Green Bay Gamblers
| Green Bay Gamblers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin |
| League | USHL |
| Conference | Eastern |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Home arena | Resch Center |
| Colors | Black, yellow, white |
| Owner(s) | PMI Entertainment Group |
| General manager | Pat Mikesch (2014–19) |
| Head coach | Pat Mikesch (2014–19) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1994–present | Green Bay Gamblers |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 5 Anderson Cups (1995–96, 1996–97, 2008–09, 2009–10, and 2011–12) |
| Playoff championships | 4 Clark Cups (1996, 2000, 2010, and 2012) |
The Green Bay Gamblers are a Tier I junior ice hockey team in the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). They play in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, at the Resch Center.
History
Professional hockey in Green Bay
The first professional hockey team to be based in Green Bay was the Green Bay Bobcats who started playing in 1958 when the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena was built. There is some confusion over what league the team played in during its early years or if the team played in multiple leagues. Some sources cite that the Bobcats played in the U.S. Central Hockey League, a predecessor to the current United States Hockey League (USHL). Other sources claim that the Bobcats did not start playing in the USCHL until 1961. The Green Bay Bobcats franchise folded after the 1980-1981 season and 23 years of play. However, since the 2008-2009 season the Green Bay Gamblers have used a yellow bobcat prominently in the teams logo as well as having a bobcat by the name of "Ace" as the teams mascot.
Green Bay Gamblers
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2019) |
Since their inception into the United States Hockey League in 1994 the Green Bay Gamblers have been one of the premiere junior "A" hockey franchises in all of North America. To their credit the Gamblers have won two Junior A, Tier 2 National Championships (Gold Cups in 1996 and 1997), five Anderson Cups (1996, 1997, 2009, 2010, and 2012), four Clark Cups (1996, 2000, 2010, and 2012), four USHL Eastern Division titles, and one USHL Northern Division title. Since the USHL became Tier 1 in 2002, the Clark Cup also represents that level's national championship.
Home rinks
From when the Gamblers entered the league at the start of the 1994-1995 season through the 2001-2002 season, the team's primary venue was at the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena. For the start of the 2002-2003 season, the Gamblers moved into the Resch Center, an 8,800 seat arena which was built on the opposite side of Shopko Hall. The team played at the Memorial Arena a few times each season due to scheduling conflicts with the Resch Center until the arena was scheduled for demolition in 2019.
During the years at the Arena, other venues were sometimes used due to scheduling conflicts. These include the De Pere Ice & Recreation Center, the Brown County Youth Hockey Arena, the Cornerstone Community Center, Fond du Lac's Blue Line Ice Center, Beaver Dam Ice Arena, Greenheck Ice Center in Schofield.[citation needed]
Since 1994 the average attendance of a Gamblers Game is 3,353 people,[1] which is among the top in the USHL. In 2010, the Green Bay Gamblers set a USHL record for the highest attended playoff game when 8,487 fans showed up to see game five of the USHL Playoff championship, a game the Gamblers won resulting in franchise's third Clark Cup. The record has since been broken multiple times.[2]
