What a USHL tender means and which players are tendered now

It’s one of the most interesting facets of building a USHL roster — tendering players.

Since the league put the rule in place in 2012, tendering allows USHL teams to secure players before the USHL Draft. An organization can tender up to two players each season and forfeit their Phase I first and second-round picks in exchange for the rights to that player.

However, it provides certainty on both ends as the player is taken off the draft board and will be on their respective team’s roster the next season. A total of 88 players were tendered from 2012 through 2022 and another nine are currently tendered for next season.

Below you’ll find a year-by-year and team-by-team look at the USHL’s tender history, along with some other fast facts.

*Players marked with an asterisk are currently playing in the USHL*

Cameron Aucoin (Muskegon)
Sascha Boumedienne (Youngstown)
Masun Fleece (Fargo)
Matthew Grimes (Sioux Falls)
Lev Katzin (Green Bay)
Liam Kilfoil (Dubuque)
Zachary Morin (Youngstown)
Lukas Sawchyn (Chicago)
Cooper Simpson (Tri-City)

***Teams can tender players up until April 29, 2023. The USHL Draft begins on May 2, 2023.

*Sacha Boisvert (Muskegon)
*Macklin Celebrini (Chicago)
*Trevor Connelly (Tri-City)
*Will Felicio (Madison)
*Michael Hage (Chicago)
*Owen Keefe (Muskegon)
*Keith McInnis (Waterloo)
Matthew Virgilio (Tri-City)

*Tanner Adams (Tri-City)
Matthew Mania (Fargo)
*Gavin McCarthy (Muskegon)
*Jayden Perron (Chicago)
Carson Rehkopf (Muskegon)
*Andrew Strathmann (Tri-City)
*Tanner Walos (Fargo)

Vinny Borgesi (Tri-City)
Gavin Brindley (Tri-City)
Adam Fantilli (Chicago)
Michael LaStarza (Waterloo)
*Jake Livanavage (Chicago)
*Owen Mehlenbacher (Muskegon)
Ivan Miroshnichenko (Muskegon)
*Nick Pierre (Sioux City)
*Chase Pietila (Lincoln)

Matthew Argentina (Waterloo)
Davis Burnside (Tri-City)
Davis Codd (Youngstown)
Dylan Gratton (Muskegon)
Cameron McDonald (Sioux Falls)
Ryan Ufko (Chicago)

Colby Ambrosio (Tri-City)
Andrei Bakanov (Cedar Rapids)
Cameron Berg (Omaha)
Chase Bradley (Omaha)
Alex Gaffney (Muskegon)
Anthony Kehrer (Sioux City)
Isaac Novak (Des Moines)
Ruben Rafkin (Tri-City)
Wyatt Schingoethe (Waterloo)
Patrick Schmiedlin (Des Moines)
Ben Schoen (Youngstown)

Trevor Kuntar (Youngstown)
Robert Mastrosimone (Chicago)

Max Ellis (Youngstown)
Curtis Hall (Youngstown)
Cal Kiefiuk (Bloomington Thunder, now-defunct)
Christian Krygier (Lincoln)
Jaxon Nelson (Sioux Falls)
Emilio Pettersen (Omaha)
Jack Randl (Omaha)
Sampo Ranta (Sioux City)
Andrei Svechnikov (Muskegon)
T.J. Walsh (Cedar Rapids)

Mikey Anderson (Waterloo)
Joey Keane (Dubuque)
Graham Lillibridge (Muskegon)
Brannon McManus (Omaha)
Baron Thompson (Dubuque)
Eeli Tolvanen (Sioux City)
Jacob Tortora (Youngstown)
Liam Walsh (Cedar Rapids)

Hank Crone (Omaha)
Derek Daschke (Cedar Rapids)
Mitch Eliot (Muskegon)
Ty Farmer (Youngstown)
Willie Knierim (Dubuque)
Hugh McGing (Cedar Rapids)
Sam Rossini (Waterloo)

Cam Askew (Indiana Ice, now-defunct)
Christian Cakebread (Fargo)
Tory Dello (Tri-City)
Brent Gates Jr. (Green Bay)
Jake Henderson (Omaha)
Aaron O’Neill (Green Bay)
Ivan Provorov (Cedar Rapids)
Denis Smirnov (Indiana)
Chaz Switzer (Muskegon)

Chris Birdsall (Cedar Rapids)
Kyle Connor (Youngstown)
Keegan Ford (Dubuque)
Joshua Jacobs (Indiana)
Brendan Lemieux (Green Bay)
Jake Linhart (Green Bay)
Seamus Malone (Dubuque)
Ryan Mantha (Sioux City)
Paul O’Connor (Cedar Rapids)
J.J. Piccinich (Youngstown)
Ryan Tait (Omaha)

Bloomington: 1 (2016)
Cedar Rapids: 8 (2018)
Chicago: 8 (2023)
Des Moines: 2 (2018)
Dubuque: 6 (2023)
Fargo: 4 (2023)
Green Bay: 5 (2023)
Indiana: 3 (2013)
Lincoln: 2 (2020)
Madison: 1 (2022)
Muskegon: 13 (2023)
Omaha: 8 (2018)
Sioux City: 5 (2020)
Sioux Falls: 3 (2023)
Tri-City: 11 (2023)
Waterloo: 6 (2022)
Youngstown: 11 (2023)

Most tenders in one season: 11 (2012 & 2018)

Fewest tenders in one season: 2 (2017)

Current team with the most all-time tenders: Muskegon, 13

Current team with the fewest all-time tenders: Madison, 1

Current team with the longest tender drought: Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and Omaha, 2018.

Most recent tender: Lukas Sawchyn, Tri-City (April 24, 2023).

Tender limit: Teams can tender two players per season.

2023 USHL Draft: May 2 (Phase I) and May 3 (Phase II).