MUSKEGON, MI – After a busy month of travel in February, the Muskegon Lumberjacks are glad to turn the calendar to March and kick off a lengthy stretch of home games starting with a week 24 meeting against the Lincoln Stars at Trinity Health Arena.
The return home comes with an opportunity to set the tone for a playoff push. While the start of the season featured a 15-1-0-0 start on home ice for the Jacks, since the start of 2026, the Jacks are holding on to a 2-5-0-1 record on home ice, but vibes are high after a weekend sweep in Omaha last week.
Week 24 Preview: A Battle of Champions
For the first time this season, the defending Clark Cup and Anderson Cup Champions take to the same ice. The Lumberjacks, coming off the first Clark Cup in franchise history, are on their way towards the first repeat champion since 1994 when the Omaha Lancers lifted the cup in consecutive years. The Lincoln Stars are a stone's throw away from competing for the Anderson Cup, the USHL's regular-season championship, but remain in the hunt to lift a trophy for the second consecutive season.
There is a reason, though, that of the last ten seasons, only two featured a double champion between the Clark and Anderson Cups. More often than not, learning how to battle adversity and working through struggles in the regular season leads to success in the postseason. That was the story for the Lumberjacks last season, who had a tough middle portion of the season before heating up at the transition to the Clark Cup Playoffs and running the table to the end. Lincoln, meanwhile, had a phenomenal regular season but fell in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals to the Waterloo Black Hawks.
While the 2025-26 season looks different for Lincoln, it is eerily similar for the Lumberjacks. Look at the offense. A smaller-sized, top-line center that plays bigger than his size. Last year was
David Deputy; this season,
Drew Stewart (Minnetonka, MN). The high-IQ forward who creates opportunities for himself and his teammates. Sounds like
Tynan Lawrence and
Melvin Novotny (Stockholm, SWE). And finally, a big-bodied power forward with an NHL shot.
Ivan Ryabkin and
Viktor Norringer (Kungsbacka, SWE).
On the back end,
Danny Klaers (Wayzata, MN) continues to lead the group, but the addition of
Branko Vukas (Dyer, IN) gives the Jacks a
Bauer Berry-Esque defenseman, while
Nathan Larioza (Los Gatos, CA) is viewed as a similar defenseman to
Xavier Veilleux. A pair of guys who are responsible in their own zone but also help on the offensive end.
The biggest similarity from 2024-25 to this season is how spread out the offense is. One player doesn't provide all the scoring for the Lumberjacks. While only one Lumberjack was over a point per game last season, three Jacks are at that mark this season.
The moral of the story is don't panic at the thought of being the 4 seed, or a couple of losses in the middle of the season. The Jacks feature a deep roster with talent at every position. There is no guarantee of a championship, but the Jacks have built a roster and culture that can get the job done.
Countdown to 500: Lumberjacks at 498 Wins All-Time
A pair of wins in Omaha means just a pair of wins remain until the Lumberjacks reach 500 in the USHL. As we count down the wins to the half-century mark, we are taking a look at some of the biggest names that have contributed to the win total over the past 15 seasons. This week, we look at the best seasons in Lumberjacks history.
100 Point Scorers in Lumberjacks History:
- 2018-19, 41-17-3-1, 86 pts. (Lost in Conference Semi-Finals)
- 2024-25, 38-16-4-4, 84 pts. (Won Clark Cup)
- 2020-21*, 34-16-2-2, 72 pts. (Lost in Conference Semi-Finals)
- 2016-17, 37-18-3-2, 79 pts. (Lost in First Round)
- 2025-26**, 32-18-0-1, 65 pts. (TBD)
*Season shortened due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
** Current season. Still 11 games to play
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, 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
Fri. March 6 | 7:00 pm EST | vs Lincoln Stars
Sat. March 7 | 6:00 pm EST | vs Lincoln Stars
Fri. March 13 | 7:00 am EDT | vs Chicago Steel
Sat. March 14 | 7:05 pm EST | at Chicago Steel
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.
