USHL 2023-24 Preview: Green Bay Gamblers
Green Bay was dealt two significant roster blows this summer.
GREEN BAY — After finishing in the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings in 2021-22, the Green Bay Gamblers bounced back in a big way last season and secured the No. 4 seed in the Clark Cup Playoffs.
Despite earning home-ice advantage in the first round and despite taking Game 1, the Gamblers saw their season end abruptly after Dubuque stormed back to take the series in three games.
The 2022-23 season saw the rise of defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who joined the Gamblers after the CHL’s ban on Russian/Belarusian players forced the young defenseman to look elsewhere.
Levshunov paced all Green Bay blueliners with 13 goals and 29 assists for 42 points. His production surpassed 2021 NHL Draft No. 1 overall pick Owen Power’s draft-minus-one season in 2019-20 and finished just two points back of Jordan Schmaltz’s record of 44 points, previously set back in 2010-11 with Sioux City.
The Gamblers took a chance on 19-year-old Kristoffer Eberly, who had just four games of USHL experience to his name before the 2023-24 campaign. The Ohio State commit took ownership of the Green Bay net, playing in 49 games, including the playoffs.
Eberly finished up his only season in the USHL with remarkable numbers and sits tenth in Gamblers history in shutouts (3), wins among goalies (25), shots against (1,243), ninth in saves (1,110), and seventh all-time in minutes played for goalies (2,686).
The Gamblers pieced together a roster with just one returning player and earned some big wins down the stretch to be one of the four teams with home-ice advantage in the postseason.
“I was really proud of the way the group got a lot better throughout the course of the season with our development model, and I was really happy with how the group played,” said Mike Leone, who will be entering his second season as head coach and general manager for Green Bay in 2023-24.
“There was a stretch there in January — everybody goes through it — but I think we had ten forwards for about a month and a half. In one game, we had the bare minimum in Cedar Rapids, which is a really hard place to play. We went there and won 2-1, found a way to win, and I really liked our group.
“I think we establish ourselves as a team that plays really hard, and we wanted to put Green Bay back on the map of where we are going and with the new staff and new identify and culture, and I think we established that.”
Key Departures
Kristoffer Eberly, G
Artyom Levshunov, D
Barrett Hall, F
Jimmy Clark, F
Raimonds Vitolins, F
Eli Sebastian, F
Matthew DiMarsico, F
Key Returners
Adam Gajan, G
Mikey DeAngelo, F
Jayson Shaugabay, F
Mykhailo Danylov, F
Jakub Altrichter, F
Josh Player, D
Key Acquisitions
Luke Baker, D (acquired from Omaha)
Landen Gunderson, F (acquired from Madison)
Blake Bechen, F (acquired from Madison)
Ben Poitras, F (acquired from Sioux City)
Tender Signings
Lev Katzin, F
Three Keys To 2023-24
Gajan’s Time To Shine
Kristoffer Eberly out, Adam Gajan in.
The latter shined in a six-game sample size with the Gamblers last season before returning to the NAHL’s Chippawa Steel, where he compiled a 2.57 goals-against average and .917 save percentage with a shutout in 34 combined games.
Gajan gained national attention with his stellar play at the 2023 World Juniors, backstopping Team Slovakia to a 2.40 goals-against average and .936 save percentage. The 19-year-old culminated the international tournament with an unbelievable performance against Team Canada, allowing four goals on 57 shots in Slovakia’s overtime loss.
For his efforts, the University of Minnesota-Duluth commit earned WJC Best Goaltender and Top 3 Player on a Team honors. He was the first goaltender taken in the 2023 NHL Draft, going to the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round, 35th overall.
The Gamblers will also welcome in Gavin Moffatt, who finished with the best save percentage (0.938) in the NAHL last year to go along with a 2.00 goals-against average and the third-most shutouts (3).
“With Adam, the hope was to get him back for another year. Minnesota-Duluth and the Chicago Blackhawks were very transparent and clear with their communication about Adam getting starts and being the guy and what is most important in his development,” Leone said of Gajan.
