USHL

The United States Hockey League (USHL) and its Member Clubs announced Friday the First, Second and Third All-USHL Teams for the 2021-22 season. 

League awards are voted on by each Member Club’s General Manager after each Club nominates their players and front office personnel for awards. 

Individual player write-ups provided by Member Clubs.

Goaltender: Arsenii Sergeev (Tri-City Storm)

Sergeev, the reigning USHL Goaltender of the Year, finished the season as the top League goaltender for most stat categories among netminders including his 30 wins, six shutouts, 2.08 goals against average and 0.918 save percentage. The Calgary Flames prospect (2021, Round 7, #205 Overall) was a four-time USHL Goaltender of the Week award winner this season and registered separate nine- and eight-game win streaks this season. Sergeev had nearly as many shutouts (6) as he had appearances with four-or-more goals allowed (7) in 41 appearances, finishing the season with a 30-6-1-1 record and playing 2,313 minutes. 

The University of Connecticut commit appeared in all five of the Storm’s Clark Cup Playoffs games this season, finishing with a 2-2-0-0 record, 2.17 GAA and 0.892 SV%. 

Prior to joining the Storm this season, Sergeev appeared in a pair of games for the Sioux Falls Stampede during the 2019-20 season. 

Defenseman: Mitchell Miller (Tri-City Storm)

Miller, a native of Sylvania, Ohio, finished third in league scoring and first among defensemen with 83 points (39-44-83) in 60 games this season on his way to being named USHL Player and Defenseman of the Year. His 83 points was 26 more than the next defenseman while his 39 goals was tied for the most among all skaters in the USHL and was 13 more than the next defenseman. Miller’s 44 assists finished tied for 10th in league scoring and was second among blueliners this season. 

Miller also finished among league leaders with 21 powerplay goals (1st), 37 powerplay points (1st), a +43 plus-minus rating (1st) and 10 game-winning goals (T-2nd). Miller’s season set new single-season, Tier I USHL records for a defenseman with 39 goals and 83 points. His 44 assists was tied for fifth in a single season. 

Miller was named USHL Defenseman of the Week three times this season, all in the final eight weeks of the regular season. Entering this season, Miller had 50 career points (12-38-50) in 94 career games over three seasons with the Storm (2019-20) and Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (2017-19). Including this season, Miller finished his USHL career with 133 points (51-82-133) in 154 regular season games with another five points (2-3-5) in 11 Clark Cup Playoff appearances. 

Defenseman: Luke Mittelstadt (Madison Capitols)

After playing just 12 games for the Lincoln Stars last season, Mittelstadt returned to the Capitols this year and wreaked havoc on the Eastern Conference. In 60 games played, the Minnesota Golden Gophers commit led Madison in scoring racking up 19 goals and 36 assists for 55 points. He finished 3rd in scoring and goals among all USHL defensemen. His 13 powerplay tallies was tied for the 4th best mark in the entire league. 

Helping lead the Capitols in their year many of firsts, the Eden Prairie, Minn. native continued firing on all cylinders during the 2022 Clark Cup Playoffs. He helped lead the Capitols to their first ever Playoff berth which culminated in the Capitols advancing to the Club’s first ever Clark Cup Final. Mittelstadt finished the post season 2nd in scoring for defensemen behind his blueline partner Ben Dexheimer, with nine points (5-4-9).

The Capitols leading scorer was named the USHL’s Defenseman of the Week more than any other blueliner in the league this season. He won the weekly accolade in Weeks 5, 20, 29 and for the Clark Cup Final for the 2021-22 campaign.

The defenseman tallied 13 multi-point games this season which was tied for 2nd on the team behind Casey Severo (14). He had seven two-point games, five three-point games and one four-point game.

Forward: Stephen Halliday (Dubuque Fighting Saints)

Halliday, the former first overall pick in Phase I of the 2018 USHL Draft put forth the best season of his illustrious career with 35 goals and 60 assists, good for 95 points. Among USHL players, he finished with the second-most points, tied for the fifth-most goals, the second-most assists, tied for the fourth-most game-winning goals (6), tied for the third-most power play assists (22), the sixth-most shots on goal (196), and tied for the most overtime goals (2).