Season-by-season record
Reference[3]
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | SOL | PTS | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–95 | 48 | 9 | 34 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 147 | 264 | — | 11th of 11 | Did not qualify |
| 1995–96 | 46 | 32 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 219 | 737 | — | 1st of 11 | Won Clark Cup |
| 1996–97 | 54 | 41 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 84 | 260 | 187 | 1882 | 1st of 6, North | Won Quarterfinals, 4–2 vs. Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks Won Semifinals, 4–3 vs. North Iowa Huskies Lost Championship, 4–0 vs. Lincoln Stars |
| 1997–98 | 56 | 31 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 51 | 157 | 183 | 1576 | 3rd of 6, North | Lost Quarterfinals, 4–0 vs. Des Moines Buccaneers |
| 1998–99 | 56 | 41 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 86 | 213 | 143 | 1568 | 1st of 4, East | Won Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Thunder Bay Flyers Lost Semifinals, 3–0 vs. Omaha Lancers |
| 1999–00 | 58 | 35 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 75 | 232 | 174 | 1318 | 2nd of 7, East | Won Quarterfinals, 3–1 vs. Waterloo Black Hawks Won Semifinals, 3–2 vs. Des Moines Buccaneers Won Championship, 4–1 vs. Twin City Vulcans |
| 2000–01 | 56 | 32 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 75 | 177 | 153 | 994 | 1st of 6, East | Lost Quarterfinals, 3–1 vs. Tri-City Storm |
| 2001–02 | 61 | 35 | 20 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 76 | 184 | 179 | 1257 | 1st of 6, East | Won Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Des Moines Buccaneers Lost Semifinals, 3–1 vs. Sioux City Musketeers |
| 2002–03 | 60 | 16 | 36 | — | 3 | 5 | 40 | 139 | 215 | 1341 | 5th of 5, East | Did not qualify |
| 2003–04 | 60 | 27 | 28 | — | 4 | 1 | 59 | 171 | 176 | 1144 | 5th of 6, East | Did not qualify |
| 2004–05 | 60 | 21 | 37 | — | 2 | 0 | 44 | 141 | 220 | 971 | 5th of 6, East | Did not qualify |
| 2005–06 | 60 | 30 | 26 | — | 1 | 3 | 64 | 182 | 183 | 1127 | 3rd of 6, East | Lost Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Des Moines Buccaneers |
| 2006–07 | 60 | 24 | 30 | — | 1 | 5 | 54 | 176 | 198 | 1317 | 4th of 6, East | Lost First Round, 4–0 vs. Indiana Ice |
| 2007–08 | 60 | 13 | 41 | — | 2 | 4 | 32 | 130 | 224 | 1346 | 6th of 6, East | Did not qualify |
| 2008–09 | 60 | 39 | 17 | — | 0 | 4 | 82 | 237 | 165 | 1363 | 1st of 6, East | Won Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Waterloo Black Hawks Lost Semifinals, 3–1 vs. Indiana Ice |
| 2009–10 | 60 | 45 | 10 | — | 2 | 3 | 95 | 212 | 140 | 1394 | 1st of 8, East | Won Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Waterloo Black Hawks Won Semifinals, 3–1 vs. Indiana Ice Won Championship, 3–2 vs. Fargo Force |
| 2010–11 | 60 | 41 | 15 | — | 2 | 2 | 86 | 189 | 131 | 790 | 2nd of 8, Eastern | Won Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Indiana Ice Won Semifinals, 3–1 vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Lost Championship, 3–1 vs. Dubuque Fighting Saints |
| 2011–12 | 60 | 47 | 9 | — | 2 | 2 | 98 | 250 | 138 | 882 | 1st of 8, Eastern | Won Quarterfinals, 3–1 vs. Youngstown Phantoms Won Semifinals, 3–0 vs. Indiana Ice Won Championship, 3–2 vs. Waterloo Black Hawks |
| 2012–13 | 64 | 37 | 23 | — | 3 | 1 | 78 | 234 | 207 | 1069 | 2nd of 8, Eastern | Lost Quarterfinals, 3–1 vs. Youngstown Phantoms |
