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. 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.
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.
Regular season Final standings:
Eastern Conference Team y – Team USA 6041180183295211739x – Youngstown Phantoms 6033205273180189976x – Muskegon Lumberjacks 60332511682022061131x – Green Bay Gamblers 60302442661721701019x – Dubuque Fighting Saints 60262110365179194606x – Chicago Steel 6028252563 219218907 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders 6026248262179198933 Madison Capitols 6023332250183224755 Central Illinois Flying Aces 6014393435161258928
Western Conference Team y – Waterloo Black Hawks 60381462841991501017x – Omaha Lancers 6039162383192143996x – Fargo Force 6037163481208133985x – Sioux Falls Stampede 60321945731871811018x – Lincoln Stars 60352311721971681260x – Tri-City Storm 6029272262137155967 Sioux City Musketeers 6026264460159197981 Des Moines Buccaneers 6020334347145199796
x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched conference title; z = clinched regular season title
Statistical leaders
Scoring leaders
Players are listed by points, then goals.
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts. = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
Player Team GP G A Pts PIM Anthony Del Gaizo Muskegon Lumberjacks 60 40 32 72 89 Filip Suchý Omaha Lancers 54 31 38 69 66 Jack Dugan Chicago Steel 54 31 35 66 104 Jack Drury Waterloo Black Hawks 56 24 41 65 83 Jackson Cates Waterloo Black Hawks 57 33 30 63 18 Ben Copeland Waterloo Black Hawks 60 18 44 62 26 Alex Steeves Dubuque Fighting Saints 55 20 37 57 28 Casey Dornbach Lincoln Stars 59 21 35 56 10 Quinn Preston Dubuque Fighting Saints 58 24 31 55 28 Trenton Bliss Green Bay Gamblers 60 21 34 55 55 Noah Cates Omaha Lancers 60 21 34 55 26
Leading goaltenders
These are the goaltenders that lead the league in GAA that have played at least 1380 minutes.
Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; SOL = Shootout losses; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage
Player Team GP Mins W L OTL SOL SO GAA SV% Filip Larsson Tri-City Storm 30 1667 18 10 0 0 7 1.65 0.941 Strauss Mann Fargo Force 34 1972 22 8 2 1 5 1.86 0.932 Zach Driscoll Omaha Lancers 38 2054 23 9 1 1 8 1.90 0.934 Jared Moe Waterloo Black Hawks 32 1828 23 6 1 0 2 2.23 0.919 Ryan Bischel Fargo Force 29 1664 15 8 1 3 3 2.24 0.920
Post season awards
USHL awards Award Name Team Player of the Year Anthony Del Gaizo Muskegon Lumberjacks Forward of the Year Jackson Cates Waterloo Black Hawks Defenseman of the Year Ben Finkelstein Waterloo Black Hawks Rookie of the Year Matěj Pekař Muskegon Lumberjacks Goaltender of the Year Filip Larsson Tri-City Storm Coach of the Year P.K. O'Handley Waterloo Black Hawks Scholar-Athlete Alex Steeves Dubuque Fighting Saints Curt Hammer Marc McLaughlin Cedar Rapids RoughRiders General Manager of the Year P.K. O'Handley Waterloo Black Hawks Executive of the Year Brandon Bruss Green Bay Gamblers Organization of the Year Sioux Falls Stampede
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
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 Suchý Omaha Source
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 Matěj Pekař Muskegon Source
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
Eastern Conference
(E3) Muskegon Lumberjacks vs. (E6) Chicago Steel
(E4) Green Bay Gamblers vs. (E5) Dubuque Fighting Saints
Western Conference
(W4) Sioux Falls Stampede vs. (W5) Lincoln Stars
(W4) Fargo Force vs. (W5) Tri-City Storm
Conference Semifinals
Eastern Conference
(E1) Team USA vs. (E6) Chicago Steel
(E2) Youngstown Phantoms vs. (E5) Dubuque Fighting Saints
Western Conference
(W1) Waterloo Black Hawks vs. (W5) Lincoln Stars
(W2) Omaha Lancers vs. (W3) Fargo Force
Conference Finals
Eastern Conference
(E1) Team USA vs. (E2) Youngstown Phantoms
Western Conference
(W1) Waterloo Black Hawks vs. (W3) Fargo Force
Clark Cup Championship
(E2) Youngstown Phantoms vs. (W3) Fargo Force
Playoff scoring leaders Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
Player Team GP G A Pts PIMChase Gresock Youngstown Phantoms 1186142Matt Barry Youngstown Phantoms 11410148Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup Fargo Force 14481215Evan Bell Fargo Force 14381124Grant Hebert Fargo Force 14371010Robbie Stucker Fargo Force 14281012Griffin Loughran Fargo Force 1372914Eric Esposito Youngstown Phantoms 1145910Nick Cardelli Youngstown Phantoms 113698William Fällström Fargo Force 142796
Playoff leading goaltenders Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Allowed; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
Player Team GP Mins W L GA SO SV% GAAJared Moe Waterloo Black Hawks 6 366 4 2 11 2 .933 1.81Strauss Mann Fargo Force 14 831 11 3 29 2 .932 2.09Cole Weaver Dubuque Fighting Saints 5 294 2 3 11 0 .915 2.25Zach Driscoll Omaha Lancers 3 294 0 3 11 0 .929 2.29Derek Schaedig Lincoln Stars 6 138 3 1 13 0 .916 2.55
References
External links Official website of the United States Hockey League