USHL Stock Watch: Buffalo Sabres prospect Ryan Rucinski outworks everyone
With Christmas and New Year’s on the horizon, the USHL season is inarguably in full swing. The standings and scoring charts are beginning to stabilize, and this season’s standouts are becoming clearer by the day.
The Eastern Conference continues to outpace the West, with five teams sitting pretty above the 30-point barrier – compared to just one – and topped by the Muskegon Lumberjacks, who only look more dangerous now that their captain and reigning playoff MVP, Tynan Lawrence, is back to full health and in the lineup.
While it was the turn of rookies to shine in October, November was the month of hard-working and clever players outwitting their more naturally talented counterparts. As the clock ticks down toward the playoffs, grit and energy rise more and more to the top.
Youngstown Phantoms captain Ryan Rucinski embodies this trend, already making the Buffalo Sabres’ scouting staff look smart five months on from the draft, while 2024 Utah Mammoth selection Ludvig Lafton has arrived in North America with a bang, putting in general-type performances from the back-end.
Stock Rising 📈
Ryan Rucinski, C/RW, Youngstown Phantoms (Buffalo Sabres)
Going from one of the USHL’s most likeable players to its most dominant, Ryan Rucinski is quickly repaying the Sabres’ trust in drafting him and the Phantoms in giving him the C. He sits in joint at the top of the scoring charts with the next riser on the list, and they share similarities, from an undersized frame to an above-average motor and scoring built more on instincts than raw talent.
Youngstown has amassed the second-most points in the league since this weekend’s wins against Tri-City, wrapping up a strong back half of November, in which Rucinski collected 12 points en route to four victories in their past five games.
With a 62% efficiency on the dot (via InStat), Rucinski is a faceoff maestro with an irreproachable competitive drive and a thirst for crashing the low slot. It ain’t always pretty, but it’s as effective as it is projectable to breed success at higher levels. He’s got a knack for getting involved in the thick of things at the net-front and popping out into a half-foot of space right as a passing lane opens up to snap a quick release off the catch, beating goaltenders with quickness rather than power.
In short, Rucinski has been near impossible for USHL defenders to contain all game long. He outworks his opponents, thinks quicker than them, and leverages each little advantage he creates with an intensity that would make an NHL coach in the playoffs proud. Rucinski looks primed for an impactful year at Ohio State next season and adds to the bottom-six depth in the Sabres’ system.
Alex Pelletier, LW, Lincoln Stars (Free Agent)
An undrafted forward in the midst of a breakout campaign, Alex Pelletier has not only led the USHL in points for most of the past month, but he’s looking like a shrewd recruitment by Boston College. His lack of high-end mechanics may have kept him from hearing his name called at the NHL draft. However, the resulting pressure to stay a step ahead mentally has broken the dam offensively for Pelletier and proved to be life-saving for a Lincoln team seemingly destined to finish at the bottom of the standings just a few short months ago.
His 21 goals in 19 games have come not from a special release or dynamic mitts, but rather clever delays, strong off-puck timing, and a knack for jumping on loose pucks like a rabid dog. He’s not the smoothest or most efficient skater, but has won most of his races this season through sheer will, anticipation, and pro-style routes curved to cut off recovering defenders.
While Pelletier is no longer eligible for the NHL Draft, he will have a prominent platform to earn an entry-level deal with the Eagles, projecting as an eventual valuable middle-six checker and facilitator in Boston. For the time being, the Granby, Connecticut native is giving defenders all over the USHL nightmares, lurking in the shadows and emerging in the slot at just the right moment.
Landon Hafele, LW/C, Green Bay Gamblers (2026 NHL Draft)
For a second time this season, Landon Hafele lands among our USHL risers, seeming well on his way to compete for a top-64 selection on draft day and growing into a play-driving sparkplug for the Green Bay Gamblers, their beating heart. The Arizona State University commit leads draft-eligible players league-wide with 22 points through 20 games, creating through an advantage-creating motor and seemingly bottomless energy reserves.