| 2013–14 | 60 | 30 | 24 | — | 3 | 3 | 66 | 183 | 176 | 887 | 4th of 8, Eastern | Lost Quarterfinals, 3–1 vs. Indiana Ice |
| 2014–15 | 60 | 18 | 34 | — | 3 | 5 | 44 | 156 | 213 | 1010 | 9th of 9, Eastern | Did not qualify |
| 2015–16 | 60 | 37 | 16 | — | 4 | 3 | 81 | 191 | 135 | 881 | 2nd of 9, Eastern | Lost Quarterfinals, 3–1 vs. Dubuque Fighting Saints |
| 2016–17 | 60 | 34 | 22 | — | 2 | 2 | 72 | 173 | 145 | — | 5th of 9, Eastern | Did not qualify |
| 2017–18 | 60 | 30 | 24 | — | 4 | 2 | 66 | 172 | 170 | — | 3rd of 9, Eastern | Lost Quarterfinals, 2–0 vs. Dubuque Fighting Saints |
| 2018–19 | 62 | 19 | 34 | — | 6 | 3 | 47 | 173 | 250 | 967 | 8th of 9, Eastern | Did not qualify |
| 2019–20 | 48 | 24 | 19 | — | 2 | 3 | 53 | 168 | 147 | 840 | 3rd of 8, Eastern | Season cancelled |
Players
Current roster
As of October 11, 2019[update][4]
| No. | S/P/C | Player | Pos | Ht | Wt | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | College commitment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 
|
Brady Ziemer | D | 5' 9" | 180 lb | 2000-05-24 | Carver, Minnesota | Merritt (BCHL) | St. Cloud State |
| 6 | 
|
McKade Webster (C) | F | 5' 10" | 175 lb | 2000-07-28 | St. Louis, Missouri | Shattuck St. Mary's (USHS-Prep) | Denver |
| 7 | 
|
Dalton Wright | F | 5' 9" | 161 lb | 2002-08-24 | Hamburg, New York | Buffalo Jr. Sabres (OJHL) | Union |
| 8 | 
|
Jake Schmaltz | F | 6' 1" | 178 lb | 2001-04-24 | McFarland, Wisconsin | Chicago (USHL) | North Dakota |
| 9 |
|
Kyler Grundy | F | 6' 1" | 198 lb | 2000-04-19 | Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin | Minnesota (NAHL) | None |
| 10 | 
|
Chad Hillebrand | F | 6' 4" | 194 lb | 1999-01-22 | Park Ridge, Illinois | Central Illinois (USHL) | Alaska Anchorage |
| 13 | 
|
Xan Gurney (A) 
|
D | 6' 3" | 198 lb | 2000-05-28 | Grosse Ile, Michigan | Fargo (USHL) | Western Michigan |
| 15 | 
|
Camden Thiesing | F | 5' 11" | 171 lb | 2001-03-26 | Franklin, Tennessee | Chippewa (NAHL) | Ohio State |
| 16 |
|
Noah Ganske | D | 6' 5" | 190 lb | 1999-04-21 | Bloomington, Minnesota | Minnesota (NAHL) | Northern Michigan |
| 18 | 
|
Tyler Paquette | F | 6' 3" | 202 lb | 2001-03-18 | Collegeville, Pennsylvania | Des Moines (USHL) | Penn State |
| 19 | 
|
Jesse Tucker | F | 5' 11" | 178 lb | 2000-03-01 | Longlac, Ontario | North York (OJHL) | Lake Superior State |
| 20 |
|
Mason Lohrei (A) | D | 6' 4" | 200 lb | 2001-01-17 | Verona, Wisconsin | Culver Military Academy (USHS-Prep) | Ohio State |
| 26 | 
|
Luke Mylymok | F | 5' 10" | 184 lb | 2001-09-29 | Boise, Idaho | Notre Dame (SJHL) | Minnesota–Duluth |
| 27 |
|
Nicholas Zabaneh | F | 5' 10" | 182 lb | 2001-03-27 | Toronto, Ontario | St. Michael's (USHS-CA) | Boston University |
| 28 |
|
Braiden Simmons-Fischer | F | 6' 6" | 222 lb | 2002-01-26 | White Lake, Michigan | Compuware U16 (Midget AAA) | Western Michigan |
| 29 | 
|
Ryan O'Reilly (A) | F | 6' 3" | 202 lb | 2000-03-21 | Southlake, Texas | Fargo (USHL) | Arizona State |
| 33 |
|
Gavin Enright | G | 6' 0" | 161 lb | 1999-08-26 | Farmington, Minnesota | Kenai River (NAHL) | Bemidji State |
| 37 |
|
John Prokop | D | 6' 2" | 168 lb | 2001-05-13 | Wausau, Wisconsin | Muskegon (USHL) | Providence |
| 43 |
|
Dylan Wendt | F | 6' 0" | 187 lb | 2001-01-09 | Grand Haven, Michigan | Honeybaked U16 (HPHL U16) | Michigan |
| 50 |
|
Nicholas Grabko | G | 5' 11" | 172 lb | 2000-02-06 | Channahon, Illinois | Minot (NAHL) | None |
| 51 | 
|
Nicolas Petruolo | D | 6' 1" | 190 lb | 2000-01-29 | Neshanic, New Jersey | Jamestown (NAHL) | Union |
| 53 |
|
