USHL 2024-25 Season Preview: Breaking Down Key Returners Across The Eastern Conference

The 2024-25 USHL season is right around the corner. To help get you ready, The Hockey News' USHL writer Ryan Sikes is looking at one key returner you need to know on all eight Eastern Conference teams.

Let's dive in.

Amine Hajibi, F

Hajibi is back after a mid-season trade from Green Bay to Cedar Rapids saw the forward enjoy a breakout 2023-24 season. The Montreal native led the RoughRiders with 46 points broken down into 11 goals and 35 assists in 63 games played.

Hajibi's offense was on full display over the last month, as he forced a whopping 22 shots on goal over his final seven games and recorded points in six of those. He will headline Cedar Rapids' forward group this season.

Gavin Cornforth, F (2025)

Dubuque loses a lot from their Eastern Conference-winning roster, but Gavin Cornforth could experience a breakout year stepping into a top-six forward role. The Boston College commit returns as a third-year player in this league after recording career bests in goals (15), assists (17), and points (32).

Cornforth was a significant contributor on the power play for the Saints last year, tallying eight goals and 14 points. He will most likely step into a leadership role, given the roster turnover, with the goal of guiding the Saints back to the Clark Cup Finals.

Finn Brink, F

The Capitols are losing a bunch of scoring to the NCAA, including 40-goal scorer Austin Burnevik, so Finn Brink will look to bridge the gap as a third-year player. The Wisconsin commit finished with five goals and 15 assists for 20 points in 42 games played last season, but his season was cut short in late February.

Brink will look for more consistency this coming season. All five of his goals were scored within his first seven games, including a first-period hat trick in Madison's home opener, but he went the remainder of the season without finding the back of the net.

Will Moore, F (2025)

Will Moore headlines the NTDP U18 team this year after a wildly successful 2023-24 season with the U17s. The Boston College commit recorded 43 points on 23 goals and 20 assists in 50 games played.

He was so good for Team USA at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and led all skaters with 12 points broken down into five goals and seven assists in a seven-game sample.

I had a chance to see Moore in person last year when he came through Chicago. I love how well he uses his 6-foot-2, 161-pound frame to play a heavy down-the-middle game as a center and pairs that with his quick hands to make plays in tight quarters.

Louka Cloutier, G (COL)

Cloutier went from a relatively unknown prospect to NHL Draft prospect in the hockey sphere. The University of Nebraska-Omaha commit was worked in slowly to begin the year and eventually handled the lion's share of goaltending duties for Chicago.

The 17-year-old's numbers do not reflect how well he actually played: 3.68 goals-against average and 0.904 save percentage with one shutout in 34 games played. As a result, he caught the attention of the Colorado Avalanche in the fifth round, 132nd overall, of the 2024 NHL draft.

Cloutier will be an excellent 1-2 punch in net for the Steel this season, along with 2024 USHL Phase II pick and former NTDP goaltender Jack Parsons.

Lev Katzin, F (2025)

Katzin had a quiet finish to the regular season but picked up his game in the playoffs as the Gamblers secured a trip to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.

The former tender signing got off to a hot start in Green Bay with seven points (2-5-7) through his first three games. He finished with ten goals and 33 points in 57 games played.

While smaller in stature, listed at 5-foot-8 and 172 pounds, Katzin does a terrific job of finding the soft areas of the ice for scoring opportunities and possesses terrific vision to get his teammates involved.

Xavier Veilleux, D (NYI)

Veilleux is back for his second full USHL season and returns as a New York Islanders prospect after being taken in the sixth round of the 2024 NHL draft. 

The 18-year-old is one of the best puck-moving defensemen in the league and recorded 32 points on three goals and 29 assists a season ago.

Veilleux was so good as a puck distributor in all three zones, especially his first pass on the breakout. The defenseman will look to shoot the puck on net more after registering just a 5.5 percent shot rate in 2023-24.

Mikey Burchill, F

Burchill headlines a loaded Youngstown roster that will look to capture its second Clark Cup championship in a three-year span. The Michigan commit returns as a third-year player after recording 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points for the Phantoms in 2023-24.

Burchill shot the puck at less than a 10 percent clip last year, a number that should increase (and therefore the goal total) as he steps into more of a leadership role on top of continuing to be an all-situations player this season.