Across 215 games in the USHL, he finished his career with the most career regular season points in the Tier I era (215), the most regular season assists in the Tier I era (147), and the third-most points in a single season in the Tier I era (95). He earned the moniker of “All-Time Saint” by becoming the organization’s all-time leader in points (181) and assists (123), and the Tier I leader in goals (58), and assists in a single season (60). His 35 goals on the season were the second-most in the Fighting Saints’ Tier I era in a single season behind Mike Szmatula’s 37.

Halliday dominated nightly during the 2021–22 season. He scored points in 48 of 62 games last season (77.4 percent). In 31 of those games, he scored multiple points. Halliday set a career-high in points in a single game twice last season, with five points on both December 3 against the Chicago Steel, and on April 15 against the Green Bay Gamblers. His 29 power play points accounted for 67.4 percent of the Saints’ offense on the man advantage.

The Fighting Saints were among the best offensive teams in the league with a 4.10 goals per game average on 254 goals total. That gave Halliday a share of 37.4 percent of the team’s total offense. Among his teammates, he finished tops in goals, assists, points, game-winning goals, power play goals and power play assists and first goals. 

Halliday was acquired by the Fighting Saints on April 22, 2019, as part of the Central Illinois Flying Aces’ dispersal draft. From there, he became a reliable part of the Saints’ offensive attack for three seasons. In his last season, the Glenwood, Maryland native earned USHL Forward of the Week honors twice, played in the BioSteel All-American Game and scored the game’s opening goal, and finished the season ranked 161 among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings. He was named a member of the 2020 USHL All-Academic Team as one of the top high school students in the league.

He is the seventh Fighting Saint in the Tier I era to earn All-USHL First Team honors.

Halliday made his final college choice early in the 2021–22 season, as he chose Ohio State University. 

Forward: Jeremy Wilmer (Tri-City Storm)

Wilmer, the reigning USHL Forward of the Year, finished the season with a league-leading 98 points (25-73-98) in 60 games. The 73 assists from the Boston University commit was 13 more than the next skater in the USHL. Wilmer’s 98 points was the third-most in a single season in USHL Tier I history, trailing only Sean Farrell (29-72-101) last season and Kevin Roy (54-50-104) in the 2011-12 season and his 73 assists was the most in a single Tier I USHL season. 

The Rockville Centre, N.Y. native finished among league leaders with 30 powerplay assists (1st), 36 powerplay points (2nd) and a +38 plus-minus rating (3rd). 

Wilmer previously played 49 League games over the past two seasons with the United States Hockey League National Team Development Program (NTDP) and collected 30 points (8-22-30) in those games. For his career, Wilmer now has 128 points (33-95-128) in 109 regular season games as well as eight points (1-7-8) in Tri-City’s five Clark Cup Playoffs appearances this season. 

Forward: Adam Fantilli (Chicago Steel) 

Fantilli, a top prospect for the 2023 NHL Draft, led the Steel and ranked third in the USHL with 37 goals over 54 games played for Chicago during the 2021-2022 regular season, the second-most in a single season in Club history. The University of Michigan commit added 37 helpers, totaling 74 points which ranked second-most on the team this year.

The 6-foot-3, 191-pound forward from Nobleton, Ontario, is the 11th Chicago Steel player in the Club’s history to earn All-USHL First Team honors. Fantilli adds the accolade to his previous league honors of 2021 Clark Cup Playoffs MVP and 2020-2021 Second All-Rookie Team.

Goaltender: Kevin Pasche (Omaha Lancers)

Pasche, a Mezieres, Switzerland native, is the second consecutive Lancers netminder to claim this honor, following Jakub Dobes from the 2020-21 season, who went on to win Big 10 Goaltender of the Year, Co-Freshman of the Year, First Team All-Big Ten, All-Freshman Team and Most Valuable Player for Ohio State University this season.  

At the conclusion of the regular season, Pasche held a top-five spot in all but one goaltending statistic. In the 62-game season, Pasche finished second in games played (43), fifth in wins (20), first in shots against (1,247), fourth in goals against average (2.87), fourth in save percentage (0.903) and tied for tenth for shutouts (1). With that, Pasche also showed his ability of being a third defenseman as he came out first amongst goaltenders for points (3) with three assists on the season. 

