PLYMOUTH, MI – For the first time this season, the Muskegon Lumberjacks take on the USA Hockey National Team Development Program's Under-18 Team. The third overall matchup of the season between the Jacks and Program, a home-and-home earlier this month, saw the home team win both games between the Jacks and the Under-17 team.
The '18s haven't played a game in the USHL since week 2 of the season, when they dropped a pair of games against the Youngstown Phantoms. Since then, they have lost all seven of their games against NCAA opponents. The Lumberjacks, on the other hand, are the first-place team in the USHL and look for redemption after suffering their first loss of the season at USA Hockey Arena against the Under-17 team on October 10
th.
Week 7 Preview: Battle of Michigan
This single-game week 7 is the first of five meetings between the Lumberjacks and the Under-18 Team. It is always interesting to look at how the NTDP performs year by year across age groups. Each team joins the USHL in their Under-17 season and plays two seasons, including their draft year. So, every season, the Under-18 team is the same roster as the previous season's Under-17 squad with a few exceptions.
Last season against the Under-17 Team, the Jacks were a perfect 6-0, outscoring the NTDP 34-12 in the season series. That was last season, though, and there is no period when a player sees more development in their game than the offseason before their draft year.
In USHL play, the Under-18 Team is 1-2-1-0 after splitting the Fall Classic with an OT loss to Fargo and a win over Tri-City. They then fell at home in a weekend series against Youngstown in Week 2. Since the opening weeks of the season, the Program has played seven games against NCAA Division I opponents. All of them have gone into the loss column.
Maybe the biggest storyline for the Under-18 Team is the departure of J.P. Hurlbert to the Western Hockey League over the offseason. In 34 USHL games last season, Hurlbert led the entire NTDP with 31 points. Now with the Kamloops Blazers, Hurlbert has 28 points in 15 WHL games.
The Lumberjacks, meanwhile, have maybe the biggest addition of the season in the USHL in
Tynan Lawrence (Fredericton, NB, CAN), who returned to the lineup from the injured reserve last week. In a pair of games, Lawrence recorded a goal and an assist, but his biggest contributions came off the score sheet.
Lawrence is praised for his ability to impact the game at both ends of the ice, and he did just that. He saw time during every power play and penalty kill over the weekend, and at 5-on-5, his line was rarely caught in the defensive zone for an extended period of time.
Without Lawrence in the lineup, the Jacks started the season 8-2 and held a share of first place in the USHL through five weeks. Adding the top player in the league back to the top roster in the league should bring a lot of exciting hockey for Jacks fans starting this weekend against the Under-18 Team.
The youngest player on the Lumberjacks,
Ty Bergeron (Flat Rock, MI), signed a tender agreement with the team last season and has shown throughout the first six weeks of the 2025-26 campaign why.
He is plus-sized for a 16-year-old at 6'1, 188 pounds, and uses it well. Bergeron affects the game more with physicality than skill. As his time in the USHL continues, you can expect his skill to start to show. Last season, he recorded 107 points in 69 games at the 15U AAA level. This year, his role has shifted towards making a difference without the puck.
Over the Airwaves
FloHockey is the official live stream partner of the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Follow along all season long on FloHockey, or with a free internet radio feed available on Mixlr and the Lumberjacks Hockey Network, with Voice of the Jacks,
Ezra Gennello.
Thirty minutes to puck drop every game day, the West Michigan Honda Dealers Pregame Show takes place on Facebook Live. New for this season, the whole pregame show will be available on FloHockey before all Lumberjacks home games.
Upcoming Games
Thurs. October 30 | 7:00 pm ET | at USNTDP Under-18
Fri. November 7 | 7:00 pm ET | vs Des Moines
Sat. November 8 | 6:00 pm ET | vs Des Moines
Sun. November 9 | 3:00 pm ET | vs Chicago
Follow the Jacks
Be sure to follow the Muskegon Lumberjacks on social media!
Facebook - Muskegon Lumberjacks
Twitter - @MuskegonJacks
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TikTok – @muskegonlumberjacks
About the Muskegon Lumberjacks
The Muskegon Lumberjacks are proud and dedicated members of the United States Hockey League (USHL), the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league and leading producer of NCAA players and National Hockey League draft picks in the United States. The club's goal is to create an environment where student-athletes develop into successful young men both on and off the ice, including playing the game the right way while maintaining their academic focus in the classroom and staying actively involved in the West Michigan community. The organization is committed to providing high-quality, affordable, and top-notch family entertainment while serving as positive role models for the youth and local community.
