Elite Conference, News, Power Rankings, USPHL Elite

USPHL Elite Power Rankings: Jan. 16, 2025

by Joshua Boyd

January 16, 2025January 16, 2025

Read About How The United States Premier Hockey League Utilizes Ken's Ratings For American College Hockey ("KRACH") to determine its Power Rankings.

These rankings are used by the USPHL only to determine Divisional seeding for Premier Nationals; for selecting the Elite wild card team to fill out the 6-team Elite Nationals field; and for seeding the Elite six-team field.

Power Movers: Not a ton of movement since last weekend, but we did see a couple top 10 position swaps. Moving up were the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes - into No. 4 - and the Northern Cyclones - into No. 6.

See this week's full rankings below!

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: Northeast and Midwest Regions

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: South Region

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: New England, Midwest and Atlantic Divisions

Week of Jan. 17, 2025

Games of Jan. 7-13, 2025

New England

Forward: Chase Darcey, South Shore Kings

Darcey (‘06/Billerica, Mass.) put up five goals and added one assist during a busy week of moving frequently between the Elite and Premier Kings. With the Premier squad, he also had a goal and an assist over the past week.

Defense: Daniel Mordas, Springfield Pics

Mordas (‘07/Lithuania) registered two goals and two assists for four points recently, giving him 26 points in 24 games. He has seen a huge improvement, offensively, from the seven points he registered in 31 games last season.

Goaltender: Nick Cowles, Northern Cyclones

Cowles (‘05/Irvine, Calif.) took a shootout loss, but he was fantastic during the Jan. 10 game against the rival Islanders Hockey Club, stopping 53 of 55 shots in 65 minutes. He stands at 9-2-0-1 overall.

Atlantic Division

Forward: Tobias Tokos, Connecticut Jr. Rangers

Tokos (‘05/Bratislava, Slovakia) just recently joined the Jr. Rangers, and he’s already made a huge impact with three goals and five points in his first two games with Connecticut.

Defense: Jake Strong, P.A.L. Jr Islanders

Strong (‘07/Shirley, N.Y.) joined up to the Elite Islanders this year from the Atlantic Hockey Federation P.A.L. 16U squad. He put in three assists during the team’s recent pair of games against Connecticut and the Rockets Hockey Club. He has 22 points in 29 games.

Goaltender: Brody Teitelbaum, Rockets Hockey Club

Teitelbaum (‘07/Livingston, N.J.) stopped all 42 shots he faced against P.A.L., giving him his first shutout and fourth win in seven games played with the Rockets this year.

Midwest Division

Tyler Dix, Metro Jets

The second-year Jet and homegrown talent Dix (‘05/Mount Clemens, Mich.) scored a hat trick, the first of his two-year career, to improve to a career-best 28 points in 31 games.

Defense: Logan Landmeier, Chicago Crush

Landmeier (‘05/South Elgin, Ill.) had his first point streak of the season and registered a 1-3-4 line for the Crush in a three-game series with the Decatur Blaze. He now has 10 points in 28 games after joining the Crush out of the Fox Valley High School team.

Goaltender: Johnny Augusta, Chicago Crush

Augusta (‘04/Medinah, Ill.) stopped all 31 shots he faced on Jan. 11, giving him his third shutout of the season and a 9-3-1-0 record for this season, which matches his wins total from his full 2023-24 season.

Selection Process: Divisional statistical leaders are presented to coaches, who are able to vote on the leaders, or nominate and vote on alternate candidates.

Summaries by Joshua Boyd

Jan. 17, 2025

Games of Jan. 7-13, 2025

Southeast Division

Forward: Viktor Pettersson, Charlotte Rush

In his last two games, Pettersson (‘05/Sundsvall, Sweden) scored one goal and contributed three assists in the Rush’s two-game series against Hampton Roads. He now has 38 points in 29 games for this, his second season in the league.