The Swiss goaltender earned himself three Goaltender of the Week Awards in the regular season (Week 4, 12 and 27), making him the first Lancers goalie to do so since Kyle McClellan in the 2019-20 season. 

Pasche came to Omaha after being the 43rd pick in the 3rd round of the 2021 Phase ll USHL Draft and immediately made his presence known by putting up a 2.02 GAA and a 0.931 SV% through his first three starts in a Lancers uniform.  

Pasche also took off for Edmonton, Alberta to represent Switzerland at the 2022 World Juniors Championship. The goaltender is set to make his return to the tournament this August as the International Ice Hockey Federation has decided to replay the tournament prior to the 2022-23 season. 

Pasche also propelled the Lancers to their first playoff series win since 2010 with a 2-0 series sweep over the Fargo Force at Liberty First Credit Union Arena in Omaha, Neb. 

Defenseman: Dalton Norris (Lincoln Stars)

Norris, 20, scored 26 goals and added 28 assists in his third season with the Stars. Named captain in September, the Oxford, Mich. native broke out with a franchise-best 19 powerplay goals. After battling injuries throughout his first two years in Lincoln, he appeared in every game in 2021-22.

Defenseman: Jacob Guevin (Muskegon Lumberjacks) 

Guevin, the 5-foot-11, 181-pound defenseman skated in 59 games with the Lumberjacks this season, totaling six goals and 51 assists for 57 points. During the 2022 Clark Cup Playoffs, Guevin put up an additional 10 points off three goals and seven assists. The Drummondville, Quebec native capped off a season for the record books, in which he broke the USHL Tier I single season mark for assists by a defenseman with 51 helpers, ranked second in defenseman scoring in the league, became the ninth player in franchise history and the 10th defenseman in USHL Tier I history to put up 100 career points and the third Lumberjack to hit triple digits this season, alongside teammates Quinn Hutson and Jack Williams. On January 14, Guevin surpassed Colby Bukes to score the most points by a defenseman in Club history and has scored more assists than any player in Club history, overtaking Daniil Gushchin for the record. 

Guevin was named USHL Defenseman of the Week twice this season, taking the weekly league accolade in Week 6 as well as during the 2022 Clark Cup Conference Semifinals. 

Forward: Aidan Thompson (Lincoln Stars)

Thompson, 20, led the Stars with 82 points in 57 games. His 58 assists broke a franchise record, passing Chris Fournier (57), originally set in 2000-01. The University of Denver commit ranked third among full-time USHL players in points per game with 1.44. His shorthanded prominence was unmatched, tallying a league-high ten points in the regular season.

Forward: Quinn Hutson (Muskegon Lumberjacks)

Hutson, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound forward appeared in 59 games with the Lumberjacks this season, totaling 33 goals and 40 assists for 73 points. During the 2022 Clark Cup Playoffs, Hutson scored an additional seven goals and nine assists for 16 points in just nine games, ranking him second in the entire USHL in Playoffs point scoring. The Barrington, Ill. native became the first of three Lumberjacks to secure 100 career points in the USHL, and the seventh Lumberjack in Club history to hit the century mark. In addition, the Boston University commit ranks fourth all-time in points in Lumberjacks history with 115 for his career, second for all-time points per season in Club history and fourth in all-time goals per season. 

Hutson was twice named USHL Forward of the Week this year, earning the award in Week 10 and Week 21 of the regular season. 

Forward: Connor Kurth (Dubuque Fighting Saints)

Kurth, drafted in the eighth round, 111th overall by the Fighting Saints in Phase I of the 2019 USHL Draft, became one of its best players of all time. He scored 81 points in 62 games last season, and 50 goals and 72 assists in his USHL career. His exceptional play earned him the fourth-most goals, eighth-most assists, and fifth-most points in the league this past season.

The Minnesotan scored points in 44 of 62 games this past season, and contributed to 48.8 percent of the team’s powerplay offense (7-14-21). Additionally, he posted 25 multi-point efforts last season. His 217 shots on goal ranked fifth-most, his +37 rating was tied for the second-best mark in the league, and he finished the year with a 16.1 shooting percentage. He was named USHL Forward of the Week for Week 6 of the 2021–22 season.

