USHL 2023-24 Preview: Sioux Falls Stampede
The Stampede were fighting for a playoff spot down to the last regular season weekend in 2022-23.
SIOUX FALLS — Rob Rassey’s abrupt departure from the Sioux Falls Stampede left the organization scrambling to find his replacement just days before the start of the 2022-23 training camp.
The Herd quickly found a quality candidate in Eric Rud, who previously coached the Green Bay Gamblers to the Clark Cup Finals in 2011.
On the ice, Sioux Falls skated to a 23-31-5-3 record during the regular season and while uninspiring on the surface, the Stampede were very much in the thick of the playoff race right up until the last weekend.
The 2022-23 season saw forward Sam Harris take the next step in his development and become a point-per-game player for The Herd. The DU commit finished with a team-high 56 points (30 goals, 26 assists) in 56 games and never went more than two games without filling out the scoresheet.
Aside from Harris, an early-season trade from Chicago to Sioux Falls allowed Isaac Gordon to see expanded minutes immediately. The Michigan Tech commit exploded for 41 points (22 goals, 19 assists) in 58 games, including ten power-play goals, good for the sixth-most in the USHL.
The Stampede tied a program record with six players drafted by NHL clubs in the 2023 NHL Draft, including defenseman and Michigan State commit Maxim Strbak, who was selected in the second round, 45th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres.
All things considered and combined with the late coaching change, the 2022-23 season established a strong foundation for Rud and his staff heading into this year.
“It was an interesting year where we got to build on a lot of things and set the direction of how we want to do things around here on a daily basis. I think we definitely accomplished that goal,” said Rud, who had a full summer to prepare for his second season as the Stampede head coach.
“Every year, you want to be fighting for something at the end of the year and last year, we were fighting for a playoff spot right down to the last regular season weekend. For where our group was at talent-wise last year and the record a couple of years before, I think we feel like we made a step in the right direction in a lot of areas,” continued Rud.
“Last year was something to build off of, and now we have a decent number of returners that know the way we want to operate and do things on a daily basis.”
Key Departures
Maxim Strbak, D
Isaac Gordon, F
Sam Harris, F
Nick Ring, F
Maddox Fleming, F
Max Rud, D
Evan Murr, F
Ryan Gordon, F
Tanner Bruender, F (traded to Green Bay)
Adam Zlnka (traded to Waterloo)
Key Returners
Caleb Heil, G
Chris Pelosi, F
Will McDonough, F
Jaksen Panzer, F
J.J. Wiebusch, F
Kazimier Sobieski, D
Jack Phelan, D
Key Acquisitions
Gennadi Chaly, D (acquired from Waterloo)
Beckett Hendrickson, F (2023 USHL Phase II Draft)
Zach Nehring, F (2021 USHL Phase I Draft)
Michael Chambre, G (2023 USHL Phase II Draft)
Beau Janzig, D (2023 USHL Phase II Draft)
Alexander Yatsenko, D (2023 USHL Phase II Draft)
Tender Signings
Matthew Grimes, D
Three Keys To 2023-24
The Rise of Caleb Heil
While expectations should be tempered, there is a considerable amount of buzz surrounding netminder Caleb Heil. The 17-year-old shined on the international stage, backstopping Team USA to a bronze medal at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup.
Heil spent the 2022-23 season with the Sioux Falls Power 16U club, posting a 3.59 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage with three shutouts in 22 games played.
The SCHEELS IcePlex houses both the Power and Stampede practices, allowing the young netminder to occasionally practice with his future coaching staff and teammates.
Heil made his USHL debut on December 31 last season, stopping 33 of 36 shots on net. By the end of March, he was a regular in the Sioux Falls lineup, finishing with a 2.92 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage and collecting five wins in nine games.
The process allowed Heil to transition into the league at a comfortable pace. Now, the Stampede will ask him to do more in 2023-24.
“Last season was such a perfect year for him. He was able to play midget hockey, but he was here in town, so he was able to practice with us sometimes and get his feet wet. You know, play a game at Christmas, get his feet wet, and then by the end of the year, he was comfortable around us,” said Rud.
