example of this: players receive a Division I opportunity to Gaudreau, featured on the program’s cover, was drafted out of the USHL and played three years in college before going to the Calgary Flames. Girgensons, also drafted from the USHL, was given the opportunity to sign his pro contract at 18 and develop a year in the American Hockey League prior to joining the Buffalo Sabres. C Whatever your path may be, the USHL continues to be the best route for development because it has the best athletes. You are a now part of the USHL Development Path. Whether you are selected in the upcoming USHL Draft, Bob Fallen Doug Christiansen attend a USHL team tryout camp or come President and Commissioner Director of Player into the league at a later age, you are what [email protected] Development & Recruitment makes the league so special. @USHLCommish [email protected] Thank you for aspiring to play in the @USHLPlayerDev USHL, and good luck! 2015 USHL PLAYER COMBINE / 3 Will You Make The Educated League Theme Tells the Story Decision? DURING THE 2014-15 SEASON, the USHL launched a campaign with the theme “Make the Educated Decision.” Targeted primarily at elite youth players, their parents and family advisors, the campaign stresses the abundance of player development and academic opportunities available to players who are evaluating their options, with an emphasis on the path paved by the USHL. The central message of the marketing campaign encourages players, parents, and family advisors to carefully evaluate the different paths available and to better understand the developmental landscape for reaching college and professional hockey. Mason Morelli turned all sorts of heads withD his performance at the USHL Combine, leading him to being chosen in the first round of the 2012 USHL Draft. He has spent the last two seasons in the League with the Fargo Force. 4 / 2015 USHL PLAYER COMBINE Our intent is to be informative about development options — without disparaging opportunities available in other junior hockey leagues.” “The goal is to provide factual and provocative information that allows players to make an informed decision based on their goals on and off the ice,” said USHL President and Commissioner Bob Fallen. “We felt we needed to do a better job of providing information about the opportunities available to hockey players and student-athletes.” The new campaign is integrated into promotional collateral and digital media generated by the USHL, but the primary communication vehicle has been speaking engagements at youth hockey events all over the country. The League hired former USHL, college and professional hockey player Doug Christiansen as Director of Player Development and Recruiting and Christiansen has traveled to a variety of North American destinations to present to hockey organizations. “The feedback we’ve received has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Christiansen. “The presentation clarifies the USHL’s position in the player development cycle and provides background on the junior and college hockey landscape. Our intent is to be informative about development options — without disparaging opportunities available in other junior hockey leagues.” Christiansen’s scouting efforts are supported by a network of talent scouts in regions across North America that help to identify prospects that have the potential and the interest to play in the USHL and beyond. These individuals were involved in the invitations extended to USHL Combine participants. 4 Things You Need to Know About Junior Hockey YOU’RE SERIOUS ABOUT competition in the country. The USHL is Former Dubuque Fighting Saint, Boston HOCKEY. You’re getting better every NCAA-protected, meaning its players will College Eagle and current Calgary Flames day and you’re performing at a high level maintain their college hockey eligibility, player Johnny Gaudreau appreciates the with your current team. You’re ready to and the reason that it is heavily-scouted by development path he chose. explore your options on how to reach the college coaches. “It was best for my development to next level and achieve your goals. Which It is also the only level that has no cost come to the USHL before college. I was development path is right for you? to the player. All equipment “head to toe” really fortunate to play for the Dubuque Junior hockey is the logical choice is provided by the team, in addition to Fighting Saints with Coach Montgomery,” – but the different leagues, rules and top-quality billet housing provided by the Gaudreau said. “It really helped me opportunities can be confusing in both team. become a better player.” the U.S. and Canada. There’s a lot of The USHL maintains the highest of information and clutter out there. We standards, including some of the best Tier 2: can help you navigate the junior hockey coaches and staffs in the sport of hockey, The North American Hockey League landscape. Here’s what you need to know. top-quality on and off-ice facilities, and (NAHL) is the only Tier 2 league in the U.S. a schedule to balance a maximum and It is a step below the USHL in terms of minimum number of league games with a talent and standards, but it still maintains Understanding the proper practice-to-game ratio. a very strong level of competition. Tier System Another unique aspect of the USHL It has an increased number of 20-year- There are three different tiers (or levels) is the maintenance of balanced age olds on team rosters and maintains the of junior hockey in the United States. groupings with a diminished number of college eligibility of its players. Y1The USA Hockey Junior Council certifies 20-year-old players and relatively balanced There are presently 24 Tier 2 NAHL these leagues and teams annually to their under-17, 18, and 19 age categories. It is teams in the United States. The league is respective classifications based on quality about development and moving players up scouted by NCAA Division I and Division III of play and operations standards. to the next levels of the sport. programs. There are presently 18 USHL Tier 1 Tier 1: teams in the United States. Approximately Tier 3: The USHL is the only Tier 1 hockey league 96% of all USHL players earn Most of the junior hockey leagues in the in the U.S. It is the highest level of junior opportunities at the NCAA Division 1 level. U.S. are Tier 3 – the Eastern Hockey 6 / 2015 USHL PLAYER COMBINE League (EHL), North American 3 Hockey junior hockey league in the country. The These markets have embraced their League (NA3HL), U.S. Premier Hockey USHL has 17 teams located throughout teams and support them every night.