Jack Pechar has played 100 USHL games and he currently leads the Stars with 28 points

LINCOLN, Neb. – Jack Pechar has played plenty of hockey over his three years with the Lincoln Stars.

The New York native got his feet wet during the 2022-23 season, appearing in 14 games as an affiliate player, and played in all 62 games last winter – along with 24 so far this year. The five games he missed came for good reason too, as Pechar helped Team USA win a gold medal at the World Junior A Challenge last month.

However, Pechar hit the century mark on New Year’s Eve and scored Lincoln’s third goal in a 4-1 win over Omaha, continuing his strong start to the season.

The Northeastern commit enters this weekend tied for fifth in the USHL with 28 points and Pechar’s experience is paying off. He’s now one of 25 active USHL players with 100 or more career games played.

“I’ve been in the league for a while now so I think I’m just really comfortable with the speed and pace, and you know what it takes to be successful,” Pechar told The Hockey News. “I’ve been playing with a bunch of really good players too and I think my game has been developing pretty well, and I’ve just tried to lead by example and do all the little things the right way.”

Pechar has been one of Lincoln’s top players as he owns a team-leading 28 points (11-17-28) and is one of four players tied for the team goal lead. Lincoln has lit the lamp a USHL-leading 110 times through its first 29 games.

The right-shot forward has earned a key role on Lincoln’s power play – which ranks second in the USHL at 28% – and seen time on the penalty kill, while also wearing a letter as one of the Stars’ assistant captains.

He’s returned from the break on fire too, as Pechar netted a hat trick and an assist in a Dec. 28 win over Tri-City and scored the above-mentioned goal against Omaha.

Pechar has points in five straight, he’s recorded points in 10 of his past 12 USHL games and has 16 points (8-8-16) over his past eight.

“As a young player you’re just trying to soak up everything and you’re not really in a huge role, so every game is huge and I’d say my (experience) has helped me a ton this season,” Pechar said. “Even from this time last year or two years ago until now, I think I’ve had a lot of growth.

“You know you have more time than you think with the puck and you can play at the speed, and you can build off games. So each game you get a little bit better and you know what to expect, and you can play with a little more confidence out there.”

That confidence is certainly showing up to this point.

“Jack’s always been confident in his ability but I think we’ve really seen the offensive side of his game continue to develop and he’s been one of the most dangerous players in our league this season,” said head coach Rocky Russo. “He’s got a lot of poise with the puck and he’s shown he can make plays, and he’s got great linemates too in Matt Maltais and Layne Loomer. And I think they’ve been able to feed off each other.

“One of Jack’s biggest strengths is recognizing the dangerous spots on the ice and he always gets himself in position to score or find his linemates, and he’s been able to generate a lot of offense for us.”

Russo said Pechar has taken “massive strides” when it comes to rounding out his 200-foot game and his plus-11 rating ranks second on Lincoln’s roster – trailing only Ethan Weber (plus-15) – and is tied for fourth among all USHL forwards.

The fourth-year coach also praised Pechar for how he’s handled the move from the wing to center, along with his ability to continue playing at a high level — despite teams paying more attention to him.

“I think his first year with us he recognized the value of being a defensively-responsible player and contributing when he could, and that carried through last season and we’ve seen that again this year,” Russo said. “Obviously he’s a threat to score when he’s out there, but he’s really become a very complete and reliable 200-foot player, and he’s basically a third defenseman out there.

“Jack’s taken on more of a leadership role too and he’s honestly the type of player a coach loves. He holds himself and his teammates accountable and he’s a very mature kid, so you can push him and challenge him and he always responds. I’m a firm believer he’s got a bright future and his best hockey is yet to be played.”

Pechar and the Stars currently sit third in the Western Conference with 38 points, just two behind Sioux Falls and Fargo. Lincoln has won three straight and besides a brief blip in early December, the Stars have been one of the USHL’s most consistent teams.

Lincoln (19-10-0) got off to a 9-2-0 start and enters the new year feeling much better than this time one year ago, as the Stars sat at 8-16-0-2.

Yet Pechar said those struggles are potentially paying dividends now, as it provided a young Lincoln roster with a number of learning lessons and helped the team grow through adversity, and they’re continuing to grow this season.

Pechar and the Stars hope they’re far from done growing too, and while it’s been a strong start, they’re hoping the success follows them into 2025.

“We had a really good group of returning guys from last year and everyone’s got another year under their belt, and the guys we added have been great from the start,” Pechar said. “I think we’re getting a lot of depth scoring and our goaltending has been really good, and everyone is contributing.

“So I think we’ve just really gelled together and we’re enjoying coming to the rink, and we’re a pretty deep team. That’s really translated onto the ice and we’ve had a lot of success so far.”