The USHL season is right around the corner as the 2025-26 campaign begins next week at the Fall Classic.
All 16 games — beginning Sept 17 — will be played at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in suburban Pittsburgh and will be available on FloHockey. Select games to be announced soon will also stream live and free across FloHockey’s social media platforms.
From Tynan Lawrence to Blake Zielinski and Jack Hextall, there’s a number of intriguing 2026 NHL Draft prospects fans can look out for this winter. However, a number of USHL players already have NHL logos besides them, several of which were drafted this past June.
Here are some of the top NHL prospects that fans can follow this season.
Mason West, F, Fargo (Chicago, 2025, 1st)
It’s unknown when the Force will get West in their lineup, as his immediate focus is his senior football season at Edina High School. The expectation is that he should be available come late November and will immediately transition into playing games with the Force. Through three games the three-star quarterback is 2-1 with 706 passing yards, seven touchdown passes and a pair of rushing scores. However, when the time comes, West will easily be one of, if not the USHL’s most-intriguing player.
West played just 10 games with the Force last spring and made an immediate impact, racking up nine points after a 49-point high school season. At 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds, he’s got the physical tools, sees the ice at a high level and can make plays with the puck on his stick. It’s why Chicago took him with the 29th overall pick this past June.
Hi Mason 👋 pic.twitter.com/na7xPO1mQh
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) June 28, 2025
Cooper Simpson, F, Youngstown (Boston, 2025, 3rd)
Simpson’s USHL career got off to a slow start as he had just one point through his first 12 games, and he finished his rookie season (2023-24) with 13 points in 31 games. The North Dakota commit, who was still just 17, opted to stay in Minnesota last fall, going on to a tremendous season at Shakopee High School.
Simpson scored 49 goals and racked up 73 points over 31 games, leading Shakopee to the state tournament. He followed it up with a dominant nine-game stretch for Tri-City too, scoring seven times and adding an assist. Now Simpson will look to continue that production in his first full USHL season – this time in a new sweater. The left-shot forward was traded to Youngstown in August.
Michal Pradel, G, Tri-City (Detroit, 2025, 3rd)
Pradel made his USHL debut on Valentine’s Day and experienced immediate success, going 9-4-0 with a 2.41 GAA and .899 save percentage. He won each of his first five starts and three of his final four, helping the Storm clinch a playoff spot. He stopped 34 of the 36 shots he saw in his lone playoff appearance as well.
The Slovakian goaltender stands at 6-foot-5 and moves well in the crease, and Pradel was a third-round pick last summer. This will be Pradel’s first full season of North American hockey.
Mace’o Phillips, D, Green Bay (Calgary, 2025, 3rd)
Phillips was one of the highest-rated American prospects on the blue line last summer and was taken in the third round as a result. The left-shot defenseman comes in at a towering 6-foot-6 and it’s hard not to be excited about his frame, along with his physicality, strength and shot.
After spending two seasons at the NTDP, the Minnesota commit opted for another year of junior hockey. He was taken by Green Bay in the USHL Phase II Draft and will look to anchor the Gamblers’ defensive corps. Phillips has 58 career USHL games, including 25 last season with the U18s.
Big man incoming 💪
Welcome to the squad, Mace’o! pic.twitter.com/TDTPpjjLDw
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) June 28, 2025
Caleb Heil, G, Madison (Tampa Bay, 2025, 7th)
Heil went 25-10-3-1 for the Capitols last winter with a 2.85 GAA and .896 save percentage, along with a pair of shutouts. His 25 wins ranked third among USHL netminders and his 2,275 minutes played were the eighth-most, as he stopped 932 of the 1,040 shots fired his way.
Heil enters his third full USHL season with a 36-22-5-1 career record and helped Madison win a playoff series last spring. The UND commit has plenty of international experience too, including a gold medal last December at the World Junior A Challenge. He is also going to be in the mix to play for Team USA at the 2026 World Junior Championship after a strong showing at this summer’s World Junior Summer Showcase.
NHL Draft Picks By USHL Team
Chicago Steel
- Jackson Crowder (Washington, 2025, 5th)
- Ashton Schultz (Buffalo, 2025, 6th)
Fargo Force
- Mason West (Chicago, 2025, 1st)
Green Bay Gamblers
- Maceo Phillips (Calgary, 2025, 3rd)
- David Rozsival (New Jersey, 2025, 6th)
- William Samuelsson (Dallas, 2024, 7th)
Madison Capitols
- Caleb Heil (Tampa Bay, 2025, 7th)
- Austin Moline (Philadelphia, 2024, 7th)
Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Viktor Norringer (Nashville, 2024, 4th)
- Melvin Novotny (Buffalo, 2025, 7th)
- Carter Sanderson (Pittsburgh, 2025, 6th)
Sioux Falls Stampede
- Brent Solomon (Detroit, 2025, 4th)
Tri-City Storm
- Michal Pradel (Detroit, 2025, 3rd)
Youngstown Phantoms
- Matous Kucharcik (Buffalo, 2025, 4th)
- Vladimir Nikitin (Ottawa, 2023, 7th)
- Ryan Rucinski (Buffalo, 2025, 7th)
- Cooper Simpson (Boston, 2025, 3rd)
NHL Prospect Coverage On FloHockey
The best, and most complete, coverage of the NHL minor league hockey and NHL Draft is found on FloHockey. Don’t miss the latest new prospect guides, rankings and more from Chris Peters and the FloHockey staff.
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