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2022-23 USHL Power Rankings

USHL Power Rankings: Fargo, Lincoln Jump Up After Hot Starts

USHL writer Jordan McAlpine delivers his power rankings every other week throughout the 2022-23 season.

Welcome to FloHockey's bi-monthly power rankings for the USHL. Find out which of the league's 16 teams rise and fall over the course of the long regular season.

1. Chicago Steel / Last Ranking: 1

Record: 5-3-0-0

The Steel continue to live up to their preseason expectations and the top team hasn’t changed since FloHockey’s last USHL Power Rankings. Chicago’s potent offense scored 12 goals against a talented U-17 USNTDP roster and the Steel still lead the USHL with 38 goals - eight more than Lincoln.

Jayden Perron, Nicholas Moldenhauer (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Mick Thompson lead the league with 13, 11 and 11 points respectively and Moldenhauer is currently the USHL’s goal leader with nine. The 2022 third-round pick has scored in six of Chicago’s eight games and although it’s still early, there are no signs of the Steel slowing down any time soon.

2. Fargo Force / Last Ranking: 4

Record: 4-1-0-1

Up two spots from the last ranking, the Force have battled with Lincoln atop the Western Conference. Fargo currently is second in the West, but the Force have a five-game point streak - the longest current streak in the league. That streak includes four wins and an impressive 5-1 win at Sioux Falls last time out.

Cole Knuble leads the way for Fargo with four goals and six points, while Anthony Menghini also has four goals - two of them coming in the win at Sioux Falls. Goaltender Anton Castro (2-1-0-1) has also been sharp as he owns a 1.73 goals-against and .940 save percentage.

3. Lincoln Stars / Last Ranking: 6

Record: 5-1-0-0

The Western Conference-leading Stars have been on roll the past two weeks and have won three straight. Lincoln swept a home-and-home with Tri-City last weekend, both by 6-3 finals. Tri-City was leading the conference at the time.

Mason Marcellus is tied with Moldenhauer and Thompson for second in the USHL with 11 points. Tanner Ludtke and Keaton Peters are tied with a team-leading four goals and goaltender Cameron Whitehead (Vegas Golden Knights) has been sharp. Whitehead got the nod in both wins over Tri-City and turned aside 54 of the 60 shots he saw on the weekend.

4. USNTDP / Last Ranking: 5

Record: 4-2-0-0

Currently the third-place team in the Eastern Conference, the U17’s have been doing much of the heavy lifting this season. The U18’s will return to the USHL later this month after a successful string of games against college opponents. In the meantime, however, the U17’s have fared quite well picking up a pair of wins over their first four USHL games.

Team USA split a pair of games against conference-leading Chicago last time out, bouncing back from an 8-3 loss with a 5-4 win. James Hagens had another strong night with two goals while Cole Eiserman had a goal and two assists. Hagens, a rising 2025 draft prospect, leads the USNTDP with eight points.

5. Sioux Falls Stampede / Last Ranking: 3

Record: 3-2-0-0

The Stampede are right in the thick of the Western Conference, but dropped their long-awaited home opener to the Force last time out, 5-1. Despite the loss, Eric Rud’s team has been amongst the most consistent in the league.

Sioux Falls’ power play still leads the USHL at 41.2% (7-for-17) and Sam Harris is still finding the back of the net. Harris has five goals on the season and is one of four players tied for second in the league.

6. Green Bay Gamblers / Last Ranking: 8

Record: 4-2-1-0

Up two spots in both the power rankings and the standings, Green Bay has won three of its past four games. That includes a weekend sweep of Muskegon where the Gamblers scored 12 goals in a pair of 6-3 wins.

A team that had won its first two games in low-scoring fashion, 4-2 and 2-1, the Gamblers quickly flipped that narrative against Muskegon and will look to keep it going. Green Bay is just one point behind Chicago in the East.

7. Omaha Lancers / Last Ranking: 7

Record: 3-1-1-1

The Lancers started hot but suffered back-to-back losses to Tri-City and Lincoln earlier this month. However, Omaha has won two straight and the Lancers are currently third in the Western Conference.

As has been the case all year, Omaha’s success has started with goaltender Michael Hrabal (2-0-1-1). Hrabal has a 1.95 goals-against and .946 save percentage on the season, which is the top save percentage amongst USHL goalies with more than one start.

8. Tri-City Storm / Last Ranking: 2

Record: 3-3-0-0

The Storm have taken the biggest drop in these rankings, falling six spots. After winning their first three games, the Storm have dropped three straight, including both games in their home-and-home with Lincoln.

