Incoming freshmen earn USHL awards, rank in NHL draft rankings
April 21, 2026 | Men's Hockey
Future Badgers finish regular season strong in the USHL
MADISON, Wis. – Badger fans have a lot to be excited about in the fall as the 2026-27 Wisconsin men's hockey freshman class continues to impress as they round out the USHL regular season.
Wishing our future Badgers good luck this week as the USHL playoffs get underway
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) April 6, 2026
Best of luck John Stout, Eetu Orpana, Gavin Uhlenkamp... pic.twitter.com/kAfGvr3JHf
All-USHL teams were named on April 21, with Zach Wooten, a forward on the Green Bay Gamblers, earning All-USHL First Team honors.
18 players. 3 teams. One elite season. 🤠
— USHL (@USHL) April 21, 2026
Meet the 2025-26 All-USHL Teams. #USHL
More here: https://t.co/67j6ez7P7N pic.twitter.com/0AVEre75PR
Wooten finished the regular season with 62 points and 35 goals in 61 games played for Green Bay to rank third in the league in goals and eighth in the league in scoring. He led the Gamblers in both categories. He also notched four short-handed goals, which tied for first in the league.
The Apple Valley, Minnesota, native was also ranked 94th among North American skaters in the NHL Central Scouting's final 2026 draft rankings. The draft will be held on June 26-27, 2026, in Buffalo, New York.
The Gamblers clinched a spot in the postseason but fell short to incoming Badger defenseman John Stout and the Madison Capitols, two-games-to-none, in the best-of-three first round of the Clark Cup Playoffs.
Incoming Badger forward Chase Jette also finished the season with Green Bay after spending the first part of the year with the Waterloo Black Hawks, tallying eight goals and 19 points in 16 regular-season games played after spending the majority of the year sidelined with an injury. The Lake Forest, Illinois, native's 1.19 points-per-game led the Gamblers and tied for sixth in the league.
Also earning All-USHL honors was Sioux Falls Stampede forward Brent Solomon, who was named to the All-USHL Third Team. The forward notched 53 points and 24 goals in 54 games to rank fourth on the roster in scoring, third in goals and fourth with 0.98 points-per-game.
Solomon, a fourth-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings at No. 109 overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, was also lethal on the power-play during the regular season, notching nine power-play goals to rank second among Stampede skaters and tie for 11th in the league and 18 power-play assists, which place him third on the roster and tie him for 10th in the league.
🚨: Brent Solomon
— Sioux Falls Stampede (@sfstampede) April 4, 2026
🍎: Joey Macrina pic.twitter.com/cdKBfP6X5d
The Champlin, Minnesota, native and the Western Conference top seed Sioux Falls earned a first-round bye to the Clark Cup Playoffs conference semifinals, where they're currently tied, 1-1, with the Lincoln Stars in a best-of-five series.
Also skating in the Western Conference semifinals is forward Gavin Uhlenkamp, who currently skates for the Fargo Force after spending the first half of the season with the Madison Capitols. He wrapped up the regular season ranking fourth on the Force's roster with 40 points in 53 games played, with his 19 goals also good for fourth.
The Chanhassen, Minnesota, native currently leads the roster with three goals in two postseason games played as Fargo has a one-game-to-none lead over the Sioux City Musketeers in round two of the playoffs after earning a first-round bye.
GAVIN UHLENKAMP GETS HIS SECOND OF THE PLAYOFFS✌️ pic.twitter.com/tqQGFzzZse
— Fargo Force (@FargoForce) April 19, 2026
In the Eastern Conference, Stout and the Madison Capitols have advanced to the conference semifinals, where they hold a two-games-to-none lead over the top-seeded Youngstown Phantoms in the best-of-five series.
The Minnetonka, Minnesota, native finished the regular season ranking fourth among defensemen on the Capitols' roster in scoring with 21 points in 57 games played. His nine goals led all blueliners and tied for 10th among all Madison skaters, and his three power-play goals were good for third on the roster.
Pruds ➡️ Stout ➡️ 🚨🚨🚨#GoCapsGo https://t.co/3qiNiJZJYK pic.twitter.com/kozGfPp0Zu
— Madison Capitols (@MadCapsHockey) March 21, 2026
The other Eastern Conference semifinals series features forward Eetu Orpana and the Dubuque Fighting Saints, who are tied, 1-1, with the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the best-of-five series.
The Lempäälä, Finland, native notched 15 goals and 44 points in 58 regular-season games played to rank sixth on the roster in scoring and fifth in assists with 29. His plus-16 rating ranks second among Dubuque forwards, and his five power-play goals rank fifth.
Eetu Orpana on the high intensity level of late and his strong second half#HalosHigh pic.twitter.com/iUGYh9z1ZT
— x - Dubuque Fighting Saints (@fightingsaints) March 27, 2026
Forward Lukas Zajic and the U.S. National Under-18 team finished the year with 39 points, falling outside of the Clark Cup Playoffs picture. The Plainfield, Illinois, native notched five goals and 10 points in 25 USHL games played and 11 goals and 23 points in 54 total games played for the NTDP, earning the No. 126 ranking among North American skaters in the NHL Central Scouting's final 2026 draft rankings. The forward was recently selected to represent the United States at the 2026 IIHF U18 Men's World Championship, which runs from April 22 to May 2 in Bratislava and Trencin, Slovakia.
The 25 players who will be representing the USA in Slovakia! 🇺🇸 #U18MensWorlds
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) April 21, 2026
Details: https://t.co/bpKlDvRQy4 pic.twitter.com/gGOCpFVk8V
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