Defense: Ashton Lesher, Charlotte Rush

Lesher (‘05/Hamburg, Pa.) had a great weekend against the Whalers, putting up a goal and an assist for two points over his pair of games, and he now has points in each of his last five games. He now has 12 points, just shy of the full-season total of 14 points of last year.

Goaltender: Nicholas Grosso, Charlotte Rush

Grosso (‘05/Malverne, N.Y.) gave up just one goal in each of the past two games. For the full weekend, he had 34 saves on 36 shots for a .944 save percentage. His 12th win on Jan. 12 was a career best in his two seasons.

Florida Division

Forward: Matthieu Leblanc, Bold City Battalion

Leblanc (‘07/Austin, Texas) had his best performance so far on the season, putting up two goals and two assists for four points against Palm Beach. He has improved to 24 points in 26 games, joining this year from Oakmoor Academy in the THF.

Defense: Gino Saele, Palm Beach Typhoon

Saele (‘07/Palm Beach, Fla.) is a local product from the Spanish River/Boca Raton High School team. With the Typhoon this year, he registered four assists in two games, including a three-assist output against the Florida Jr. Blades.

Goaltender: Marcus Benzrihem, Tampa Bay Juniors

Benzrihem (‘06/Odessa, Fla.) put up his ninth win of the season, and it was a career best. Benzrihem stopped 26 of the 28 shots he faced from the Florida Eels on Jan. 11, and he improved to 9-0-1-0.

Selection Process: Divisional statistical leaders are presented to coaches, who are able to vote on the leaders, or nominate and vote on alternate candidates.

Summaries by Joshua Boyd

10 teams to play in inaugural 2025-26 season

Jan. 17, 2024 – Nashua, N.H. – The Tier I Hockey Federation is excited to announce the creation of the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) 18U Division for the 2025-26 season. This division will serve independent Tier I / AAA / Academy teams in North America and, as with the rest of the USPHL, will not be a part of USA Hockey. Nine organizations have committed to assembling 10 teams for the USPHL 18U inaugural season, with more coming in a later announcement. The USPHL 18U Division will be administrated by the Tier 1 Hockey Federation (“THF”). The THF serves as a direct pathway for junior and college hockey with over 50 organizations and almost 300 teams from 9U-18U. The new USPHL 18U Division will play 40 games in a competitive mix of intra-division games along with attending USPHL Showcases playing in a junior hockey atmosphere.

Founding members of the USPHL 18U Division include the Thunder Hockey Club, Rocky Mountain Moose, Somang Hockey Academy, Hawkesbury Knights, Le Sommet Faucons, NPU Rebels (two teams), Universel Gatineau, Universel Sherbrooke, and the Kingston Wranglers.

“This league creates a direct pipeline from youth hockey to junior & college hockey, helping players develop the skills needed to thrive at the next level and catch the attention of scouts,” said USPHL Senior Advisor Kevin Abrams. “We look forward to expanding this division, and other youth divisions, across North America as well as helping develop players for our USPHL junior teams.”

“USA Hockey serves as the ultimate barrier to youth hockey development. The THF is looking for ways to serve independent teams in the US and Canada that are looking to provide top level AAA hockey but are being blocked by USA Hockey Affiliates,” said USPHL Deputy Commissioner and THF Commissioner Tony Zasowski. “This division is a great opportunity to provide competitive hockey with premier advancement opportunities with ties to the USPHL and THF.”

For more information about the USPHL 18U division e-mail info@tier1hockeyfederation.com.

About The United States Premier Hockey League

Founded in 2012, the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) is comprised of over 150 teams, fielding more than 20,000 players aged 8-21 in more than 100 organizations across the North, South, Midwest, West, and Canada. Our Junior Divisions consist of the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC), a tuition-free junior hockey division and our Premier and Elite Divisions, all geared toward college and pro placement. Our youth and midget divisions (operated through the Tier 1 Hockey Federation) field full season 8U through 18U teams. The USPHL has sent over 8,000 players to all levels of college hockey all-time including over 4,200 into NCAA college hockey, with more than 550 advancing to NCAA Division I hockey. The USPHL has also had 18 players who played in the NCDC drafted by NHL teams.