“I know there are a lot of great goalies, but I feel we have the best goalie in the league. Obviously, where he was drafted, his process, getting to know the kid, we are just really thrilled to have him and knowing that he will give us a chance every single day.”
Production From The Blueline
Losing Levshunov was one of the two major blows for the Gamblers this summer.
Reviewing last year’s roster, 10 of Green Bay's top 12 point producers were forwards. Levshunov and Austin Oravetz, with 42 and 21 points, respectively, were the primary contributors from the back end. But both have moved on to Michigan State.
While Green Bay understands there is simply no replacing Levshunov, who is expected to be a top pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, the team will be relying on key returners to pick up the slack, so to speak.
The Gamblers will return Chris Romaine, acquired from the Omaha Lancers in late January and drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the sixth round, 193rd overall, in the 2022 NHL Draft. Romaine spent much of last season fighting through injuries and was limited to just five assists in 28 games.
“I expect him to make a big jump. I really like his game,” Leone said of Romaine.
Green Bay readied themselves for the upcoming season, taking two defensemen with the first two picks in the 2023 USHL Phase II Draft in Rasmus Larsson and Jason Gallucci.
Larsson, drafted by the New York Rangers in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, tallied 34 points (16 goals, 18 assists) in 50 games for the Västerås IK J20 club in 2022-23 and represented Team Sweden at the 2023 World Juniors.
“He’s coming in as a 6-foot-3 defenseman that is mobile and can run the power play,” said Leone.
Gallucci went undrafted but could be an intriguing option for NHL clubs next year with a strong season in Green Bay. The 19-year-old spent last season in the BCHL, scoring four goals and 28 assists for a team-high 32 points in 52 games.
Combined with returning players in both Josh Player and Matthew Rafalski and acquiring Luke Baker from Omaha over the summer, the Gamblers feel like they are in a better spot coming into this season.
Younger Forwards Stepping Up
Similar to the back end, the Gamblers are losing their top six forwards in terms of production, including Jimmy Clark, who is joining the University of Minnesota a year earlier than expected.
The Gophers were in need of another forward, with Logan Cooley altering his course and opting to sign his three-year entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes in late July.
In a corresponding move, the Green Bay Gamblers recently acquired forward Blake Bechen from the Madison Capitols. The 18-year-old was included in the trade package from Youngstown for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 USHL Phase II Draft.
“When Jimmy left… you're not replacing Jimmy Clark with one player. It's by committee,” Leone said of the Bechen acquisition.
The Gamblers acquired forwards Landen Gunderson from the Capitols and Ben Poitras from Sioux City in separate deals earlier this summer, two moves looming larger now than when they originally happened.
Gunderson was a part-time player for Madison in 2022-23, struggling through injuries and amassing just 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 33 games. Poitras was a regular in Sioux City’s lineup, recording 37 points (14 goals, 23 assists) in 61 games.
Jayson Shaugabay comes into 2023-24 with plenty of hype after splitting time between Warroad High and Green Bay last year. With the former, the 18-year-old accumulated 96 points (33 goals, 63 assists) in 31 games and was named the 2023 Mr. Hockey Award Winner.
The Gamblers hope that by getting full seasons out of guys like Shaugabay and Gunderson, combined with the additions during the offseason, progression of returning players, and breaking in tender signing Lev Katzin, the production will be there.
“Those guys probably go unnoticed sometimes, but they are huge guys to get back in the lineup that know what your culture is like, what the standards are here, and to get those guys back, hopefully, they can make a jump and double their production,” the Gamblers bench boss said of the returning players.
Katzin is an undersized forward and reminds Leone of a Sean Farrell-type comparison for the Gamblers as a highly skilled, dynamic player.
The 16-year-old served in a leadership role for the Toronto Marlboros U16 club in 2022-23, tallying a league-high 143 points (56 goals, 87 assists) in 81 games.
“He probably would have been a top-10 OHL pick,” Leone said of Katzin. “There’s a lot of expectations, but we feel he is going to be a really good player in this league and can provide that secondary scoring for us.”