Kurth finished his junior hockey career with the fourth-most goals, the fourth-most assists, and the seventh-highest points-per-game average in the Fighting Saints’ Tier I history. His 81 points trailed only Halliday’s 95 points for the most points in a single season in the Saints’ Tier I history. His on-ice excellence earned him a ranking in NHL Central Scouting’s final North American rankings.

This recognition adds more to Kurth’s history of earning awards from the league. On top of this honor, Kurth was named a 2021 USHL Second Team All-Rookie, was named to the 2021 USHL All-Academic Team, and was named the 2021 USHL Scholar Athlete as the league’s top student with a 4.12 GPA. Lastly, he was given the opportunity to compete in the 2022 BioSteel All-American Game, where he notched a primary assist on the game’s opening goal, scored by Halliday.

Kurth is the 11th Tier-I era Fighting Saint to earn All-USHL Second Team honors.

Kurth is committed to the University of Minnesota, which is coached by former Fighting Saint Bob Motzko, who played for the team in the organization’s inaugural season.

Goaltender: Alex Tracy (Sioux City Musketeers) 

Tracy earned USHL Clark Cup Playoffs MVP with the Musketeers as he backed the team to a Clark Cup Championship with an 8-2-0-0 record with a league-best 1.59 goals against average and 0.937 save percentage. The Minnesota Stae University commit recorded a shutout in three of his eight Playoff wins. During the regular season, Tracy posted a 27-10-3-0 record in 44 appearances with a 2.50 GAA and 0.896 SV% in his second season with the Musketeers. 

Defenseman: Damien Carfagna (Sioux City Musketeers) 

Carfagna finished the 2021-22 campaign with 48 points (6-42-48) in 61 games, including 11 points (1-10-11) in 21 games since joining Sioux City from the Green Bay Gamblers midseason. The University of New Hampshire commit chipped in a pair of assists in 10 Playoff games and is eligible for the 2022 NHL Draft. 

Defenseman: Trey Taylor (Younstown Phantoms) 

Following Taylor’s record breaking 2021-2022 season with the Youngstown Phantoms, the defenseman has been named to the All-USHL Third Team. Taylor’s 2021-2022 campaign included a total of 43 regular season points, including 10 goals and 33 assists. The British Columbia native also finished the season with the record for most points scored by a Phantoms Defenseman and tied the record for goals by a Phantoms defenseman. Taylor broke the previous record of 40 regular season points set by defenseman Ryan Lowney in the 2012-2013 season. Taylor also tied Dan Renouf and Scott Mayfield’s record of 10 goals scored by a Phantoms defenseman in a regular season. Taylor’s ability to produce points helped the Phantoms to the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference this year.

Forward: Ben Steeves (Sioux City Musketeers) 

Steeves earned a spot on the All-USHL Third Team after registering 67 points (39-28-67) in 60 regular season games before picking up 10 points (6-4-10) in 10 games in the Playoffs. The University of Minnesota Duluth commit finished the season tied for the most goals among all USHL scorers and his 10 points led the Musketeers on the way to their Clark Cup Championship. 

Forward: Owen McLaughlin (Sioux City Musketeers) 

McLaughlin finished the season with 72 points (28-44-72), which was tied for 10th in USHL scoring. The Philadelphia Flyers prospect (2021, Round 7, #206 Overall) rejoined the Musketeers after playing four games with the NTDP last season after debuting with Sioux City during the 2019-20 season. McLaughlin is committed to University of North Dakota 

Forward: Jackson Blake (Chicago Steel) 

Blake, a University of North Dakota commit and Fourth Round (#109 Overall) selection of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2021 NHL Draft, led Chicago with 77 points (27G, 50A) in 61 games. With 50 helpers this year, Blake tied for the third-most assists in a single season in Steel Club history and ranks fifth all-time for points in a single season.

Player of the Year - Mitchell Miller (Tri-City Storm)
Defenseman of the Year - Mitchell Miller (Tri-City Storm)
Forward of the Year - Jeremy Wilmer (Tri-City Storm) 
Goaltender of the Year - Arsenii Sergeev (Tri-City Storm)
Rookie of the Year - Dylan James (Sioux City Musketeers)
Coach of the Year - Anthony Noreen (Tri-City Storm)
General Manager of the Year - Andy Johnson (Sioux City Musketeers)