USPHL Premier Stars of the Week: Sept. 25–27, 2026
The USPHL Premier has announced its Stars of the Week for Sept. 25–27. One forward, defenseman and goaltender was selected from each division following a weekend of opening matchups, close finishes and standout individual performances.
Alberta Conference
Forward: Austin Stewardson, Bassano Beavers (2 GP, 4-2-6)
Stewardson scored four goals and added two assists as Bassano faced the OLCN Scouts twice over the weekend. The Beavers came up just short in both games, falling 7–5 on Saturday and 6–5 on Sunday, but Stewardson supplied six points across the two contests.
Defenseman: Colby McLellan, Chestermere Mustangs (2 GP, 2-3-5)
McLellan recorded two goals and three assists during Chestermere’s weekend against Calgary and Hanna. The Mustangs opened with an 8–3 win over the Bandits on Friday before falling 5–3 to the Havoc on Sunday.
Goaltender: Matteo Castella, Calgary Bandits (1 GP, 0-1, .929 SV%, 8.00 GAA)
Castella faced 112 shots against Chestermere on Friday and stopped 104 of them. Calgary fell 8–3, but Castella maintained a .929 save percentage under an extraordinary workload.
Honorable mentions: Blake O’Dempsey, Waryk Evers and Daniel Zander (Three Hills Titans); Markus Hancock, Dustyn Stoesz and Austin Enslin (Claresholm Cowboys); Austin Galway, Carter Andrews and Kaleb Miller (Hanna Havoc)
Atlantic Conference
Forward: Dominic Powell, Connecticut Jr. Rangers (2 GP, 6-1-7)
Powell scored six goals and added an assist over two games, including a game winner. The Jr. Rangers finished Sunday with an 8–6 victory over the Jersey Hitmen, the game in which his coach credited him with four goals and an assist.
Defenseman: David Lakatos, Rockets Hockey Club (1 GP, 3-1-4)
Lakatos delivered a hat trick and an assist as the Rockets defeated the New Jersey Renegades 13–0 on Sunday. One of his three goals was the game winner.
Goaltender: Xavier Lesperance, Rockets Hockey Club (1 GP, 1-0, 1.000 SV%, 0.00 GAA)
Lesperance stopped all 16 shots he faced in the Rockets’ 13–0 win over the Renegades, completing the shutout behind a strong offensive performance.
Honorable mention: Donato Oricchio Jr. (Rockets Hockey Club)
Florida Conference
Forward: Darius Bilotta, Coral Springs Jr. Cats (2 GP, 7-0-7)
Bilotta scored seven goals across Coral Springs’ two victories. The Jr. Cats defeated the Florida Eels 9–1 on Friday and the Florida Surge 11–1 on Saturday, with Bilotta recording a game-winning goal during the weekend.
Defenseman: Michael Rozenblat, Coral Springs Jr. Cats (2 GP, 1-4-5)
Rozenblat contributed a goal and four assists from the blue line as Coral Springs scored 20 times in its wins over the Eels and Surge.
Goaltender: Aiden Barraza, Coral Springs Jr. Cats (1 GP, 1-0, .962 SV%, 1.00 GAA)
Barraza made 25 saves on 26 shots in one of Coral Springs’ two weekend victories, allowing just one goal in his start.
Honorable mentions: Kyler Bergman and Noah Harvey (Florida Eels)
Great Lakes Conference
Forward: Nolan Fischer, Toledo Cherokee (2 GP, 2-2-4)
Fischer recorded two goals and two assists as Toledo opened with wins over the Metro Jets and Fort Wayne Spacemen. The Cherokee edged Metro 5–4 in a shootout Friday and beat Fort Wayne 5–2 on Sunday. Toledo’s coach also credited Fischer with the shootout winner against Metro.
Defenseman: Deacon Creen, Toledo Cherokee (2 GP, 0-3-3)
Creen supplied three assists across Toledo’s two wins, helping the Cherokee begin the weekend with a shootout victory over the Metro Jets before closing it with a regulation win over Fort Wayne.
Goaltender: Jack Derksen, Metro Jets (1 GP, 1-0, 1.000 SV%, 0.00 GAA)
Derksen stopped all 25 shots he faced as the Metro Jets shut out the Chicago Crush 4–0 on Saturday.
Honorable mentions: Jason Peshenko and Hunter Pope (Chicago Crush)
Midwest Conference
Forward: Jakub Zavrtalek, Dells Ducks (1 GP, 4-1-5)
Zavrtalek scored four goals and added an assist in the Ducks’ 7–5 victory over the Minnesota Mullets on Saturday. His five-point game included the game-winning goal.
Defenseman: Bradyn Holmes, Cincinnati Cyclones (1 GP, 1-0-1)
Holmes scored a goal as Cincinnati defeated the Flint Icelanders 6–1 on Saturday. The win gave the Cyclones a strong response following their loss to Columbus earlier in the week.