For more information visit usphl.com.

About The Tier 1 Hockey Federation

The Tier 1 Hockey Federation is a USA Hockey Sanctioned Tier-I Youth Hockey League that offers a highly competitive environment for Tier 1 and elite clubs nationwide, with an unbalanced schedule that ensures top-level play. A team of dedicated professionals manages the THF with over 200 AAA teams, ranging from 9U-18U age levels. The THF is the only organization whose members operate franchises in the top junior hockey leagues in the US for NCAA Division I commitments, including the USHL, NAHL, NCDC, and the top two junior hockey leagues for NCAA Division III commitments, the USPHL Premier Division and Elite Division. This unique structure ensures that THF players can access various opportunities to further their hockey careers at the college level and beyond.

Former NCDC Rockets Hockey Club defenseman Anthony Allain-Samake has been ranked 75th among North American Skaters in the NHL Central Scouting Mid-Term rankings, released on Jan. 14. The United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) proudly celebrates this achievement as another testament to its player development success.

Allain-Samake, a 2007-born native of Gatineau, Que., played in 47 games with the Rockets’ NCDC team in the 2023-24 season, during which he committed to the University of Connecticut, where he is currently set to play in 2025-26. Generally, players ranked in the third round of North American Skater Mid-Term rankings project as fourth-or fifth-round selections in the draft.

The 2025 NHL Entry Draft will be held in late June 2025, in Los Angeles, Calif. Allain-Samake is currently playing for the Sioux City Musketeers in the United States Hockey League, where he has registered 12 assists over 35 games. Allain-Samake was drafted into the USHL in the 2024 USHL Draft.

USPHL / NCDC at NHL Entry Draft

There have been a total of 58 former USPHL Junior and/or Midget players drafted by NHL teams since the USPHL’s 2013-14 inaugural season.

18 former NCDC players have been selected in the NHL Entry Draft since the USPHL’s highest tier junior league opened its first season in 2017-18.
Two USPHL Premier alumni have been selected in the NHL Entry Draft in the current format of the USPHL Premier since 2022. No other league of its kind has had any draft picks since 2019.
The NCDC saw an all-time high of three players selected directly from the NCDC in 2020-21, which was also the most of any league of its kind in 2021.

USPHL Alumni In National Hockey League

Drew O’Connor became the first NCDC alum to make the National Hockey League in 2020-21 and has remained a regular in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lineup since that season, playing in 165 games to date (Oct. 24). O’Connor played in the NCDC for the Boston Junior Bruins.
There have been a total of 10 players from the USPHL junior leagues that have made the NHL, including four currently active players (Drew O’Connor, John Marino, Ryan Donato, Joey Daccord).
There were a total of 27 alumni advancements to the NHL from the former USPHL Midget Divisions (now operated by the Tier 1 Hockey Federation), including 12 active NHL players.
There were a total of 56 players with USPHL ties who attended 2024 NHL Development Camps.

About The United States Premier Hockey League

Founded in 2012, the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) is comprised of over 150 teams, fielding more than 20,000 players aged 9-21 in more than 100 organizations across the North, South, Midwest, West, and Canada. Our Junior Divisions consist of the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) and our Premier and Elite Divisions, all geared toward college and pro placement.

Our youth and midget divisions (operated through the Tier 1 Hockey Federation) field full season 9U through 18U teams. The USPHL has sent over 8,000 players to all levels of college hockey all-time including over 3,700 into NCAA college hockey, with more than 550 advancing to NCAA Division I hockey. The USPHL has also had 18 players who played in the NCDC drafted by NHL teams.

Week of Jan. 10

Games of Jan. 1-6

Southeast Division

Forward: Gavin Mulcahy, Charlotte Rush

Mulcahy (‘05/South Lyon, Mich.) registered a hat trick and a total of five goals and two assists for seven points at the USPHL Tampa Showcase to open 2025. He has improved to 27 points in 35 games on the season.

