The 2018–19 USHL season was the 40th season of the United States Hockey League as an all-junior league. The regular season ran from September 27, 2018, to April 13, 2019. The Tri-City Storm were awarded the Anderson Cup as regular season champions for accumulating 95 points over 62 games. The season concluded with the Sioux Falls Stampede defeating the Chicago Steel in the Clark Cup Final series 3–0 on May 17, 2019.
League changes After serving as the interim commissioner since November 2017, Tom Garrity was named the ninth commissioner in league history. He replaced Bob Fallen who had served as commissioner since 2014. On April 5, 2018, the league announced the annual Fall Classic in partnership with the National Hockey League would count towards the regular season standings, with all member clubs playing two games between September 27 and 30 at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Pittsburgh.
Regular season Final standings:
Eastern Conference Team y – Muskegon Lumberjacks 6241173186228173 x – Chicago Steel 6237214078243207 x – Youngstown Phantoms 6236211477214209 x – Cedar Rapids RoughRiders 6236213277188161 x – Team USA 6230242668269227 x – Dubuque Fighting Saints 6228264464192204 Central Illinois Flying Aces 6224333253183225 Green Bay Gamblers 6219346347173250 Madison Capitols 6215385439145249
Western Conference Team z – Tri-City Storm 6245123295232144 x – Waterloo Black Hawks 6239165285232173 x – Sioux Falls Stampede 6239165285234190 x – Des Moines Buccaneers 6235221475202177 x – Fargo Force 6234233273188172 x – Sioux City Musketeers 6230255267187197 Omaha Lancers 6227274462155197 Lincoln Stars 6212424432151262
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 Nick Abruzzese Chicago Steel 62 29 51 80 20 Brett Murray Youngstown Phantoms 62 41 35 76 35 Matias Maccelli Dubuque Fighting Saints 54 31 41 72 42 Bobby Brink Sioux City Musketeers 43 35 33 68 22 Ben Meyers Fargo Force 59 33 32 65 26 Ronnie Attard Tri-City Storm 48 30 35 65 66 Hank Crone Fargo Force 60 19 46 65 66 Emil Öhrvall Waterloo Black Hawks 59 31 32 63 52 Martin Pospíšil Sioux City Musketeers 44 16 47 63 118 Egor Afanasyev Muskegon Lumberjacks 58 27 35 62 36
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% Isaiah Saville Tri-City Storm 34 1992 25 4 2 1 4 1.90 0.925 Akira Schmid Omaha Lancers 37 2012 16 14 2 0 2 2.18 0.926 Blake Pietila Cedar Rapids RoughRiders 47 2794 30 13 3 1 5 2.30 0.912 Brandon Bussi Muskegon Lumberjacks 52 2824 33 12 3 1 7 2.44 0.915 Ryan Bischel Fargo Force 55 3205 28 20 3 2 2 2.55 0.905
Clark Cup playoffs
First Round
Eastern Conference
(E3) Youngstown Phantoms vs. (E6) Dubuque Fighting Saints
(E4) Cedar Rapids RoughRiders vs. (E5) Team USA
Western Conference
(W3) Sioux Falls Stampede vs. (W6) Sioux City Musketeers
(W4) Des Moines Buccaneers vs. (W5) Fargo Force
Conference Semifinals
Eastern Conference
(E1) Muskegon Lumberjacks vs. (E6) Dubuque Fighting Saints
(E2) Chicago Steel vs. (E4) Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Western Conference
(W1) Tri-City Storm vs. (W4) Des Moines Buccaneers
(W2) Waterloo Black Hawks vs. (W3) Sioux Falls Stampede
Conference Finals
Eastern Conference
(E1) Muskegon Lumberjacks vs. (E2) Chicago Steel
Western Conference
(W1) Tri-City Storm vs. (W3) Sioux Falls Stampede
Clark Cup Championship
(E2) Chicago Steel vs. (W3) Sioux Falls Stampede
Playoff scoring leaders Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
Player Team GP G A Pts PIMRobert Mastrosimone Chicago Steel 1178154Nick Abruzzese Chicago Steel 1177140Gunnarwolfe Fontaine Chicago Steel 966122Andre Lee Sioux Falls Stampede 12651110Max Crozier Sioux Falls Stampede 12471110Bobby Lynch Muskegon Lumberjacks 8281012Jason Polin Cedar Rapids RoughRiders 65494Shane Pinto Tri-City Storm 64598Mikael Hakkarainen Muskegon Lumberjacks 845912 Matteo Pietroniro Chicago Steel 1118910
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% GAAJaxson Stauber Sioux Falls Stampede 12 821 11 1 20 1 .941 1.46Ben Kraws Sioux City Musketeers 2 181 0 2 5 0 .936 1.66Evan Fear Waterloo Black Hawks 4 241 1 3 8 1 .922 1.99Isaiah Saville Tri-City Storm 6 355 3 3 13 1 .910 2.20Justin Robbins Chicago Steel 11 704 6 5 28 0 .910 2.38
Post season awards USHL awards
Award Name Team Player of the Year Ronnie Attard Tri-City Storm Forward of the Year Bobby Brink Sioux City Musketeers Defenseman of the Year Ronnie Attard Tri-City Storm Rookie of the Year Zac Jones Tri-City Storm Goaltender of the Year Isaiah Saville Tri-City Storm Coach of the Year Anthony Noreen Tri-City Storm Scholar-Athlete Mason McCormick Dubuque Fighting Saints Curt Hammer Liam Walsh Cedar Rapids RoughRiders General Manager of the Year Ryan Hardy Chicago Steel Executive of the Year Jim Olander Sioux Falls Stampede Organization of the Year Muskegon Lumberjacks
All-USHL First Team Pos Name Team G Isaiah Saville Tri-City D Ronnie Attard Tri-City D Alex Yakovenko Muskegon F Nick Abruzzese Chicago F Bobby Brink Sioux City F Brett Murray Youngstown Source
All-USHL Second Team Pos Name Team G Blake Pietila Cedar Rapids D Zac Jones Tri-City D Matteo Pietroniro Chicago F Matt Brown Des Moines F Matias Maccelli Dubuque F Ben Meyers Fargo Source
All-Rookie First Team Pos Name Team G Isaiah Saville Tri-City D Ryan Johnson Sioux Falls D Zac Jones Tri-City F Vladislav Firstov Waterloo F Marcus Kallionkieli Sioux City F Shane Pinto Tri-City Source
All-Rookie Second Team Pos Name Team G Logan Stein Waterloo D Anthony Kehrer Sioux City D Owen Power Chicago F Josh Nodler Fargo F Anthony Romano Sioux Falls F Grant Silianoff Cedar Rapids
References
External links Official website of the United States Hockey League