2022-23 USHL Power Rankings

Fargo Continues To Be A Force In USHL

Find out which of the league's 16 teams rise and fall over the course of the long regular 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. Fargo Force / Last Ranking: 1

Record: 36-9-2-4

Remaining atop our power rankings, the Fargo Force already have clinched a spot in the Clark Cup Playoffs.

Nick Oliver’s club took 2-of-3 against Waterloo this past weekend and has gone 7-1-1-1 over its last 10 games.

Bret Link has matched last year’s point total in 10 fewer games and extended his points streak to six games. 

Netminder Matej Marinov suffered his first regulation loss Saturday, ending an incredible run.

2. Chicago Steel / Last Ranking: 2

Record: 33-15-3-1

With Youngstown closing the gap, it was important for the Steel to take both games over the weekend, and that’s exactly what they did.

Chicago remains in first place in the Eastern Conference with 70 points.

Jack Harvey scored four goals between the two games, setting the franchise record for most goals in a Steel sweater, previously held by Matt Coronato.

3. Waterloo Black Hawks / Last Ranking: 3

Record: 33-17-1-0

The Black Hawks grabbed four of a possible six points in Fargo last weekend.

Waterloo clinched a playoff spot and has gone 6-4-0-0 over its last 10 contests.

After tallying 97 points in 31 games for Andover High School, Gavyn Thoreson is back with the team and collected three points, including two goals, in Saturday’s 7-1 win.

4. USNTDP / Last Ranking: 4

Record: 30-16-14-1

Team USA continues to make its second-half push and sits just five points back of first place.

The U17 and U18 squads split a pair of games with Green Bay and Muskegon last weekend, respectively.

Going 7-3-0-0 over its last 10 games, Team USA has surpassed Chicago for most goals scored (229) in the USHL.

Gabe Perreault has nine points (three goals, six assists) over his last four games for the U18 squad, while Kristian Epperson has seven points (four goals, three assists) in his last four for the U17s.

5. Youngstown Phantoms / Last Ranking: 5

Record: 30-16-4-1

The Phantoms split a pair of games with Dubuque last weekend, narrowly hanging on in Thursday’s game, despite jumping out to a 5-2 lead.

Youngstown has gone 7-3-0-0 over its last 10 games and is tied with the NTDP squad for second place in the Eastern Conference.

Jacob Fowler uncharacteristically has allowed four goals in back-to-back games. Look for him to rebound, with two games against Madison and one against Green Bay coming this weekend.

6. Lincoln Stars / Last Ranking: 7

Record: 30-18-3-0

The Stars jump up one spot in this installment of the power rankings after ripping off four straight wins.

Lincoln has gone 5-4-1-0 over its last 10 games and is four points back of Waterloo for second place.

Cameron Whitehead collected his fourth shutout of the season Friday, stopping all 21 shots sent his way by Des Moines. 

Team captain Mason Marcellus registered his 100th career USHL point last weekend.

7. Green Bay Gamblers / Last Ranking: 6

Record: 27-20-2-2

Down one spot from last time, Green Bay has gone 2-6-1-1 over its last 10 games.

The Gamblers took the first game against the NTDP U17 squad Friday, before dropping Saturday’s game.

Tied with Dubuque and Cedar Rapids in the standings, Green Bay has a home-and-home series with Chicago, before hosting Youngstown on Sunday.

Look for Eli Sebastian to be a difference-maker. The young forward has six points (three goals, three assists) in eight games against the Steel this year. 

He also had a nice weekend against Team USA, collecting five points (one goal, four assists) between the two games.

8. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders / Last Ranking: 9

Record: 25-18-4-4

The RoughRiders saw their six-game winning streak come to an end against Madison on Saturday.

Cedar Rapids has been getting healthy at the right time, and the results are showing on the ice, going 6-2-0-2 over their last 10 games.

Dylan Hryckowian has been impressive this year, racking up 57 points in 50 games, including 12 points (seven goals, five assists) over his last eight games.

9. Tri-City Storm / Last Ranking: 8

Record: 26-17-3-3

The Storm also saw their winning streak come to an end over the weekend, but they sit comfortably in fourth place in the Western Conference.

Tri-City has gone 8-1-1-0 over its last 10 contests but dropped a pair of games to a suddenly red-hot Sioux City squad. 

Tyler Connelly has been absolutely on fire since the calendar flipped to February, extending his points streak to 11 games. Over that stretch, the 17-year-old has 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists).

10. Dubuque Fighting Saints / Last Ranking: 10

Record: 26-19-5-1

Part of the three-way tie in the Eastern Conference standings, Dubuque has been outstanding lately, going 6-2-2-0 over its last 10 games.

Defense has limited the team's ceiling this year, as Dubuque has allowed the sixth-most goals (182) in the USHL.

Max Montes has picked it up offensively, collecting 11 points (six goals, five assists) over his last six games.

11. Sioux City Musketeers / Last Ranking: 11

Record: 23-23-2-3

The Muskies have ripped off three straight wins, including both games in Tri-City last weekend.

Ryan Conmy eclipsed the 30-goal mark, becoming only the second player in franchise history to achieve the milestone.

Sioux City will look to keep it going with a home-and-home series against Lincoln this weekend.

12. Des Moines Buccaneers / Last Ranking: 12

Record: 19-23-5-3

The Bucs salvaged the weekend with a shootout win against Cedar Rapids on Sunday after being blanked by the Stars on Friday night.

Des Moines holds the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but Sioux Falls sits just one point back.

After being held off the scoresheet last weekend, Jak Vaarwerk will look to reach the 40-point mark.

13. Muskegon Lumberjacks / Last Ranking: 14

Record: 22-15-3-0

The Lumberjacks dropped a 10-0 contest to the NTDP U18 squad over the weekend and have gone 4-5-1-0 over their last 10 games.

Michael Callow scored two more goals Friday night, marking his fourth multi-goal game of the season.

14. Sioux Falls Stampede / Last Ranking: 13

Record: 19-26-4-3

The Herd continue to slide in the power rankings after going 3-6-1-0 over the last 10 games.

With just one game over the weekend, Sioux Falls will have a chance to regroup and set its focus on wins against Des Moines and Omaha this weekend.

Isaac Gordon quietly has pieced together a strong season, tallying his 15th goal of the year.

15. Omaha Lancers / Last Ranking: 15

Record: 14-27-5-4

The Lancers have just one win in their last 10 games, going 1-6-1-2 over that span.

Nick Pierre tallied his first point in an Omaha sweater, a secondary assist on the power play.

16. Madison Capitols / Last Ranking: 16

Record: 12-36-2-1

The wheels are completely off in Madison, and the team announced a wave of coaching changes last week.

Despite ending Cedar Rapids’ winning streak Saturday, the Capitols were blown out by the Steel, 7-1, on Sunday.