Defense: Ben Kane, Charlotte Rush

Kane (‘05/La Plata, Md.) registered four goals and three assists for seven points during the Tampa Showcase, helping the Rush go 4-0 at the event. Kane bypassed the 16 points he scored last season during the event and now has a career-best 19 points in 28 games for 2024-25.

Goaltender: Cale Puzey, Charlotte Rush

Puzey (‘05/Calgary, Alb.) came away with 33 saves on 33 shots in a pair of shutouts in Tampa, defeating the Florida Eels and Florida Jr. Blades in succession. Puzey is third in the league in goals against average at 1.50 and fourth in save percentage at .939.

Florida Division

Caleb Rae, Florida Jr. Blades

Rae (‘07/Stouffville, Ont.) scored five goals during his four-game stint at the USPHL Tampa Showcase. With this showing, he improved to 18 goals on the season and ranks in the Top 10 overall in the USPHL Elite Conference. He stands with 34 points in 27 games.

Defense: Carter Trussler, Tampa Bay Juniors

The veteran blueliner and TBJ Captain Trussler (‘06/Land O Lakes, Fla.) continues to have an outstanding third USPHL season, as he put up a goal and three assists during Tampa’s four games at the showcase of which they were host. The former Mitchell High School standout now has 69 points in 109 USPHL contests.

Goaltender: Blake Moore, Florida Jr. Blades

Moore (‘06/Harker Heights, Texas) stopped 58 of 60 shots over two games, including just one in a 2-0 defeat against Charlotte in which he stopped 26 of 27. He also stopped 32 of 33 in helping the Jr. Blades defeat the league-leading WBS Knights on Jan. 4.

Selection Process: Divisional statistical leaders are presented to coaches, who are able to vote on the leaders, or nominate and vote on alternate candidates.

Week of Jan. 10

Games of Jan. 1-6

New England

Forward: Nicholas Posthumus, Islanders Hockey Club

Posthumus (‘05/Vancouver, Wash.) kicked off 2025 with two points on Jan. 4. The Elite rookie has 28 points so far this season with the Islanders and is the second-highest scoring player for the franchise. He has 26 Elite games under his belt.

Defense: Logan Carpenter, Springfield Pics

Carpenter (‘07/South Hadley, Mass.) added one assist to his scorecard and continues a three-game points streak he began on Dec. 15. The rookie blueliner has played 27 games with the Springfield Pics and posted eight assists.

Goaltender: Cole Kelly, Islanders Hockey Club

Kelly (‘05/Binghamton, N.Y.) made 38 saves on 40 shots on Jan. 4, garnering a .911 season save percentage. The Islanders rookie goaltender is 10-3-0-0 with a 2.48 goals against average.

Atlantic

Forward: Aiden Ortiz, P.A.L. Jr Islanders

Ortiz (‘08/College Point, N.Y.) added four points to kick off 2025, continuing a four-game points streak that started on Dec. 20. The P.A.L. Jr Islanders rookie has 39 points across 28 games in his first Elite season. He’s the third-highest-scoring rookie in the league.

Defense: Lukas Fine, P.A.L. Jr Islanders

Fine (‘07/Center Moriches, N.Y.) registered four points in his first two games of the new year. The P.A.L. Jr Islanders rookie blueliner has 14 points (five goals; nine assists) across 19 games played in his inaugural season.

Goaltender: Andrew Coston, Elmira Impact

Coston (‘07/Beaver Dams, N.Y.) captured a .977 save percentage, conceding only one goal of 43 shots on Jan. 5. The Elmira Impact rookie goaltender is 8-7-0-0 with a .922 save percentage.

Midwest

Forward: Jeffrey Schroeder, Chicago Cougars

Schroeder (‘07/Hoffman Estates, Ill.) added 12 points to his name, scoring four goals and eight assists over three games for the first week of January. In his second Elite season, He has 48 points across 60 career games. He has 34 points this season, making him the Chicago Cougars points leader.