Goaltender: Nigel Smith, Cincinnati Cyclones (1 GP, 1-0, .971 SV%, 1.00 GAA)
Smith made 33 saves on 34 shots in Cincinnati’s 6–1 win over Flint, turning aside all but one shot in the Cyclones’ Saturday victory.
Honorable mentions: Levi Brown and Jace Vanderham (Cincinnati Cyclones); Nicholas Trichilo (Flint Icelanders)
New England Conference
Forward: Jake Hill, Utica Jr. Comets (3 GP, 3-2-5)
Hill scored three goals and added two assists during Utica’s three-game road weekend. The Jr. Comets beat the South Shore Kings 5–1 on Friday, fell to the Kings 3–2 in a shootout Saturday and closed with a 4–0 win over the WBS Knights on Sunday. Hill recorded a game-winning goal during the trip.
Defenseman: Braxton Mayberry, Boston Jr. Rangers (1 GP, 0-2-2)
Mayberry registered two assists in the Boston Jr. Rangers’ 10–2 victory over the Connecticut Jr. Rangers on Friday.
Goaltender: Rocco Mastrovito-Smith, Utica Jr. Comets (2 GP, 2-0, .952 SV%, 0.50 GAA)
Mastrovito-Smith won both of his starts during Utica’s road trip and recorded a shutout in the Jr. Comets’ 4–0 win over WBS on Sunday. He stopped 20 of 21 shots across his two appearances.
Honorable mentions: Logan Souza, Connor Johnson and Dominic Conte (Boston Jr. Terriers); Sebastien Puzyrnikov (New England Wolves); Jack Carpenter and Zachary Bradshaw (Utica Jr. Comets)
Pacific Conference
Forward: Roman Adomitis, Long Beach Bombers (3 GP, 10-6-16)
Adomitis amassed 10 goals and six assists as Long Beach swept three games against the Rogue Valley Royals. The Bombers won 8–0 Friday, 11–3 Saturday and 10–1 Sunday. Two of Adomitis’ goals were game winners.
Defenseman: Tevin Stokes, Long Beach Bombers (3 GP, 2-4-6)
Stokes scored twice and added four assists during Long Beach’s three-game sweep of Rogue Valley. The Bombers scored 29 goals across the series.
Goaltender: Axel Blank, Long Beach Bombers (1 GP, 1-0, 1.000 SV%, 0.00 GAA)
Blank made 21 saves for a shutout in Long Beach’s 8–0 victory over Rogue Valley on Friday, setting the tone for the Bombers’ sweep.
Honorable mentions: Mathis Eichenholc, Kingston Stavely and Cooper White (Salt Lake Ghost Riders)
Southeast Conference
Forward: Ariel Elkin, Charlotte Rush (2 GP, 3-3-6)
Elkin recorded three goals and three assists as Charlotte won twice against the Red River Spartans. The Rush took Friday’s game 6–1 and followed with a 7–4 victory Saturday. Elkin also scored a game-winning goal during the series.
Defenseman: Mason Monroe, Potomac Patriots (2 GP, 0-3-3)
Monroe collected three assists as Potomac played two overtime games against the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes. The Patriots fell 4–3 on Saturday, then answered with a 4–3 overtime win on Sunday.
Goaltender: Blake Moore, Yorktown Admirals (1 GP, 1-0, .968 SV%, 1.00 GAA)
Moore stopped 30 of 31 shots in a win for Yorktown. The Admirals opened their weekend with a 2–1 overtime victory over the Charleston Colonials on Saturday.
Honorable mentions: Nathan Paine and Cameron Duda (Charlotte Rush)
St. Lawrence Conference
Forward: Nikita Spac, St-Lazare Avalanche (2 GP, 5-2-7)
Spac scored five goals and added two assists as St-Lazare beat the Ottawa Valley Centennials 6–1 on Friday and edged the Hudson Knights 8–7 in overtime Sunday. His seven-point weekend included a game-winning goal.
Defenseman: Mavreek Houle, Somang Hockey (2 GP, 3-1-4)
Houle produced a hat trick and an assist as Somang won twice, defeating the New York Dynamo 4–3 in a shootout Friday and the Montreal Black Vees 4–2 Saturday. The defenseman also recorded a game-winning goal during the weekend.
Goaltender: Nathan Berger, Somang Hockey (1 GP, 1-0, .949 SV%, 2.00 GAA)
Berger stopped 37 of 39 shots in a victory as Somang completed its two-win weekend against the Dynamo and Black Vees.
Honorable mentions: Xavier Blouin (Hudson Knights); Tobias Lussier-Pincince, Alexander Dugan and Noah Pelletier (Universel Sherbrooke)
