USPHL Premier 2024-25 North All-Division Second Team
Forward: Jay Ellingson, Minnesota Squatch
Ellingson (’05/Maple Grove, Minn.) was one of many great offensive weapons the Squatch had at their beck and call, leading the team to rank in the top 10 for goals for per game at 5.5 and third in shots on goal per game at 51.0. Ellingson registered 28 goals and added 38 assists for 66 points in just 31 games this year, joining the team for his second full season in late October. Ellingson, who joined the Squatch in their 2022-23 inaugural season while still playing for Maple Grove High School, has become the second all-time leading scorer for the team behind First Team selection Cannon Bonifay, with 170 points. He is the team’s all-time assists leader with 106. With 33 points in 18 playoff games, he leads all Squatch in career playoff scoring.
Forward: Cyril Valach, Minnesota Mullets
Not only was Valach (’04/Moravske Budejovice, Czechia) a second-year Mullet, he was also a second-year Captain for the Mullets. Valach improved from the 33 points he scored in 22 games last year up to 57 points in 33 games this year, which was good for a 1.84 points per game average. That was close to the team record of 1.88 points per game set by former Mullet Tyler Perkins (79 points in 42 games in 2019-20). Valach made the Midwest/Great Lakes/North All-Star Team and scored a goal and three assists for four points in the two-game USPHL All-Star event in January in Foxboro, Mass.
Forward: Peyton Inks, Steele County Blades
Third-year Blade Inks (’04/Topeka, Kan.) has also put his name into his organization’s all-time USPHL Premier leaderboard, making the top five in games played (123), goals (32), assists (53) and points (85). This year, Inks ranked in a tie for first in Blades scoring with a 22-26-48 line, registered in 39 games for a 1.23 points per game average. Inks improved every season with the Blades, from 10 points in 2022-23 to 29 points last season to 48 this year.
Defense: Tyler Hadfield, Steele County Blades
Hadfield (’04/Benson, Minn.) finished in the top 10 in assists among USPHL Premier defensemen with 37 helpers this year. He also scored eight goals as well for 45 points, which places him in the top 15 overall for Premier blueliner scoring. Hadfield was also third among Premier defensemen with 19 power play assists. He is one of 11 players to have played three or more seasons with Steele County since they entered the USPHL Premier in 2017-18, skating in 102 games.
Defense: Jake Knieling, Dells Ducks
Knieling (’05/Arlington Heights, Ill.) had a fantastic second Premier campaign, which was also his first with the Dells Ducks. He finished in the top 10 for Premier scoring by registering 11 goals and 37 assists for 48 points, placing him in a tie for seventh. Knieling had played the year before with the former Motor City Gamblers, scoring 28 points in 39 games. Knieling was also a member of the Midwest/Great Lakes/North All-Stars team, registering an assist at the January event.
Goaltender: Kody Niederkorn, Minnesota Mullets
Niederkorn (’04/Hastings, Minn.) was outstanding in net for the Mullets all season long, and he ended the regular season with the most games played of any Premier goaltender with 32. Niederkorn’s play helped the Mullets to their first top four finish in the division since 2017-18. His .920 save percentage was third best in the North Division, and his 16 wins placed him in the top 15 for the Premier at large in that category, as he put together a 16-15-1-0 record.
Selection Process: Coaches in the division first nominate players, and then vote on these nominations. If there are ties in positions, there is an additional run-off vote. Coaches are presented with the finalists and given more than 24 hours to make changes if the majority votes to do so. If there are no challenges to the finalists, they are named as the All-Division Team.
Summaries by Joshua Boyd