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Record USHL Alumni on NHL Opening-Day Rosters
A record 93 USHL alumni were named to NHL opening-day rosters this morning, an increase of 11 players from last season. 212 USHL alumni are currently signed to NHL contracts.
The National Hockey League announced the league’s 23-man rosters for the 2015-16 season for its 30 member teams. The United States Hockey League has 93 alumni listed on NHL rosters, an increase of 13 players from last season’s opening-day rosters. The Minnesota Wild and San Jose Sharks lead all NHL teams with six USHL alumni on their opening rosters. 212 USHL alumni are currently signed to NHL contracts. The 2015-16 regular season begins tonight with four games.
Team USA leads all USHL teams with 21 former players on NHL rosters. The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (9), Lincoln Stars (9), Sioux Falls Stampede (8), Des Moines Buccaneers (7), Green Bay Gamblers (6) and Omaha Lancers (6) round out the top of the USHL team list.
USHL alumni Adam Erne (Indiana Ice), Jack Eichel (Team USA), Noah Hanifin (Team USA), Dylan Larkin (Team USA), Derek Forbort (Team USA), and Matt O’Connor (Youngstown Phantoms) will potentially be dressing for their first NHL game.
COMPLETE USHL ALUMNI ON NHL OPENING ROSTERS LIST:
| Name | USHL Team | NHL Team |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Donovan | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | Buffalo Sabres |
| Justin Ablekader | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | Detroit Red Wings |
| Teddy Purcell | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | Edmonton Oilers |
| Alec Martinez | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | Los Angeles Kings |
| Chris Wideman | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | Ottawa Senators |
| Tommy Wingels | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | San Jose Sharks |
| Alex Stalock | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | San Jose Sharks |
| Matt Tennyson | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | San Jose Sharks |
| Tom Gilbert | Chicago Steel | Montreal Canadiens |
| Brian O'Neill | Chicago Steel | New Jersey Devils |
| John Moore | Chicago Steel | New Jersey Devils |
| Connor Brickley | Des Moines Buccaneers | Florida Panthers |
| Trevor Lewis | Des Moines Buccaneers | Los Angeles Kings |
| Jeff Petry | Des Moines Buccaneers | Montreal Canadiens |
| Keith Kinkaid | Des Moines Buccaneers | New Jersey Devils |
| Kyle Okposo | Des Moines Buccaneers | New York Islanders |
| Alex Chiasson | Des Moines Buccaneers | Ottawa Senators |
| Matt Read | Des Moines Buccaneers | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Zemgus Girgensons | Dubuque Fighting Saints | Buffalo Sabres |
| Johnny Gaudreau | Dubuque Fighting Saints | Calgary Flames |
| Christian Folin | Fargo Force | Minnesota Wild |
| Nate Schmidt | Fargo Force | Washington Capitals |
| Eric Gryba | Green Bay Gamblers | Edmonton Oilers |
| Matt Greene | Green Bay Gamblers | Los Angeles Kings |
| Ryan Carter | Green Bay Gamblers | Minnesota Wild |
| Anders Lee | Green Bay Gamblers | New York Islanders |
| Justin Braun | Green Bay Gamblers | San Jose Sharks |
| Blake Wheeler | Green Bay Gamblers | Winnipeg Jets |
| Torey Krug | Indiana Ice | Boston Bruins |
| Scott Darling | Indiana Ice | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Anthony Bitetto | Indiana Ice | Nashville Predators |
| Adam Erne | Indiana Ice | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| John Carlson | Indiana Ice | Washington Capitals |
| Jimmy Hayes | Lincoln Stars | Boston Bruins |
| Brandon Bollig | Lincoln Stars | Calgary Flames |
| Jared Boll | Lincoln Stars | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| Chris Porter | Lincoln Stars | Minnesota Wild |
| Michael Sdao | Lincoln Stars | Ottawa Senators |
| David Backes | Lincoln Stars | St. Louis Blues |
| Erik Condra | Lincoln Stars | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Matt Bartkowski | Lincoln Stars | Vancouver Canucks |
| Greg Pateryn | Ohio Blue Jackets | Montreal Canadiens |
| Martin Hanzal | Omaha Lancers | Arizona Coyotes |
| Nathan Gerbe | Omaha Lancers | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Drew Miller | Omaha Lancers | Detroit Red Wings |
| Patrick Wiercioch | Omaha Lancers | Ottawa Senators |
| Paul Stastny | Omaha Lancers | St. Louis Blues |
| Matthew Carle | Omaha Lancers | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Danny DeKeyser | Sioux City Musketeers | Detroit Red Wings |
| Steven Kampfer | Sioux City Musketeers | Florida Panthers |
| Max Pacioretty | Sioux City Musketeers | Montreal Canadiens |
| Sam Gagner | Sioux City Musketeers | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Jeff Zatkoff | Sioux City Musketeers | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Joe Vitale | Sioux Falls Stampede | Arizona Coyotes |
| Brad Malone | Sioux Falls Stampede | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Alex Goligoski | Sioux Falls Stampede | Dallas Stars |
| Jamie Oleksiak | Sioux Falls Stampede | Dallas Stars |
| Thomas Vanek | Sioux Falls Stampede | Minnesota Wild |
| Nate Prosser | Sioux Falls Stampede | Minnesota Wild |
| Matt Lindblad | Sioux Falls Stampede | New York Rangers |
| T.J. Oshie | Sioux Falls Stampede | Washington Capitals |
| Connor Murphy | Team USA | Arizona Coyotes |
| Jake McCabe | Team USA | Buffalo Sabres |
| Jack Eichel | Team USA | Buffalo Sabres |
| Justin Faulk | Team USA | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Noah Hanifin | Team USA | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Brandon Saad | Team USA | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| Michael Paliotta | Team USA | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| Dylan Larkin | Team USA | Detroit Red Wings |
| Rocco Grimaldi | Team USA | Florida Panthers |
| Derek Forbort | Team USA | Los Angeles Kings |
| Jason Zucker | Team USA | Minnesota Wild |
| Jarred Tinordi | Team USA | Montreal Canadiens |
| Eric Nystrom | Team USA | Nashville Predators |
| Seth Jones | Team USA | Nashville Predators |
| Jon Merrill | Team USA | New Jersey Devils |
| Stefan Matteau | Team USA | New Jersey Devils |
| J.T. Miller | Team USA | New York Rangers |
| Matt Nieto | Team USA | San Jose Sharks |
| Adam Clendening | Team USA | Vancouver Canucks |
| Mark Stuart | Team USA | Winnipeg Jets |
| Jacob Trouba | Team USA | Winnipeg Jets |
| Patrick Sharp | Thunder Bay Flyers | Dallas Stars |
| Jaden Schwartz | Tri-City Storm | St. Louis Blues |
| Tim Jackman | Twin Cities Vulcans | Anaheim Ducks |
| Craig Smith | Waterloo Black Hawks | Nashville Predators |
| Joe Pavelski | Waterloo Black Hawks | San Jose Sharks |
| J.T. Brown | Waterloo Black Hawks | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Jiri Sekac | Youngstown Phantoms | Anaheim Ducks |
| Matt O'Connor | Youngstown Phantoms | Ottawa Senators |
| Andrej Sustr | Youngstown Phantoms | Tampa Bay Lightning |
UPDATE: Richard Bachman (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, Vancouver Canucks) and Chris Vande Velde (Lincoln Stars, Philadelphia Flyers).
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 14th season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league in 2015-16. A record 37 players were chosen in the 2015 NHL Draft and more than 375 players on team rosters last season committed to NCAA Division I schools, further establishing the USHL as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent.
Tag(s): Player News
