The USHL Fall Classic isn’t just the kickoff weekend for all 16 teams in the league.
The hundreds of scouts, coaches and executives that flocked to the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, this past weekend also got a chance to see some of the top youth players in the country.
On top of 16 USHL games, the Fall Showcase hosted four elite invitational youth tournaments at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex and other local Pittsburgh area ice rinks.
“It’s really important for young guys to be exposed to this environment,” said Frank Butler, the USHL director of player personnel. “It’s a big weekend of hockey in America and to get [youth players] here so they can interact and be around college coaches or USHL general managers is great because it impacts their growth as a player.”
The youth tournament included 86 teams from 36 individual programs and thousands of players across four divisions — 14U, 15U, 16U, 18U.
Connecticut-based South Kent rallied to beat the New Jersey Rockets in overtime for the 18U championship, while the North Jersey Avalanche scored three third-period goals to force a shootout, where it defeated New York-based Bishop Kearney for the 16U title.
The Pittsburgh Penguins Elite defeated Rhode Island-based Mount St. Charles in the 15U championship, while Team Minnesota Blue beat the Buffalo Jr. Sabres for the 14U title.
“Some of these divisions have 26 teams and they’re all the top-50 teams in the country,” Butler said. “You get to see that competitive edge for a lot of the different players. Some of the divisions, teams will go 3-0 and based on goal differential, they won’t make it to the semifinals. It’s that competitive and that’s the kind of culture we bring to the USHL. Being able to win the event is something kids take pride in.”
The USHL Fall Classic also drew more than 400 scouts to the event from the NHL, college and junior levels.
“All of the [USHL] general managers are here, I’ll ask if they have time for breakfast and they have to catch a youth game in the morning,” said Glenn Hefferan, president and commissioner of the USHL. “That just tells me how hard they’re working. That’s what they’re here for. They’re looking for their future prospects, which is what this is all about.”
The USHL has averaged more than 50 NHL draft selections in the past seven seasons, including 49 picked in Las Vegas this past June. Additionally, 270 USHL alumni appeared on an NHL roster during the 2023-24 season. More than 900 USHL alumni appeared on NCAA Division 1 men’s college hockey rosters, accounting for a little more than half of the league’s players.
“One of the most important aspects of this is all about letting the younger players see what the USHL is all about,” Hefferan said. “I sometimes hear a 15-year-old talk about wanting to play Division I college hockey and a lot of kids have never seen a Division I game. The same goes with the USHL.”
Butler said that the youth tournament allows those younger players an opportunity to watch current USHL games throughout the weekend. Then potential interactions throughout the tournament weekend could eventually turn into the most important moment of that player’s career.
“We kind of take over the city here,” Butler said. “A youth player could be going to the gas station to pick up a Gatorade, see an NHL scout wearing their team’s apparel and then get into a conversation. Something like that could go a long way.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
