Saturday marks the 2015-16 United States Hockey League regular-season openers for both the U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams. Both teams start their USHL seasons on the road.

OFF TO OHIO: The U18s open with a single game at the Youngstown Phantoms on Saturday. Face-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Covelli Center. 

The U18s ended the preseason by dropping a pair of games at the Pittsburgh Showcase. They lost 5-4 to Muskegon on Friday and 2-0 to Youngstown on Saturday. 

Trent Frederic (St. Louis, Mo.) paced the offense with a pair of goals while Will Lockwood (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) and James Sanchez (Northbrook, Ill.) had single tallies against Muskegon. Jake Oettinger (Lakeville, Minn.) finished with 16 saves. In the loss to Youngstown, Oettinger had 20 stops.

CHICAGO BOUND: The U17s open the USHL schedule with a trip to the Fox Valley Ice Arena on Saturday to face the Chicago Steel.

“It’s always challenging playing against the USHL,” U17 coach Don Granato said. “Our players realized how imperative it is to play hard every shift and every game. We will have a chance to get back on the ice and in the weight room this week as we begin preparation for our USHL opener.”

The U17s also dropped a pair of games at the Pittsburgh Showcase this weekend, falling to Youngstown 6-4 on Friday and Muskegon 5-0 on Saturday. Logan Hutsko (North Caldwell, N.J.), Grant Mismash (Edina, Minn.), Josh Norris (Oxford, Mich.) and Joey Cassetti (Pleasanton, Calif.) registered the goals against Youngstown. Dylan St. Cyr (Northville, Mich.) kicked out 22 shots between the pipes. Meanwhile, against Muskegon, Adam Scheel (Lakewood, Ohio) finished with 24 saves.

• Single-game tickets are now on sale for NTDP home games. Tickets are $12 for center ice and $10 for executive reserved seats and can be purchased online through usahockeyarena.com or via phone by calling (734) 453-8400.
  Group tickets also are available. Groups of 15 or more can purchase individual game tickets for as low as $8 per ticket. Contact the box office for more information on group tickets or fundraising.
• In addition to single-game seats, fans can also purchase a Kroger Great Save Pack, which includes two tickets and two food and beverage vouchers, starting at $24. Additional seats can be added to this package for $12 each.
  This season, Detroit Sports 105.1 is sponsoring Five Dollar Fridays. Fans can purchase $5 tickets to select Friday-night home games: Oct. 16, 23, 30; Nov. 20; Dec. 4, 18; Jan. 15, 29; and March 18.
• The annual Face-Off for Fundraising event will take place Oct. 24. The event allows groups to receive 50 percent cash back for every ticket they sell. Groups can select any game during the regular season to participate in the fundraising program, which works on a tiered cash-back scale.

All-American Prospects Game

• Twenty-one current and former NTDP players will participate in the fourth annual CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game on Thursday in Buffalo, New York.
  Former NHL player Derek Plante will coach nine NTDP-affiliated players on his squad. They are forwards Kieffer Bellows (Edina, Minn.), Max Jones (Rochester, Mich./2014-15), Keenan Suthers (Macomb, Mich.), Clayton Keller (Swansea, Ill.), Trent Frederic and Tage Thompson (Oyster Bay, N.Y./2014-15), as well as defensemen Charlie McAvoy (Long Beach, N.Y./2013-15), J.D. Greenway (Potsdam, N.Y.) and Ryan Lindgren (Minneapolis, Minn.).
  Fellow NHL alum Jeremy Roenick has 12 NTDP-affiliated players. They are forwards Joey Anderson (Roseville, Minn.), Luke Kirwan (Dewitt, N.Y./2013-14), Luke Kunin (Chesterfield, Mo./2013-15), Will Lockwood, Graham McPhee (Bethesda, Md.), Nick Pastujov (Bradenton, Fla.), James Sanchez and Matthew Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo./2013-15), along with defensemen Michael Campoli (Rumson, N.J.), Adam Fox (Jericho, N.Y.), Chad Krys (Ridgewood, Conn.) and Griffin Luce (Williamsville, N.Y.).

NTDP Notes

• Ten former NTDP players were on ISS Hockey’s list of the top 30 NCAA freshmen for the 2015-16 season. Colin White (Hanover, Mass./2013-15/Boston College) sits atop the list. Other players include forwards Jeremy Bracco (Freeport, N.Y./2013-15/Boston College), Jack Roslovic (Columbus, Ohio/2013-15/Miami), Jordan Greenway (Potsdam, N.Y./2013-15/Boston University), Brendan Warren (Carleton, Mich./2013-15/Michigan), Shane Gersich (Chaska, Minn./2013-14/North Dakota), Luke Kunin (Wisconsin), Chris Wilkie (Omaha, Neb./2012-13/North Dakota), and Tage Thompson (Connecticut) along with defenseman Charlie McAvoy (Boston University)
• Trent Frederic (3-1) and Clayton Keller (0-4) paced the U18s during the preseason with four points each. Will Lockwood (3-0) and Kieffer Bellows (2-1) tied for third with three points apiece. Graham McPhee (1-1) rounded out the top five with two points.
• In goal for the U18s, Jake Oettinger was 2-2 with a 2.52 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage. 
• The U17s were paced by Logan Hutsko (1-3), who had four points in four games. Five players tied for second with three points each: Joey Cassetti (3-0), Josh Norris (3-0), Nate Knoepke (Farmington, Minn./0-3) and Brady Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo./0-3).
• Dylan St. Cyr and Adam Scheel split time in goal for the U17s. St. Cyr was 0-1-1 with a 4.86 GAA and .839 save percentage. Scheel was 1-1-0 with a 4.50 GAA and .894 save percentage.

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.