MUSKEGON, MI – The Muskegon Lumberjacks kicked off the first half of their 2025 Clark Cup Championship title defense well with a 20-7-0-0 record. However, most of the seven losses came in the latter weeks of the first half, with the arrival of an injury bug and international tournaments forcing players out of the lineup. Now, after a couple of weeks, the Jacks return to the ice for the second half of the season, starting with a home-and-home series against the USNTDP Under-17 Team.
While the Jacks are still missing players due to the 2026 World Juniors and injuries, the time off should have provided a nice recharge before a weekend series against the USA Hockey National Team Development Program's Under-17 Team, whom the Jacks have outscored 16-7 in three games this season.
Week 14 Preview: No More Breaks, Now We Go
Because of the week-and-a-half-long break in the middle of the USHL season, it can feel like the 62-game regular season is actually two separate campaigns that share a record. The beginning of every season is spent finding your identity while trying to avoid getting yourself into a bad position. Because of the USHL playoff format with 6 out of 8 teams in each conference making the playoffs, wins and losses don't really matter in the first half.
The second half is where wins and losses matter. No more international tournaments (except for the U18 Championships in April), and reinforcements are available with affiliate players granted unlimited games after the youth/high school seasons end.
While the Lumberjacks did a great job in the first half of the season with a 20-7-0-0 record and the best point percentage in the USHL at .741, the team needs to start the second half off on the right foot.
Rudolfs Berzkalns (Cesis, LAT) and
Adam Belusko (Kosice, SVK) are both at the WJC. At the same time,
Viktor Norringer (Kungsbacka, SWE) and
Melvin Novotny (Stockholm, SWE) both ended the first half with upper-body injuries.
Aside from those four players, the Jacks are at full strength.
Tynan Lawrence (Fredericton, NB, CAN) returned to the lineup after missing a good chunk of games and came back in a big way with 13 points in 9 games.
Carter Sanderson (Pierre, SD) and
Danny Klaers (Wayzata, MN) are both back from the World Junior A Challenge, where they helped Team USA to a Gold Medal.
The 17's are also looking to find more success in the second half of the season. The start of the year is always rough for the NTDP, especially the Under-17 Team, which is playing junior hockey for the first time in their careers. Now with some experience under their belts, the offense should start to flow for the red, white, and blue. Watch for them to make Saturday and Sunday's games more competitive than the 6-0 and 6-4 final scores we saw earlier this season.
Player Profile: Will Schlechtweg
Plenty of players have made the jump from New England Prep to the USHL over the years.
Will Schlechtweg (Goshen, NY) is the latest to do so after the Lumberjacks added him over the holiday break. The 6'1, 185-pound forward makes the jump to Junior Hockey after starting the season with electric numbers in the youth and prep school circuits.
If you're not familiar with the structure of high school hockey, the season typically doesn't start until late November. This leads many high-end players to start the season playing 16U or 18U AAA club hockey before transitioning to their school team. Schlechtweg started the season with the Yale Jr. Bulldogs 18U AAA team, where he was nearly a 2-point per game producer with 51 in 26 games played.
Schlechtweg then joined his team at the Kent School, where again, he produced points at an exceptional rate. His 21 points in 10 games put him 5
th in the nation in ppg at 2.10. His size allows him to dominate in a power forward role, and while the USHL brings bigger, stronger competition than prep school, Schlechtweg still has the skill to make a difference on the ice.
NCAA Division I coaches took notice of Schlechtweg's game over the first half of the season, leading to a commitment to the University of Maine. After his Junior Hockey career, Schlechtweg will be a Black Bear in the Hockey East Association. Before then though, he now has an opportunity to attract the attention of NHL scouts and hear his name called at the 2026 NHL Draft.
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. Saturday's game will not be available on FloHockey, but will be on USAHockeyTV with the voice of the NTDP, Pete Kruspksy
Thirty minutes to puck drop every game day, tune into the Pregame Show on Facebook Live. New for this season, the whole pregame show will be available on FloHockey before all Lumberjacks home games.
Upcoming Games
Sat. December 27 | 7:00 pm EST | at USNTDP Under-17 Team
Sun. December 28 | 3:00 pm EST | vs USNTDP Under-17 Team
Fri. January 2 | 7:00 pm EST | vs Cedar Rapids
Sat. January 3 | 6:00 pm EST | vs Cedar Rapids
Follow the Jacks
Be sure to follow the Muskegon Lumberjacks on social media!
Facebook - Muskegon Lumberjacks
Twitter - @MuskegonJacks
Instagram - @muskegonjacks
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, 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.