Defense: Kennelly Clinton, Chicago Cougars

Clinton (‘07/Westmont, Ill.) scored five points over three games last week for the Chicago Cougars. The blueliner has 22 points this season and is the highest-scoring defenseman for his team. He has 41 career points across 59 games in two Elite seasons.

Goaltender: Kole Wendt, Chicago Cougars

Wendt (‘04/Loves Park, Ill.) made 21 saves on 23 shots on Jan. 4, garnering a .913 save percentage. He is 3-2-0-0 in his second season with the Chicago Cougars, with a .911 save percentage and 2.50 goals against average.

Selection Process: Divisional statistical leaders are presented to coaches, who are able to vote on the leaders, or nominate and vote on alternate candidates.

Summaries by Taylor Dean

Read About How The United States Premier Hockey League Utilizes Ken's Ratings For American College Hockey ("KRACH") to determine its Power Rankings.

These rankings are used by the USPHL only to determine Divisional seeding for Premier Nationals; for selecting the Elite wild card team to fill out the 6-team Elite Nationals field.

Power Movers: We have ourselves a new No. 1! The Tampa Bay Juniors have moved into the top spot for our first 2025 Power Rankings. Additionally, we see the Florida Eels jumping into the Top 10, and the Charlotte Rush and Carolina Jr. Hurricanes each moved up two spots.

See this week's full rankings below!

Forwards:

Keith Watkins, Chicago Crush

Watkins (‘06/Antioch, Ill.) pushed the Crush with his goal and nine assists for 10 points in a six-game month for the Crush, giving him an average of 1.67 points per game. He now has 11 points in 12 games for this season.

Jeffrey Schroeder, Chicago Cougars

Schroeder (‘07/Hoffman Estates, Ill.) is having a fantastic second Cougars season, with 34 points through 22 games, including the 2-4-6 line he put up in just four Cougars games in December. Coming back from the break, he put up 12 points in his first three games to already contend for January honors in the first week of the month. For his USPHL career, he has 48 points in 60 games.

Cory Anderson, Metro Jets

Anderson (‘05/Hartland, Mich.) has put together a fantastic first junior season, scoring 31 points in 30 games. This included a 3-3-6 line on Dec. 9 against the Chicago Cougars.

Forward Honorable Mention: Alex Matysiak, Chicago Crush

Defense:

Kennelly Clinton, Chicago Cougars

Clinton (‘07/Westmont, Ill.) put up four assists, including a three-assist effort, in four Cougars games last month. Similar to teammate Schroeder, he’s already off to a hot start in 2025, putting up two straight three-point games and eight points overall in his first three contests of the new year. For his season, he has a career-best 22 points in 26 games.

Daniell Luska, Metro Jets

Luska (‘08/Wheeling, Ill.) has been a strong first-year rookie addition to the Jets organization, as he added a 1-5-6 line in seven December games to an overall first season total of 17 points in 29 games on the Jets blue line.

Defense Honorable Mention: Joseph Rodriguez, Chicago Cougars

Goaltender

Tyler Houle, Motor City Gamblers

Houle (‘07/Warren, Mich.) gave his team a fantastic December of work, getting into three games and putting up a .945 save percentage by turning away 103 of the 109 shots he faced. He stopped 42 in a game twice, as well. He has a .939 save percentage for this season and a .917 for his two-year USPHL career.

Goaltender Honorable Mention: Johnny Augusta, Chicago Crush

Selection Process: The division’s coaches are presented with a ballot form with statistical leaders (ranked by points per game average for skaters and save percentage for goaltenders) and vote on that form. The league takes the results of that vote and presents the coaches with the finalists, who are able to vote on further changes if desired.

Summaries By Taylor Dean

Forwards

Brendan Birmingham, Springfield Pics

Birmingham (‘04/Ellington, Conn.) surpassed his 50th career point in December, adding 11 points to his season tally of 32. He averaged 2.20 points per game in December and continues to cement himself as a key player for the Springfield Pics. He has 54 career points across 62 games over two Elite seasons.

