Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Cup Caps Two Big Days for USHL

Cup Caps Two Big Days for USHL
Green Bay and Waterloo meet Wednesday night with the Clark Cup on the line

The present and future of the United States Hockey League (USHL) grab the spotlight in the span of two days Tuesday and Wednesday, beginning when the league’s 16 teams selected 210 players in the annual USHL Entry Draft. Less than 24 hours after the draft ended, Green Bay and Waterloo will face off in a decisive Game 5 to determine the 2012 Clark Cup champion.

The whirlwind kicked off with Tony Calderone, a 17-year-old forward playing for Detroit Victory Honda Major Midget, being selected first overall in the USHL Draft by Sioux Falls.

The USHL Entry Draft comes on the heels of the USHL Futures Draft, which was held May 1 and featured 1996-born players only. The Entry Draft, by contrast, is open to players with birthdates in 1992 and younger.

The 210 selections – see them all here – ranged widely in age, nationality and background. Most figure to have promising college hockey careers ahead of them, as the USHL was the top provider of college players among junior and prep leagues in 2011-12. Many of the selections in Tuesday’s draft have alredy committed to schools.

Title Match

Of more immediate interest to college hockey fans are the players in the Green Bay-Waterloo showdown, which faces off at 8 p.m. ET from Green Bay’s Resch Center.

A remarkable 35 players on the two rosters are already committed to Division I schools, with Green Bay featuring 19 commits and Waterloo 16.

Each team features two NHL Draft picks on their roster as well as three prospects who were on NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings for the upcoming 2012 NHL Draft.

Green Bay and Waterloo are meeting for the third time in four years for the Clark Cup – see a breakdown of the matchup here – with the Gamblers seeking their fourth league title and the Blackhawks in search of their second.