USHL

The United States Hockey League (USHL) announced Friday its First and Second All-Rookie Teams for the 2020-21 season. 

This season's First Team All-Rookie group includes USHL Rookie of the Year Cole Sillinger (Sioux Falls Stampede), the lone unanimous selection, as well as rookie leading scorer Ayrton Martino (Omaha Lancers) and fellow forward Matthew Savoie (Dubuque Fighting Saints). The First Team defensemen included Sillinger's Stampede teammate Brent Johnson as well as leading rookie blueline scorer Jacob Guevin (Muskegon Lumberjacks). Clark Cup Champion Jack Stark (Chicago Steel) was named the First Team goalie. 

• Cole Sillinger earned USHL Rookie of the Year honors after leading all eligible first-year skaters with 1.48 points per game, picking up 46 points (24-22-46) in 31 games. Sillinger was one of two Stampede skaters to earn First Team honors and was the first Stampede USHL Rookie of the Year since Kieffer Bellows won the award in the 2014-15 season. NHL Central Scouting ranked Sillinger 10th among North American skaters on its Final Rankings after Sillinger was an A-rated skater on the first two rankings of the season.
• Ayrton Martino led rookies with 56 points (18-38-56) in 38 appearances with the Lancers. The Clarkson University commit was second among rookie scorers with 1.47 points per game and was ranked by NHL Central Skating as the 46th-ranked North American skater. 
• Matthew Savoie finished the 2020-21 season alongside Sillinger and Martino as the only qualifying rookie forwards with more than a point per game (1.12) with 38 points (21-17-38) in 34 games. The 2022 NHL Draft prospect's 21 goals was second among rookie skaters. 
• Brent Johnson was ranked 38th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting after recording 32 points (11-21-32) in 47 games to go along with a plus-15 ranking. 
• Jacob Guevin led all rookie defensemen with 45 points (7-38-45) in 53 games last season. The 56th-ranked North American skater according to NHL Central Scouting far-and-away led all rookie skaters with a plus-27 rating.  
• Jack Stark led rookie netminders in most every category including wins (11), goals against average (2.64) and save percentage (0.896) and was the lone rookie goalie to record a shutout. The Yale University commit was part of the Clark Cup winning Chicago Steel and finished with an 11-3-0-0 record in 14 appearances. 

The 2020-21 All-Rookie Second Team was made up of a forward group of Clark Cup Champion and Clark Cup Playoffs MVP Adam Fantilli along with Connor Kurth (Dubuque Fighting Saints) and Gavin Brindley (Tri-City Storm). The squad is rounded out by defensemen Shai Buium (Sioux City Musketeers) and Jack Peart (Fargo Force) as well as goaltender Emmett Croteau (Waterloo Black Hawks). 

• Adam Fantilli was a part of the Clark Cup Champion Chicago Steel, picking up 36 points (18-18-36) in 49 games before an offensive outburst in the playoffs that saw him score a goal in six of his eight games (8-1-9). Fantilli was named Clark Cup Playoffs MVP after an impressive Final that included five points (4-1-5) in four games including a pair of goals in the Clark Cup-clinching game. Fantilli is considered a top prospect for the 2023 NHL Draft and competed as a 16-year-old for the majority of the 2020-21 NHL season.
• Connor Kurth finished fourth among USHL rookies with 41 points (15-26-41) in 52 games last season. The 203rd-ranked North American Skater for the 2021 NHL Draft according to NHL Central Scouting is committed to University of Minnesota. 
• Gavin Brindley recorded 22 points (9-13-22) in 51 games with the Tri-City Storm last season. Like Fantilli, Brindley is a prospect for the 2023 NHL Draft. 
• Shai Buium finished the 2020-21 season with 26 points (4-22-26), which ranked third among rookie defensemen. The University of Denver commit was ranked 20th by NHL Central Scouting on the programs Final Rankings heading into the 2021 NHL Draft. 
• Jack Peart was ranked 27th among North American Skaters ahead of this season's NHL Draft after recording 15 points (1-14-15) in 24 games during the regular season. The St. Cloud State University commit was tied for the Clark Cup Playoffs lead with seven points (2-5-7) in nine games as the Fargo Force won the Western Conference. 
• Emmett Croteau finished second among rookie netminders with both a 3.67 goals against average and 0.887 save percentage while collecting a 7-6-0-0 record in 16 appearances with the Waterloo Black Hawks. 

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the 2020-21 season will be the USHL's 19th season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league. The USHL had 51 players selected at the 2020 NHL Draft, marking the third-straight season with 50-or-more USHL players selected in the Draft. More than 800 league alumni are currently on NCAA Division I rosters, further establishing the USHL as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent.