The Sioux Falls Stampede and Chicago Steel will meet in the 2019 USHL Clark Cup Finals that starts Friday night at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.
With the United States Hockey League becoming one of the best development paths to the NHL, the Clark Cup Playoffs offer a great opportunity for some of the league’s top prospects to solidify their spots on draft boards.
Two 2019 NHL Draft prospects, Nick Abruzzese and Robert Mastrosimone of the Chicago Steel, are tied for the playoff lead in scoring. Abruzzese, a Harvard commit who was formerly committed to Vermont, has seven goals and six assists in eight games. From Slate Hill, N.Y., Abruzzese is ranked 122nd by NHL Central Scouting. While he’s on the smaller side, he’s continued to prove doubters wrong this entire season.
Abruzzese, a ’99, is in his third season of draft eligibility, but this is the first draft where he’s been considered as a legitimate prospect. He’s a good example to many youngsters out there that one can accomplish something by continuing to work hard for a certain goal.
While Mastrosimone has been held in higher regard among scouts for a longer period of time, the East Islip, N.Y., native has also had to deal with the doubters. The Boston University commit has six goals and seven assists through the first eight playoff games.
Don’t be surprised if Mastrosimone is selected in the first three rounds of June’s NHL Draft. In addition to his offensive production, Mastrosimone is a fierce competitor who hunts pucks in all three zones.
East Greenwich, R.I., native Gunnarwolfe Fontaine scored the overtime, game-winning goal in game four of the Eastern Conference finals to propel the Steel past the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Fontaine, who previously played at Lawrence Academy and Moses Brown, has five goals and three assists in six playoff games.
Fontaine’s stock has risen tremendously throughout the season. Originally committed to RPI, he’s now expected to play college hockey for Jim Madigan’s Northeastern University Huskies.
Also in the top 20 of playoff scoring is another Lawrence Academy product, Marshfield, Mass., native Neil Shea. The Northeastern commit has three goals and two assists in eight games.
On the other side of the final is the Sioux Falls Stampede, a team not expected to get past Tri-City Storm or Waterloo Black Hawks, en route to the Clark Cup final.
One of the team’s top performers in the playoffs has been Providence commit Max Crozier, a ’00 right-shot defenseman from Calgary, Alberta. In nine playoff games, he has three goals and seven assists, while still bringing a physical element.
UMass Lowell commit Andre Lee of Karlstad, Sweden, is the second highest producing scorer on the Stampede. The ’00 left wing has four goals and three assists in nine games played during the playoffs.
While his team didn’t make the playoffs, Cedar Rapids received a spark from Thayer alum Aidan McDonough before the RoughRiders were eliminated in the conference semifinals. The Milton, Mass., native had four goals and three assists in six games.
UMass Lowell commit Matt Brown of the Des Moines Buccaneers also had a solid playoffs before being eliminated. The Woodridge, Ill., native had four goals and two assists in five games.
