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USHL Alumni Competing in ECHL's Kelly Cup Finals
Combined 21 Alumni Vying for ECHL Championship
The United States Hockey League (USHL) has a history of producing champions and the 2022 Kelly Cup Finals will be no different as a combined 21 alumni are rostered for the Florida Everblades and Toledo Walleye, who are meeting in the ECHL Championship.
Through three games of the seven-game series, Florida leads the series 2-1 after taking the first two games on the road before Toledo answered back with a road win of its own.
Both team's netminders have been great throughout the Playoffs, with Everblades goalie Cam Johnson (Fargo Force / Waterloo Black Hawks, 2012-14) holding a 13-2-1-0 record, 0.928 save percentage and 1.92 goals against average with a quartet of shutouts to his name. For the Walleye, Billy Christopoulos (Des Moines, 2012-14) has a 13-4-2-0 record, 0.916 save percentage and 2.41 goals against average with a shutout. Both goaltenders have played more than 1,000 minutes in the Playoffs.
Walleye forward Brandon Hawkins (Sioux City Musketeers, 2013-14) is currently tied for the scoring lead in the Kelly Cup Playoffs with 30 points (15-15-30) through 19 games played. Fellow Toledo forwards, and USHL alumni, Matt Berry (Muskegon Lumberjacks, 2010-11) and Patrick Curry (Bloomington Thunder/Tri-City Storm, 2013-16) both have 12 points in 19 games with Berry tallying nine assists and Curry adding seven goals.
For the Everblades, John McCarron (Lincoln Stars, 2008-11) and Zach Solow (Dubuque Fighting Saints, 2015-17) are tied for the league lead among alumni with 15 points each. Solow has the most Florida goals among USHL alumni with seven while McCarron leads Everblades alumni with 12 helpers. McCarron was previously Drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in 2012 (Round 6, #153 Overall).
The Kelly Cup Finals continue in Estero, Fla. on Friday and Saturday with 7:30 and 7:00 p.m. ET puck drops, respectively. If necessary, the series will then shift back to Toledo, Ohio for Games 6 and 7 on Tuesday and Thursday, both scheduled for a 7:35 p.m. ET puck drop.
For live coverage, be sure to follow the Everblades (@FL_Everblades) and Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) on Twitter and check ECHL.com for scores and schedule.
| Name | ECHL Team | Position | Games Played (Goals-Assists-Points) | Games Played (Record, SV%, GAA) | USHL Team (Season) | NHL Draft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darik Angeli | Florida | Forward | 17 (3-3-6) | Chicago, Sioux City, Tri-City (2009-11) | ||
| Matt Berry | Toledo | Forward | 19 (3-9-12) | Muskegon (2010-11) | ||
| Brett Boeing | Toledo | Forward | 18 (2-3-5) | Dubuque (2013-16) | ||
| Billy Christopoulos | Toledo | Goaltender | 19 (13-4-2-0, 0.916, 2.41) | Des Moines (2012-14) | ||
| Patrick Curry | Toledo | Forward | 19 (7-5-12) | Bloomington/Tri-City (2013-16) | ||
| Butrus Ghafari | Toledo | Defenseman | 4 (0-1-1) | Bloomington/Fargo (2012-16) | ||
| Brandon Hawkins | Toledo | Forward | 19 (15-15-30) | Sioux City (2013-14) | ||
| Blake Hillman | Toledo | Defenseman | 11 (1-6-7) | Dubuque/Waterloo (2013-15) | Chicago (2016, Round 6, #173 Overall) | |
| Jake Jaremko | Florida | Forward | 14 (2-7-9) | Chicago (2014-17) | ||
| Cam Johnson | Florida | Goaltender | 16 (13-2-1-0, 0.928, 1.92) | Fargo, Waterloo (2012-14) | ||
| Lukas Kaelble | Florida | Defenseman | 18 (0-5-5) | Fargo (2016-17) | ||
| Ryan Lowney | Toledo | Defenseman | 19 (0-2-2) | Youngstown (2011-13) | ||
| Chris Martenet | Toledo | Defenseman | 17 (2-3-5) | Indiana (2013-14) | Dallas (2015, Round 4, #103 Overall) | |
| John McCarron | Florida | Forward | 16 (3-12-15) | Lincoln (2008-11) | Edmonton (2012, Round 6, #153 Overall) | |
| Jake McLaughlin | Florida | Defenseman | 4 (0-0-0) | Fargo, Sioux City (2012-14) | ||
| Gordi Myer | Toledo | Defenseman | 19 (1-5-6) | Green Bay, Tri-City (2014-16) | ||
| Nathan Perkovich | Florida | Forward | 4 (0-0-0) | Cedar Rapids, Chicago (2003-05) | New Jersey (2004, Round 8, #250 Overall) | |
| Quinn Preston | Toledo | Forward | 5 (0-0-0) | Dubuque (2016-18) | ||
| Zach Solow | Florida | Forward | 17 (7-8-15) | Dubuque (2015-17) | ||
| Tomas Vomacka | Florida | Goaltender | Lincoln (2017-18) | Nashville (2017, Round 5, #154 Overall) | ||
| Blake Winiecki | Florida | Forward | 18 (2-9-11) | Waterloo (2012-14) |