Brady Stevens, Northern Cyclones

Stevens (‘05/Newburyport, Mass.) is a standout rookie for the Northern Cyclones this season, with 33 points over 26 games in his first season. He added 10 over six games in December, scoring five goals and five assists for a 1.67 points per game average. He is the team’s points leader so far this season.

Vincenzo Saporito, Northern Cyclones

Saporito (‘06/Stoneham, Mass.) averaged 1.67 points per game in December, scoring three goals and seven assists over six games. In his first Elite season with the Northern Cyclones, he has 11 points to his name over 10 games played.

Forward Honorable Mention: Rhett Micallef, Islanders Hockey Club

Defense

Brady Dunn, Islanders Hockey Club

Dunn (‘05/Pittsburgh, Penn.) scored eight points over four games last month to average 2.00 points per game and bump his season tally to 21 points. The blueliner has 19 games under his belt in his first Elite season with the Islanders Hockey Club.

Jackson Bulthaup, Northern Cyclones

Bulthaup (‘05/Big Rock, Ill.) is making statements in his first Elite season with the Northern Cyclones. The blueliner scored two goals and three assists over six games last month, adding to his season total of 24 points. He has 26 games and counting with the Cyclones this season.

Defense Honorable Mention: Justin Pniewski, Islanders Hockey Club

Goaltender

Gavin Carpenter, Springfield Pics

Carpenter (‘07/South Hadley, Mass.) garnered a .945 save percentage in December, making 69 saves on 73 shots for a 2.00 goals against average. In his first season with the Springfield Pics, the rookie goaltender is 3-6-0-1 with a .930 save percentage so far this season.

Goaltender Honorable Mention: Ryan McNeil, Northern Cyclones

Summaries By Taylor Dean

Forwards

Jozef Polacek, Rockets Hockey Club

Polacek (‘04/Whitehouse Station, N.J.) added 10 points to his scorecard in December, averaging 1.67 points per game over six games. The veteran Elite player has played 132 games and scored 111 points in his storied career, with 30 points and counting this season.

John Whyte II, Rockets Hockey Club

Whyte II (‘06/East Brunswick, N.J.) registered 11 points over seven games last month, adding to his season tally of 36. He has 61 points over 43 career games played with the Rockets Hockey Club, currently in his second Elite season.

Brody Polacek, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights

Polacek (‘07) made his Elite debut in December, scoring 16 points over six games for the WBS Knights, averaging 2.67 points per game. He is on a six-game points streak in his first season, called up from the Knights’ 18U team.

Forward Honorable Mention: Andrew Wapass, Elmira Impact

Defense

Zans Mednis, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights

Mednis (‘08/Riga, Latvia) is proving his place with the WBS Knights, with 17 points over 29 games in his first Elite season. The blueliner put up six points over five games in December, averaging 1.20 points per game.

Andrew Mervyak, P.A.L. Jr Islanders

Mervyak (‘07/West Babylon, N.Y.) is 21 games down in his first season with the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders. He posted four points over four games last month to earn a Player of the Month berth for December. He has one goal and eight assists to his name so far.

Defense Honorable Mention: Kirill Serebryakov, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights

Goaltender

Pandelis Tursi, Connecticut Jr. Rangers

Tursi (‘06/Glen Clove, N.Y.) went 4-0-0-0 in December, making 140 saves and conceding only nine goals for a .940 save percentage. The rookie is 5-3-1-1 in his inaugural season with the Connecticut Jr. Rangers, with a 2.82 goals against average.

Goaltender Honorable Mention: Jack Nahf, Hershey Cubs

Selection Process: The division’s coaches are presented with a ballot form with statistical leaders (ranked by points per game average for skaters and save percentage for goaltenders) and vote on that form. The league takes the results of that vote and presents the finalists to the coaches, who are able to vote on further changes if desired.

Summaries by Taylor Dean

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