Connelly and Vaisanen earn their second USHL weekly honors
The USHL announced the Players of the Week for Week 28 on Monday.
Forward: Trevor Connelly, Tri-City Storm
Really no surprise here: Tri-City Storm forward Trevor Connelly (2024) put up huge numbers in two games last week.
The Providence commit scored four goals with four assists, racking up eight points and 14 shots on goal. Connelly also had a plus-minus rating of +2. His four-goal, eight-point performance led all USHL skaters last week.
In a 6-3 home win over Sioux Falls last Saturday, Connelly scored twice and had two assists. In the Friday game against the Stampede, he had two goals and two assists in a 6-5 shootout loss.
The 18-year-old ranks second in the USHL in scoring with 78 points, having scored 31 goals with 47 assists in 52 games played.
This is Connelly's second time being named USHL Forward of the Week this year. He also earned the weekly honors back in Week 15.
Defenseman: Joona Väisänen, Dubuque Fighting Saints
Dubuque Fighting Saints defenseman Joona Vaisanen had an impressive performance last week, contributing to the team's two wins in three games.
The Finnish blueliner scored one goal and two points, with a +2 plus-minus rating and two shots on goal.
In the team's 4-2 victory over Chicago last Saturday, he scored a goal and collected the primary assist on Erik Pahlsson's 25th tally of the year.
Vaisanen leads all Dubuque defensemen in scoring with 39 points, including nine goals and 30 assists in 52 games. He has been awarded USHL Defenseman of the Week twice this year.
Goalie: Calvin Vachon, Waterloo Black Hawks
Calvin Vachon has emerged as the go-to netminder in Waterloo this season. The Black Hawks goalie played in three game last week, compiling a 2-1-0-0 record.
Vachon allowed only four goals while making 69 saves, good for a 1.35 goals-against average and a 0.945 save percentage.
In the game against Cedar Rapids on Saturday, he turned aside 28 of 29 shots in Waterloo's lopsided 8-1 win. On Friday, he had 14 saves on 15 shots in a 7-1 victory over Omaha.
Against Dubuque last Tuesday, he stopped 27 shots and played well enough to earn a win. However, Waterloo was unable to find any offense in a 2-0 loss.
Overall, this season, Vachon has a record of 22-11-0-0, with a 2.76 goals-against average and a 0.905 save percentage with two shutouts.