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 for their spot 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.