Tri-City has slipped to fifth in the Western Conference, but it’s still way too early to hit the panic button. Especially with the experience and talent Anthony Noreen’s squad has. Despite the losing skid, Kieran Cebrian has continued to produce, with a team-leading four goals and nine points on the season.

9. Madison Capitols / Last Ranking: 12

Record: 4-3-0-0

A team on the rise, Madison had just one win when the last set of rankings were released. In the two weeks since, the Captiols have won three of their past four games - including a pair of wins at Youngstown.

Madison is tied with the USNTDP with eight points, however, the Captiols have played one more game, putting Madison fourth in the Eastern Conference. Miko Matikka (Arizona Coyotes) leads Madison in points (10) and is second with four goals. His 10 points are tied for the third-most in the USHL.

10. Dubuque Fighting Saints / Last Ranking: 14

Record: 3-2-0-0

The Fighting Saints continued their climb up the standings with a 2-0 win at Des Moines, their second straight win. Goaltender Marcus Brannman (2-1-0) impressed with a 32 saves in that contest, earning his first career USHL shutout. Brannman also backstopped Dubuque to a 6-4 win at Chicago to start the streak.

The Fighting Saints have allowed the second-fewest goals in the Eastern Conference (15) and the offense has been led by Ryan St. Louis and Michael Burchill, who scored both goals in the win at Des Moines. St. Louis has four goals and eight points on the season, both rank near the top of the USHL.

11. Des Moines Buccaneers / Last Ranking: 13

Record: 2-2-1-0

Especially with how last season finished in Iowa’s capital, the Buccaneers have shown some progress to start this season. The Buccaneers have won two of their past three games and have been competitive in every game so far. 

The Buccaneers’ 11 goals are tied with Sioux City for the fewest in the Western Conference and the second fewest in the USHL. Second-year forward Lubomir Kupco has four of those 11 goals and still leads the way with five points.

12. Waterloo Black Hawks / Last Ranking: 10

Record: 2-4-0-0

The Black Hawks have been up and down to start the year and Waterloo has dropped two straight. The club is currently seventh in the logjam that is the Western Conference, but even two points could drastically shift the standings.

Waterloo’s 18 goals have been spread throughout the lineup. Defenseman Aaron Pionk, who has a USHL Defenseman of the Week nod already this season, leads the way with three goals and is one of three Waterloo players with four points. Gavyn Thoreson has a team-leading five points in five games.

13. Muskegon Lumberjacks / Last Ranking: 11

Record: 3-4-0-0

Muskegon has dropped two spots in the rankings and the Lumberjacks have dropped two straight games. Muskegon’s 152 penalty minutes lead the USHL and the Lumberjacks have also allowed 31 goals, the second-most in the league.

Goaltender Conor Callaghan, who was voted the USHL Goaltender of the Week earlier this month, has been sharp. Callaghan is 2-1-0 on the season and turned aside 46 of the 50 shots he saw in a sweep over Cedar Rapids. However, Callaghan did not get the start in either loss at Green Bay.

14. Youngstown Phantoms / Last Ranking: 9

Record: 1-3-0-0

The Phantoms sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and have dropped two straight games. However, Youngstown has played the fewest games in the USHL to date with only four contests under their belts. That’ll quickly change though as the Phantoms have a busy slate of games on the horizon.

Youngstown’s roster isn’t short of talent, highlighted by North Dakota commit Andrew Strathmann and Wisconsin commit William Whitelaw, along with leading goal-scorer Shane Lachance (Edmonton Oilers), who has scored three times this season. 

15. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders / Last Ranking: 15

Record: 2-4-1-0

The RoughRiders got back on track with a 4-2 win over Waterloo, their second win of the season. The two goals against were also the fewest Cedar Rapids has allowed this season. However, their minus-12 goal differential is the worst in the league.

Goaltender Bruno Bruveris made 33 saves in the win over Waterloo while Zaccharya Wisdom found the back of the net again. Wisdom leads Cedar Rapids in goals (4) and points (8), but will need more consistent scoring to emerge around him and more strong defensive play for the Riders to climb these rankings.

16. Sioux City Musketeers / Last Ranking: 16

Record: 0-3-2-0

It hasn’t been easy sledding to start the year in Sioux City. The Musketeers have been close and dropped a pair of games in overtime. However, the defending Clark Cup champs still have yet to enter the win column. 

The Musketeers are the lone USHL team without a win and their two points are tied with Youngstown for the fewest in the league, but it's still early and there's more than enough time for them to turn things around.