Among the league’s most disruptive checkers, Hafele latches onto contended pucks like a dog to a bone. This ability will give him a fallback game as he progresses up the ranks, remaining effective no matter the impact of his skill, as he showcased last season as a depth piece on the U18 NTDP. What could cause his stock to truly skyrocket, however, is his runway as a playmaker, as Head of Scouting, Mitch Brown, wrote in a November 21 game report:
Though he's not finding every lane and the touch on his passes leads to completion issues, the vision adds an interesting wrinkle to his projection, giving him a real chance to become an effective high-speed two-way forward in the NHL. If he can lean on that playmaking ability instead of forcing outside drives and 1-on-1s as much, watch out. He looks like a potential B-grade prospect.
Ludvig Lafton, LD, Dubuque Fighting Saints (Utah Mammoth)
Ludvig Lafton may be a Norwegian defenceman, but his years developing in Sweden shine through his style of defending. The Mammoth prospect moves with lateral fluidity, activates frequently as a third attacker, and makes opponents bite with deceptive eyes and precision as a no-look passer. He’s earned huge minutes as Dubuque’s primary blueline puck-mover, offensive quarterback, and capable play-killer, emerging as one of the league’s premier offensive blueliners, trailing just a single defender in scoring league-wide.
Lafton’s confidence in his superior edges at this level permits him to keep suffocating gaps through the neutral zone, standing out for his temperance. Where most USHL defencemen look to stab at pucks as soon as they enter range, the Norwegian bides his time and picks his spots, a luxury earned by sticking to forwards like glue through quick direction changes and gear shifts.
As one of just three NHL-drafted players in his position, Lafton was expected to dominate this season, but he has surpassed even those lofty expectations, winning his minutes on most nights while insulating his team defensively as much as he threatens the other offensively. Yet to commit to a college program, it will be interesting to see where his career leads next season, but he looks primed to play professional minutes in the next three years with his promising development curve.
Stock Steady ↔️
Mace’o Phillips, LD, Green Bay Gamblers (Calgary Flames)
The most imposing man in the USHL has been as advertised this season. Mace’o Phillips is the physical play-killing presence Green Bay acquired him to be, landing thunderous checks and logging more than his fair share of minutes in the box, 68 in 17 games to be precise. As was the case last season, the big man’s value is not reflected in his production, logging just four points on the year and keeping his puck touches short and aiming to connect, not create, offensively.
That punishing defensive game, leaving opponents painted black and blue, will remain Phillips’ calling card at every level, but we’d love to see some growth in his puck-moving habits and passing precision. His most daring on-puck sequences come as a passer in the breakout, spotting high–value options and – perhaps over-estimating his skill – pulling the trigger on those plays frequently, leading to many icings and lost possessions. With improved risk assessment and accuracy, there is a pathway to a more diverse impact.
Stock Falling 📉
Blake Zielinski, RW/C, Des Moines Buccaneers (2026 NHL Draft)
From Stock Steady a month ago to firmly in the falling category, Blake Zielinski’s skill has remained impressive in flashes, but his lack of translatable patterns and mature two-way details has both led to stagnating performances and increased concerns in his NHL projection. This came across more in the viewings than in the end product, as his four points in five USHL appearances are nothing to scoff at.
Coming into the season off the back of a potent scoring display at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup over the summer, where he scored nine points in five games, Zielinski’s NHL projectable handling and shooting skill were fresh on our minds. We still see these abilities, but only ever in flashes. Too often, he chases play with a lower footspeed and is limited by his skating. In moments, he’s shown a checking game, winning pucks with second and third efforts, but on other shifts, he resorts to gliding through his defensive assignments with only the occasional scan of what’s happening behind him.
Zielinski has the talent to find himself among the USHL’s few true game-breakers and to earn a top-50 selection at the upcoming NHL Draft, but inconsistency and limited glimpses of chaining together skill plays have made him more of a middle-round projection in our eyes. There’s still a fair amount of time to turn things around, but his USNTDP call-up to face Team CHL at the showcase displayed his lack of fallback impact if the skill doesn’t carry him, getting overwhelmed in a depth checking role.
