USHL Team of the Week: Sioux Falls Stampede
The Sioux Falls Stampede are 4-0-1-0 to start the year
SIOUX FALLS — The Sioux Falls Stampede couldn’t have drawn up a better start to the 2023-24 season. Eric Rud’s club is 4-0-1-0 through its first five contests, with 2-1 overtime loss against Tri-City at the USHL Fall Classic accounting for the only blemish on their record.
The Herd started last year 3-2-0-0 before faltering to a 23-31-5-3 record and five points behind Des Moines for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Inconsistent scoring and goaltending woes were the prominent storylines in 2022-23. Sioux Falls finished with the third-fewest goals scored (181) and the most goals allowed (225) in the west.
It’s been a near 180-degree turnaround in this season’s infancy. The Stampede have scored the most goals (20) and allowed the third-fewest goals (13) in the conference through the first five games. Still a long way to go, but the early results are certainly encouraging.
“I think the difference right now is our depth for sure,” head coach Eric Rud said when comparing this year to last. “It looks like we have depth in all our positions so far starting in net. We have some good healthy competition there.”
“The nice thing about our D core, the returning guys kind of know what's expected, so we're defending pretty good for this early in the year right now. There's obviously room for improvement, but I do think overall our defensive game is pretty tight right now, considering it's only been a few weeks.”
The Stampede struggled to find any proportionate offensive contributions last year. Just four players eclipsed the 30-point mark.
With a full offseason of preparation, Sioux Falls made a series of crucial transactions to fill in the gaps.
Perhaps the most underrated was the addition of goaltender Michael Chambre, who was plucked in the fifth round of the 2023 USHL Phase II Draft.
The Boston University commit's 2022-23 season was cut short after undergoing double hip surgery. Chambre finished up his two-year residency with the United States National Team Development Program, but the timeline of his Sioux Falls debut remained uncertain.
“I don't think we had expectations to start,” Rud said of Chambre’s health. “We didn't know when he'd be officially cleared. It turns out, luckily, that happened right in that first week, and ever since, he's been cleared to play.”
Chambre picked up his first win of the year on Sunday in a critical matchup against Tri-City. In the contest, he stopped 31-of-33 shots on goals.
The 18-year-old was under duress in the third period as the Storm made a strong push to erase a 3-0 deficit. However, Chambre stood tall in the final minute with not one but two saves, including one with under three seconds left in regulation to preserve the win.
The veteran netminder, paired with rookie sensation Caleb Heil, who leads all first-year netminders in wins (3), has formed a fantastic 1-2 punch in net for Sioux Falls.
“He certainly has a presence back there and is off to a great start for us,” Rud said of Chambre. “It is nice to have two guys that you can rely upon, instead of just kind of riding one goalie. It is nice to have that you know that day-to-day; it’s your teammate, but you're also competing against him all the time, which is a good thing.”
The Stampede feature a more balanced offensive attack. Seven players have already registered four or more points through the first five games. Chris Pelosi (BOS) and Jaksen Panzer currently lead the team with six points each.
The former has developed tremendous chemistry with former NTDP forward and fellow Boston Bruins’ draft pick Beckett Hendrickson. Together, the two have already connected on a couple of goals, including Sunday’s first goal just 1:40 into the game.
In a back-and-forth affair against Waterloo on Saturday, Tyler Borgula, who had just four points in 12 games with the Herd last year, registered his first three-point game in the USHL. For his efforts, Borgula was recognized with Forward of the Week honors.
The veterans are certainly leading the way, but the younger players have also joined in on the action. Rookie defenseman Matthew Grimes and forward John McNelis each potted their first career USHL goals over the weekend.
With so many capable bodies in the mix, the competitiveness has brought out the best of every player commanding more ice time.
“Upfront, we just have a lot of good competition up there,” Rud said of the forward group overall. “Guys fighting for ice time, fighting for power-play time, fighting for all that, so if you can have good healthy competition, I think it's definitely a good thing.”
Standings mean little at this time of the year, but the Stampede have to be pleased with their start. They currently occupy first place in the Western Conference, one point ahead of Fargo and Tri-City.
Sioux Falls will be battled-tested in October with four of their next five against Tri-City and Sioux City. The first two games against the Storm have been decided by one goal, and the Musketeers have collected points in their last three games after a slow start.
As if things get easier from there, the Herd will close out the month with a trip to the Covelli Centre for a two-game set against the Youngstown Phantoms.
This early in the season, though, Sioux Falls is primarily dialed in on improving their own game. In turn, the results hope to translate in game situations.
“There's so many things early in the season that you're constantly working on,” said Rud. “One week, you fix your D zone play and then your offensive play is maybe not quite as good.
“It takes a while to get everyone on the same page, so I think we're still just working on that right now, trying to play a great team game which we have shown in stretches and we're going to hope that that continues.”