USHL 22-23 preview: Purple Reign? Youngstown favorites in top-heavy East, while West could be Star struck

 Eastern Conference Preview

1. Youngstown - Without the fanfare of other teams in the conference, the Phantoms have put together a team that seems to have no weaknesses. A very impressive pre-season saw Youngstown look good against teams from 3 leagues - including 3 combined wins against Muskegon and Chicago. The Phantoms are big, fast, physical, have solid goaltending - there is no weakness. If all things go right, they could have the division wrapped up by Christmas. 
2. Muskegon - It’s expected to be a three way race at the top of the East, and Muskegon has the firepower to compete with anyone. They struggled in the preseason, but probably had the toughest schedule. If there’s a team that could go either way from championship contention to playoff battle, this could be it - or it could be the Chicago Steel (more to come). The massive improvement in Youngstown has created a lot of question marks - and Muskegon plays Youngstown as much as anyone in the league - the schedule won’t be easy. 
3. Chicago - The Steel were the youngest team in the league last year, so there’s a lot of returners. And while Adam Fantilli is gone, in comes possible first overall 2024 NHL draft pick Macklin Celebrini, who has lived up to the hype in the preseason, even if it doesn’t show on the stats sheet. The question - as it often is - the Steel tend to play a less physical style than many teams, and a year after the most physical team won the Clark Cup, expect more teams to adopt that style. Chicago’s not designed for that - if they adjust, they’ll be in the hunt. If not, this could be a rare long season in Geneva. 
4. Dubuque - As usual, the Saints will score goals, but the key could be Swedish goalie Marcus Brännman. The 19 year old comes highly touted, enough so Dubuque felt comfortable dealing potential star goalie, Slovakian Michael Hrabel, to Omaha. If he plays as well as expected, Dubuque could move up a couple of spots. Also of note - Martin St. Louis has two sons on the team - defenseman Mason (committed to Harvard) and forward Ryan, who played with the NTDP two years ago before playing for Northeastern last year. 
5. Cedar Rapids - If the preseason is any indication, look for the Riders to be one of the tougher teams in the East again this year. They lost some key ingredients - last year, home ice mattered more to them than anyone else. If that’s the case again this year, logic dictates they’ll be winning as much as they lose. Bruno Bruveris should get the starting nod in goal once again after backstopping Latvia to an impressive performance at the unusually timed World Juniors last month. 
6. Madison - The Capitols surprised many by going to the Clark Cup finals last year. It was a team-first concept, and there’s no reason to believe it will be any different this year. Winning the East might be a tall order though, as the conference looks stronger top to bottom than a year ago. Eino Rissanen, who has been playing in the National League in Switzerland (the country’s top league and one of the strongest European leagues), likely has the inside track on starting in net. 
7. Green Bay - It’s tough to pick anyone to miss the playoffs in this conference, and the Gamblers are never too far from the top. And the beer can races are worth the price of admission alone! But the Gamblers will be fun as well. Diminutive Ukrainian Mykhailo Danylov (5’8”, 146 lbs.) comes highly touted from the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes program, and already has a scholarship set for Michigan State at 2024-25. 
8. USA NTDP - When the Under 18s play, they are as good as any team in the league. But they only are slated to play 20 games, while the Under 17s will play 42. The Under 17s have not been that strong in recent years, the combination likely means another year without playoffs for the league’s most unique team.

Western Conference Preview

1. Lincoln - This is going to come as a surprise to some people. But they have the goaltending back in Cameron Whitehead, the grit in Doug Grimes, and some high profile newcomers in Boston Buckberger, Ralfs Veinbergs, and Michael Mesic, who put up good numbers with NAHL North Iowa last season. And the physicality is back - the Stars had a few scraps in the preseason, winning most of them. This feels the most like a traditional Stars team in years, and in a league that’s trending bigger and more physical this year - Lincoln appears set to contend.
2. Fargo - There is no shortage of firepower in Fargo, who scored 17 goals over their last 3 preseason games. If the goaltending and defense hold up, the Force will be a threat to go to their second Clark Cup Final in three seasons. The offense is led by returner Cole Knuble, who posted 49 points in 62 games last year. His dad, Mike, had a lengthy NHL career. The Force return a larger percentage of last year’s roster than most teams, and considering they were quite strong down the stretch, that could be a big key for Fargo.
3. Sioux City - It’s a new coach, a new GM, and a lot of new faces in Sioux City this year, but the defending Clark Cup champions have found a way to be just as dominant in the preseason as they were in the postseason last year. What won’t change is the style of play - the Musketeers will battle, wear you down, and do the little things right - the things that win hockey games. Axel Mangbo is back in goal, and will likely get the starting nod.
4. Tri-City - They’ve lost some key pieces and there are some question marks, but Tri-City has looked good in the preseason, playing with their characteristic confidence and swagger. Sebastian Wraneschitz, who stood out in the 2021 World Juniors, will be back in net, and this time, should be the clear starter. Wraneschitz played well when Arsenii Sergeev was unavailable from suspension late last year, and he’s capable of being the best goaltender in the league. As usual, the Storm have a lot of fire power, and an Anthony Noreen-coached team will not back down when it comes to winning the physical battles. The only drawback, as with Lincoln, Omaha and Sioux City? These four teams spend more than half of their schedule playing each other. Somebody has to lose each night. 
5. Waterloo - There’s a lot of excitement around the Black Hawks, and for good reason. Emmett Croteau returns in goal, first round draft pick (of the other Blackhawks - the ones in Chicago) Sam Rinzel will play his first full season of USHL after splitting last year between prep hockey and the USHL, and the team has plenty of speed and firepower. Waterloo surprised many observers by taking out Lincoln in the first round last year - in the USHL’s strange 3 games in 3 nights in one city first round, accomplishing that task on the road is not easy. This should give the Hawks some experience and confidence headed into what should be a season-long battle between the West’s top clubs.
6. Omaha - There wasn’t much cause for optimism in the preseason, as the Lancers went 0-5 in games decided by regulation and 1-0 in overtime games. They were outscored 23-10 in the process. However, returning goaltender Kevin Pasche played just one game - admittedly, it was a rough outing as he gave up 6 goals on 22 shots in a 6-3 loss to Lincoln - but Pasche has proven himself as a top starting goalie. Pasche alone makes the Lancers contenders. Newcomer Alex Bump was the top high school player in Minnesota last season and has not been afraid to mix it up in the preseason.
7. Sioux Falls - After two uncharacteristically down years, the Stampede will be much more competitive this year. The question is, in a very tight Western Conference, who will be the odd teams out? The Herd have looked good in preseason, and will be competitive every night. If there’s a question mark, it is in goal, where Jackson Irving, who posted good numbers with Cushing Academy last year, will battle with 6’7” 20 year old Aidan Spooner for the start. Spooner played 19 games in the OHL with Kingston last year, which means he won’t be eligible for the NCAA, since the NCAA oddly considers major junior players “professional.”
8. Des Moines - Change is once again the key word in Des Moines, who have struggled to recapture the glory days of the late 1990s, when they were winning cups with regularity. This is the final year in the old arena, which has had many names, but was initially known as the Metro Ice Sports Arena. The arena has plenty of stories to tell, and was originally built by transplants - largely from Canada - to get hockey going in the area. The year may feel a bit nostalgic for that reason, but Des Moines looks to improve on last season, where a fast start turned into a long season. In the Western Conference, it won’t be an easy task.