Week of Nov. 24, 2023
Games of Nov. 14-20, 2023
Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com
Midwest West Division
Forward: Luke Steffen, Hudson Havoc
Steffen (‘04/Blaine, Minn.) was seemingly everywhere at once for the Havoc at the USPHL Detroit Showcase, putting up six goals and five assists for 11 points. After joining the team in very late October and making his Premier debut on Nov. 1, Steffen has been a jet blast of offense with 11 goals and 18 points in just seven games. His 19:49 of ice time led all Havoc forwards at the showcase, and his +7 rating and nine hits also led Hudson in their trip east.
Defense: Matthias Mader, Minnesota Moose
Mader (‘04/Maria Lanzebdorf, Austria) was a huge help to his team being able to go 2-2 at the USPHL Detroit Showcase, which included a showcase-closing victory against the Midwest East Division-leading Fort Wayne Spacemen – an organization that had joined the Moose at the 2023 USPHL Nationals. Mader put up three goals and one assist against the Buffalo Stampede and his 20:52 average ice time led the team over the course of the showcase. He was also a team-leading +4 for the Moose in Michigan.
Goaltender: Christopher Mazurek, Dells Ducks
The returning veteran goaltender Mazurek (‘03/Batavia, Ill.) played his first game back with his 2022-23 team and earned a victory against the Chicago Crush, who are six points ahead of Dells in the overall standings. Mazurek helped the Ducks go 2-2 at the USPHL Detroit Showcase with his 2023-24 debut performance of 30 saves on 31 shots after jumping from the NA3HL.
Great Lakes Division
Forward: Emmitt Guest, Cincinnati Jr. Cyclones
The Cyclones scored seven goals in their four games at the USPHL Detroit Showcase and Guest (‘05/Vancouver, B.C.) was in on all of them. He scored three and assisted on the other four. This included a 1-2-3 performance in a close 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Dells Ducks. The breakout weekend performance puts Guest on top of Jr. Cyclones scoring with 12 points.
Defense: Carson Redd, Metro Jets
A former Oakland Jr. Grizzlies and Little Caesars standout, Redd (‘04/Macomb, Mich.) was huge for the Jets who put up a 4-0 sweep at their hosted USPHL Detroit Showcase. Along with the seven assists he spread out over each of the four games, including four against Hudson in their opener. He led the Jets in ice time per game at 19:54 per game and was second in plus-minus with a +9 mark.
Goaltender: Carson MacKenzie, Metro Jets
MacKenzie (‘04/Grand Rapids, Mich.) remains a powerful choice in net for the Jets, posting a 7-1-0-0 record to this point, along with five shutouts. His fifth came at the USPHL Detroit Showcase, when he stopped all 18 he faced from the Minnesota Moose. For his two games, he put up 31 saves on 32 shots for a .969 save percentage and a 0.50 GAA. His season GAA is 0.75 and his save percentage is .957.
Midwest East Division
Forward: Austin Combs, Metro Jets Development Program
Combs (‘03/Milford, Mich.) was a huge contributor to the MJDP’s 4-0 run at the USPHL Detroit Showcase, of which their Metro Jets organization was host. Combs put up three goals and four assists, as the MJDP rattled off the four wins, including against two top four teams from the Midwest West Division. He currently has 13 points in 14 games.
Defense: Jacques Lavrack, Metro Jets Development Program
Lavrack (‘03/Flint, Mich.) was absolutely stupendous in the MJDP’s 4-0 sweep, putting up three goals and five assists for a division-leading eight points. He also led the MJDP with a +7 rating, and registered two game-winning goals out of his three. He has posted 16 points in 14 games.
Goaltender: Maxim Zinchenko, Fort Wayne Spacemen
Zinchenko (‘04/Yekaterinburg, Russia) put together a massive performance in helping the Spacemen exit Detroit with a 3-1 record. He went 2-0 against the offensively powerful Minnesota Squatch and also took a 28-save shutout against the Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings, his second doughnut of the season. Overall, his totals for the showcase were 61 saves on 63 shots for a .968 save percentage and a 1.00 GAA. For the season, he is 7-4-1-0 with a 1.97 GAA along with a .932 save percentage.
