The Madison Capitols have seen a number of players step up during their nine-game point streak, including the emergence of forward Ryker Lee and goaltender Caleb Heil.
Leadership and goaltending.
The Madison Capitols are leaning on both during the team's seven-game win streak and nine-game point streak. Both are the longest active streaks in the USHL.
Most recently, the Caps took a pair of 4-1 wins to complete the weekend sweep over Youngstown.
Through the first 13 games, Madison owns a 9-2-1-1 record, good for second place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Caps have scored the second-most goals (51) in the USHL and are tied for the fewest (31) allowed. The stats underscore how a balanced offensive attack has complemented their goaltending.
However, Madison's early-season results are a continuation of last year's turnaround. First-year head coach Andy Brandt led the effort from a last-place finish in 2022-23 to a playoff berth.
New leadership meant new routines, and that began with how the team practiced.
"From the time we stepped on the ice on August 28 up until even today, our practices are outstanding. They're competitive. They're energetic," Brandt said. "It's been a really fun group to coach because of our work ethic day in and day out."
Practice how you play, as the saying goes.
From the top down, Madison's leadership group on the ice has passed along winning habits and held themselves accountable.
Forwards Finn Brink and Aiden Long, along with defenseman Charlie Michaud—who all wear letters this season—were essential to Madison's revival last year. These three witnessed firsthand what was required each day and what winning looked like.
"I do attribute a lot of our success here to the guys that returned from last year in terms of the culture we tried, or we wanted to implement through the course of last year and then carry over to this year," said Brandt.
Additionally, defenseman Colton Jamieson, who played in 55 games last season, is another key returning player. While he does not wear a letter, he understands that the little details matter in the team's preparation.
This select group has been responsible for welcoming the next wave of talent that Madison has identified through the USHL Draft and key trades.
Ryker Lee, Diego Johnson, Mason Moe, and John Stout were among the players who saw time in the second half of Madison's playoff race.
While it is difficult to gauge anything from a small size, the experience of understanding the USHL's style of play aided in the team getting off to a good start this season.
Lee, especially, has emerged as not only one of the top rookies but also the best players in the league this season. The Michigan State commit's 14 points are tied for the third-most among all skaters in the league, while his 40 shots are the fourth-most.
"I think everybody knows what Ryker brings to the table in terms of his offensive ability, his creativity, his brain," said Brandt. "It's fun to watch him play, but I don't think people necessarily give him enough credit for what he does day in and day out.
"He's a driver for us in practice when it comes to his work ethic and his compete level. Like every rep for Ryker Lee, whether it's a skills rep or whether it's a systematic rep, it's important to him, and our guys see that.
"Ryker doesn't wear a letter for us, but he's certainly a leader for us in that regard in terms of how he approaches every day and how hard he works in practice. He's the life of our practice at times, vocally having fun out there."
You can add forward Bobby Cowan to the list of offensive contributors this season.
The 18-year-old, who had just one goal and six points in 20 games for Omaha last season, was acquired in a one-for-one trade in late July to bolster Madison's offense.
Cowan spent most of last season with Edina High School (Minnesota), where he potted a team-leading 24 goals and registered the second-most points (45).
He kicked off his season with a bang, registering three goals in two games at the USHL Fall Classic. Cowan has amassed seven on the season, which is the second-most in the league to go along with 13 points.
"Bobby's shot is on another level," said Brandt. "His release and how it jumps off his stick, he can score from anywhere on the ice. When you give him a little bit of time and space, he can pick his spots and absolutely wire the puck.
"It was a good trade for us just in terms of what we needed. We thought we needed to add some scoring. Bobby's obviously done that up to this point. I also think that he and Egor (Barabanov) have connected pretty well and have been able to mesh pretty well since Egor got here. Those two, they feed off each other certainly."
In addition to the team's offensive threats, Madison made a couple of draft-day trades to bolster their goaltending room. The Caps acquired Caleb Heil from Sioux Falls and Ajay White from Sioux City.
The former skated primarily in a secondary role for the Stampede last season. However, Heil also gained valuable experience on the international stage. Now, he is getting his chance to prove himself as a featured netminder.
The North Dakota commit owns the second-best goals-against average (2.12) and the fourth-best save percentage (.917) among USHL goaltenders.
Much of his success this season can be attributed to Madison's approach with the young netminder. Upon arrival, the Caps sat down with Heil and discussed what worked, what hadn't worked, and where he felt he could improve.
"He was really honest with himself," Brandt said of Heil. "I think anytime a young player can look in the mirror and take some responsibility for times that things don't go well, you get excited as a coach because you know that they're motivated now by some of their mistakes or some of the things they needed to learn from.
"I think (goaltending coach) Shane Connelly has done an absolutely fantastic job with both of our goalies, all of our goalies, all four of them, in two years. I think he's done a good job of creating a relationship with Caleb, just in terms of how he coaches him. I don't necessarily think he wants to change Caleb. I just think that he's there to push both of our goalies, Ajay and Caleb, every day.
"He's a guy that they feel confident and comfortable with in terms of using him as a resource to talk goalie language and watch video together. Yes, Caleb is off to obviously an unbelievable start, but I think that's attributed to two things. It's attributed to his self-recognition of maybe why things didn't work, and I think it's attributed to Shane (Connelly) and the amount of work he puts in with Caleb."
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