“I think it was a great progression for him, and now it's that next step of playing more games and being counted on a little bit. He’s a hockey player and we never put too much pressure on any one position, but obviously, it’s important, and I know he enjoys that challenge. We’re excited about having some different people in that position this year.”
Along with Heil, the Herd are expected to break in Michael Chambre, who finished up his two-year residency with the United States National Team Development Program.
The 18-year-old made 13 appearances for the U-18 team in 2022-23, posting a 7-2-0-0 record with a 3.46 goals-against average and a .885 save percentage. Chambre is commited to Boston University for the 2024-25 season, so he will have an opportunity to fine-tune a few areas of his game this year before making the jump to the NCAA.
Welcome, Beckett Hendrickson
Similar to Heil, there is a fair amount of hype around Beckett Hendrickson’s arrival in Sioux Falls.
However, with Logan Cooley leaving the University of Minnesota and signing his entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes, the Gophers needed one or two of their commits to join the program a year sooner than expected.
Green Bay’s Jimmy Clark was the first to join Bob Motzko and Minnesota, but some wondered whether Beckett Hendrickson would be the other. The latter’s uniform number was revealed on the Stampede’s social media account, but the coaching staff was still unsure whether he would show up.
“We were all waiting to hear officially. I think we kind of knew that they were going to take (Jimmy) Clark,” said Rud. “It wasn’t for sure, so we were waiting and waiting to just make sure hopefully (Hendrickson) was coming.”
Overlapping Chambre’s residency, Hendrickson spent the last two years with the NTDP, scoring 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) in 52 games with the U-18 squad in 2022-23.
With the likes of Sam Harris, Maddox Fleming, and Nick Ring — significant point-producers from last year — moving on, Hendrickson will be expected to step into a leadership role for the Herd and play big minutes.
Returning Players Hungry For More
The Herd lost a lot from last year’s roster. That’s the nature of junior hockey, but the Stampede return a solid group of players that saw the team come up short of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Now, they want more.
Christopher Pelosi headlines the returners. With 19 points (13 goals, six assists) in 43 games last year, the Quinnipiac commit looks poised for a big second year in the USHL. He also comes back having been selected by the Boston Bruins in the third round, 92nd overall, of the 2023 NHL Draft.
Other returning forwards include Will McDonough, Jaksen Panzer, and J.J. Wiebusch, who each recorded 24-plus point seasons in 2022-23. On the back end, defensemen Kazimier Sobieski and Jack Phelan are back. The Stampede acquired Gennadi Chaly from Waterloo over the summer, giving the team additional leadership with a year of USHL experience under his belt.
Having a full summer to prepare for the upcoming season has allowed Rud and his coaching staff to instill the leadership expectations for the team’s returning group, a process that began back in main camp.
“We kind of told them when camp started, we wanted them to lead the way and not just be there. They're obviously with the team next year, so they're not trying out, but we wanted them to show the way in the locker rooms and around the other players how we operate,” Rud said of the returning group.
“They operated at a really high level during our camp, and we saw them as a group, really taking charge, taking ownership, which is what you have to have from the player standpoint. The coaches can say whatever they want, but unless the players take ownership of the team, it doesn't work, and they certainly did that,” he continued.
Rud and his coaching staff understand that last year, from start to finish, was up and down from the late coaching change to the winning streaks followed by prolonged losing streaks to an inconsistent penalty kill — all factors contributing to the team coming up short of their goal of making the postseason.
The Stampede established the foundation last year in Rud’s first year behind the bench. Now, they will look to take the next step in 2023-24, and that starts with the returning players learning from their deficiencies last season.
“Our returners look great, fresh, they look good, they are in great shape, so for that group that was here before, they're not happy with the way the season ended last year,” the Stampede bench boss said. “It was fun fighting to try to get in the playoffs and then in the end not to accomplish our final goal left a sour taste in our mouth. I think those guys are real hungry to show what we can do around here.”