The United States Premier Hockey League is previewing each Elite Division ahead of this Friday’s start date of the 2024-25 Elite season.
Order is 2023-24 regular season finish
Metro Jets
Season Opener: Sept. 26 vs. Fort Wayne Spacemen
The Metro Jets won the historic first Midwest Division regular season title and also earned one of the division’s berths to the National Championships in 2024. With 31 wins, fifth most in the league, the Jets proved themselves as a team to be reckoned with right from the outset. What are the Jets looking for Year 2 to bring?
“Our expectations would ultimately be to repeat as Midwest Champions. But our goal is to focus on the process of development one week and one day at a time,” said General Manager Justin Quenneville. “We pride ourselves on our program’s ability to stay on the path and we know the challenges ahead. Our division is consistent from top to bottom and teams get better every game.”
The Jets are looking like a younger squad than the team that averaged 19 years old and 77 days last year.
“We have several eligible returners from our Elite team,” said Quenneville. “However, we are much younger this year and we will likely have more opportunities and movement in the rosters this season.”
Chicago Crush
Season Opener: Oct. 4 at Fort Wayne Spacemen
The Chicago Crush are set to launch their second season in the USPHL Elite division, starting with their opener against the host Fort Wayne Spacemen on Oct. 4. Last season, the Crush finished a strong second in the division, trailing only their rivals, the Metro Jets, and earned a spot in the USPHL Nationals tournament, showcasing their competitive edge.
General Manager and Head Coach Phil Bushbacher is optimistic about the upcoming season, emphasizing the team’s growth and potential.
“We are looking forward to another competitive season this fall. The level of play was a pleasant surprise last season, and we know that every game is going to be a battle,” he stated.
The Crush return key players, including goaltender Johnny Augusta, a 2023-24 Midwest Division All-Star, who is expected to provide stability in net. Veteran forwards Cole Darlas, Vinny Cerrentano, and Niko Dougan will help integrate new talent into the lineup.
“Their experience from last season is going to help our newcomers acclimate to the pace of play quickly,” Bushbacher added.
In terms of player development, the Chicago Crush Elite team had a standout season, successfully advancing seven players to collegiate and professional hockey.
“This USPHL Elite level gives players the opportunity to break out and take that first step into the junior hockey world, with a focus on getting to the next level,” said Bushbacher. “The Crush were able to move on many players last season, both to college and to multiple Swedish and Finnish professional leagues.”
With a commitment to player development and a strong team culture, the Crush are eager to build on last year’s success and challenge for the championship this season.
Motor City Gamblers
Season Opener: Oct. 4 at Decatur Blaze
The Gamblers are back and are hoping to build off a strong 24-win performance from their first Elite season. The addition to their Premier program helped build the depth of the program.
“We are very excited for the second season of Elite in our program’s history,” said GM/Head Coach Jason McCrimmon. “Our first season was very successful and we are looking forward to building off that. We have a number of new players that have the skill level to keep us moving in the right direction. The Elite Midwest Division was strong in its first year. We expect it to be even stronger this season.”
The Gamblers are looking forward to returning ’07 goaltender Tyler Houle. “We are expecting him to be a huge part of our success again,” added McCrimmon.
Up front, the Gamblers are looking forward to returning ’04 Brandon Thomas and ’07 Markus Reynolds launch the offense as veteran leaders.
“They will have huge roles in making us a contender,” McCrimmon said.
He also mentioned that the Gamblers are proud to see former Elite players Ignacy Drozd (who saw time at forward and defense last year) and defenseman Isaac Bunk moving up to the Premier squad this year. The Gamblers Elite team also sent five players to college hockey teams.
The team reloaded with several strong Michigan-born players, and specifically Detroit metropolitan area talent.
“We have great local talent as well as great players from all around the nation. We are excited to watch them develop on and off the ice this season. Motor City will definitely make a statement as we go look to lead the Division and make Nationals. The boys are ‘#Allin’”
Fort Wayne Spacemen
Season Opener: Sept. 20 vs. Chicago Cougars
The Spacemen had a strong first season, but they are still hoping to improve upon their 22 wins from last year and also want to make sure they can send more players to the two-time Nationals-qualifying Premier Spacemen team.
“We feel we are in a great position to compete for the division title this season. We have a lot of new faces on our Elite team this year so there will be a learning curve for our guys,” said Elite Spacemen Head Coach Cam Wirick. “The division last year was competitive, and we expect the same again this season.”
Landyn Ringenberg (’04) returns after finishing fifth in team scoring last year with 27 points. Rylan Wempe was a top 10 scorer, and he is rejoining along with fellow ’05 forward Cooper Angelelli.
“All three of those forwards are expected to make an impact again this season and should see some Premier time, as well,” added Wirick.
On defense, a pair of ’05’s in Sam Baldry and Fort Wayne native Jack Backstrom “are looking to build off successful rookie season’s last year and will see Premier time, too.”
The Spacemen Elite team is proud that Danylo Shpak and Dylan Davis are pushing up to the Premier this year.
They are excited to work with newcomers Eli Kolasa (’07), joining out of Michigan high school hockey, and Alex Kryukov (’06) coming from Virginia’s Ashburn Xtreme. The Spacemen will work with them and all the players to push them to great scores on the ice and great advancement off the ice.
Chicago Cougars
Season Opener: Sept. 20 at Fort Wayne Spacemen
The Chicago Cougars are moving into a new era, once again. One year after starting their USPHL Elite team, the Cougars are excited to welcome aboard former Dells Ducks USPHL Premier Head Coach Anthony Rohde to guide Chicago’s young junior development team.
“Anthony’s experience at the Premier Level will give the Cougars our leg up on the competition. He is a great man and we are excited to have him on board helping us build this club,” said Pete Olson owner of the Cougars. “Last year with the introduction of the Elite Level in the Midwest, we had a lot to learn.
“This season, we hope to expand on that and really work on moving players between the two levels much more with the hope that it will create greater club competition in practice, making all players compete day in and day out to make the Premier roster each week!”
The Cougars are also excited about another added benefit of their team for players – the Cougars players get to work with three-time NHL Stanley Cup Champion Strength and Conditioning Coach Paul Goodman. He and his wife Susan Goodman, along with Dr. Ashley Johnson, will all help the Cougars off the ice with strength and conditioning as well as injury prevention and leveling up their nutritional game.
“The Cougars’ primary focus is to develop through daily hard work to move these players up to the next level within the season,” Olson said.
Decatur Blaze
Season Opener: Oct. 4 vs. Motor City Gamblers
The Blaze entered a young team for their first foray into the USPHL Elite last year, and that group (averaging 18-1/2 years old) ended up facing a lot of learning experiences in a tough season, standings-wise.
General Manager/Head Coach Zac Pearson took note of last year’s lessons, and pivoted a bit for an older Blaze team for 2024-25.
“We are looking to build off of a first year in which we were too young. I know our division has made strides and will have older players in the Midwest Elite division, so we are looking to get older.”
The entire Blaze are returning just nine players between their Premier and Elite teams, so there are a lot of newcomers.
Gavin Meisner, a late ’08, was among the youngest players in the Elite last season, but he’s coming back already as a seasoned veteran, and will “build off what he started last year.” A pair of ’06 forwards in Dylan Kennedy and Jesse Eggleston also returned to Decatur.
“We are looking for Dylan and Jesse to take steps in the right direction, as well,” Pearson added.
In terms of newcomers, Pearson likes what he has seen from Michael Sauer, an ’06 forward who has represented his native country South Africa multiple times in IIHF tournaments, and has earned medals with that team, as well, and now brings his skill set to the United States.
