Six UNH recruits among 30 New Englanders to earn USHL roster spots

Harvard defenseman Henry Thrun (Southboro, Mass.) will represent New England and Team USA at 2021 world juniors. (Getty Images)

Thirty New England natives made opening-night rosters in the United States Hockey League, it was revealed Tuesday. Of those 30 players, 20 hail from Massachusetts, five from Connecticut, four from New Hampshire, and one player is from Maine.

With several players opting to head back to junior or stay for another season, due to the uncertainty of the college season, making a USHL roster this season was perhaps as difficult as it ever has been.

The Chicago Steel and Sioux City Musketeers led the way in terms of New Englanders being represented. Five players from the region made the opening-night rosters of each organization. The Steel is perhaps most notable with two 2020 NHL draft picks, left wing Sean Farrell and right defenseman Ian Moore, along with a potential top-three-round pick in 2021 in Mackie Samoskevich.