Ajay White joins me to discuss his first season in Fargo, the upcoming USHL playoffs and his commitment to the University of St. Thomas.
The Fargo Force are eyeing down another Clark Cup title with the United States Hockey League playoffs just waiting on the horizon.
The Force finished the regular season with a record of 38-19-3-2, good for second place in the Western Conference and will find themselves with one of the byes when the postseason begins.
One of the big factors in the Force’s success in 2025-26 has been the play of goaltender Ajay White. Through 42 games, White has posted a record of 26-12-3-1 with a 2.48 goals-against average and a 0.905 save percentage. During an interview earlier in the week, White spoke about what has helped take his game to a new level this year.
“For the first time really in my career, I’ve been able to get into a rhythm,” White said. “Getting into a lot of games has helped me build up my confidence, and it’s just been a big year for me.”
White is in his third season at the USHL level, having previously spent time with the Sioux City Musketeers, Madison Capitols, and now the Force. White has seen his numbers improve in all three years and spoke about how each spot has helped his game get to where it is today.
“All of the spots are unique, whether it’s the city or the people who support the teams,” White said. “One of the pros of being around a lot of teams is you get access to great resources; you meet a lot of people and work with many coaches. You are able to take a lot of different ideas from all of these coaches and implement them into your game.”
As for this season in Fargo, it has been a special campaign for the 19-year-old goalie as he looks to close out his junior career with a title.
“It’s been so much fun here in Fargo. We get treated like professionals and have so many resources available to us,” White said. “Our rink’s awesome, the fans are awesome, and they come out and support us every weekend. It’s been a lot of fun.”
The Force have won two Clark Cup titles in their franchise history, a number that White and the rest of his teammates hope to see grow this spring. During the interview, White touched on what it would mean to him to win a championship.
“It would be everything. At this point in our careers, championships are so hard to come by,” White said. “We have such a good team here, and everyone in the locker room believes we can do it. It’s the reason we all came back here in August, and it would mean the world to all of us.”
Upon completion of this season, White is going to be heading to the University of St. Thomas to join the Tommies, continuing on to the next level in the goaltender’s career.
“I thought it was a really cool idea to go be a part of a newer program. When I was talking and meeting with the coaching staff during my recruitment process, they had an idea of how they wanted to instill their culture, which they seem to have been able to do right away,” White said. “They have an unbelievable rink and everyone I’ve talked to has said that the atmosphere is amazing, so I’m super excited.”
The next level is going to be a good test for White, as it is for any player who makes the jump from junior hockey to the collegiate level. The goaltender has his sights set on achieving some of the goals he has laid out for himself in his career.
“I want to go to College and play well enough to earn a contract at the next level,” White said. “College is going to be a much longer process than junior and it’s going to require a lot of hard work, but I’m super excited to get started.”