Benito Posa | F | 6' 1" | 191 lb | 1999-01-16 | Grand Blanc, Michigan | Central Illinois (USHL) | Lake Superior State |
| 55 | 
|
Gleb Murtazin | F | 6' 3" | 200 lb | 2000-10-26 | Penza, Russia | Amarillo (NAHL) | None |
| 61 |
|
Alexander Servagno | F | 5' 8" | 173 lb | 2002-08-16 | Gibsonia, Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh Penguins Elite (Midget AAA) | Ohio State |
| 72 |
|
Dylan Moulton | D | 6' 1" | 187 lb | 2001-04-24 | Nolensville, Tennessee | Chippewa (NAHL) | Miami |
Team captains
- Ryan Petersen (2004–05)
- Ryan Little (2007–08)
- Max Hartner (2011–12)
- Grant Arnold (2011–12)
- Ryan Lough (2013–14)
- Sam Saliba (2015–16)
- Jared Spooner (2016–17)
- Jackson Charlesworth (2017–18)
- Nick Leitner (2018–19)
- McKade Webster (2019–20)
Notable alumni
NHL
- Sean Backman
- Stu Bickel
- Justin Braun
- Alex Brooks
- Adam Burish
- Ryan Carter
- Ty Conklin
- Joey Crabb
- Austin Czarnik
- Sheldon Dries
- Jeff Finger
- Michael Forney
- Matt Greene
- Eric Gryba
- Nate Guenin
- Matt Jones
- Anders Lee
- Brendan Lemieux
- Dakota Mermis
- Sam Miletic
- Casey Mittelstadt
- Wes O'Neill
- Gustav Olofsson
- Victor Oreskovich
- Tom Preissing
- Vili Saarijarvi
- Jordan Schmaltz
- Nick Schmaltz
- Mike Sislo
- Tim Stapleton
- Andy Welinski
- Blake Wheeler
- Christian Wolanin
On March 25, 2013, former Gamblers head coach Jon Cooper was named the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.[5] He is the first USHL coaching alumnus to lead an NHL team. Former Gamblers head coach Derek Lalonde was hired by the Lightning as an assistant coach on July 12, 2018, joining Cooper's staff.[6]
NHL draft picks
Green Bay Gamblers have had the following players selected in the NHL draft.
| Year drafted | Player | Drafted team | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Aaron Miskovich | Colorado Avalanche | 5th round |
| Heath Gordon | Chicago Blackhawks | 6th round | |
| 1999 | Ed Hill | Nashville Predators | 2nd round |
| Stephan Baby | Atlanta Thrashers | 7th round | |
| Jeff Finger | Colorado Avalanche | 8th round | |
| 2000 | John Eichelberger | Philadelphia Flyers | 7th round |
| Jure Penko | Nashville Predators | 7th round | |
| 2002 | Matt Greene | Edmonton Oilers | 2nd round |
| Matt Jones | Phoenix Coyotes | 3rd round | |
| Nate Guenin | New York Rangers | 4th round | |
| Jake Taylor | New York Rangers | 6th round | |
| Joey Crabb | New York Rangers | 7th round | |
| Adam Burish | Chicago Blackhawks | 9th round | |
| 2004 | Blake Wheeler | Phoenix Coyotes | 1st round |
| Victor Oreskovich | Colorado Avalanche | 2nd round | |
| Kyle Klubertanz | Anaheim Ducks | 3rd round | |
| Wes O'Neill | New York Islanders | 4th round | |
| Spencer Dillon | Florida Panthers | 9th round | |
| Luke Beaverson | Florida Panthers | 9th round | |
| 2005 | Greg Beller | New York Rangers | 6th round |
| 2006 | Michael Forney | Atlanta Thrashers | 3rd round |
| Eric Gryba | Ottawa Senators | 3rd round | |
| Derrick LaPoint | Florida Panthers | 4th round | |
| 2007 | Justin Braun | San Jose Sharks | 7th round |
| 2009 | Nick Jensen | Detroit Red Wings | 6th round |
| Anders Lee | New York Islanders | 7th round | |
| 2010 | Ben Gallacher | Florida Panthers | 4th round |
| Christopher Crane | San Jose Sharks | 7th round | |
| 2011 | Andy Welinski | Anaheim Ducks | 3rd round |
| Adam Wilcox | Tampa Bay Lightning | 6th round | |
| Colin Sullivan | Montreal Canadiens | 7th round | |
| Alex Broadhurst | Chicago Blackhawks | 7th round | |
| Aaron Harstad | Winnipeg Jets | 7th round | |
| 2012 | Jordan Schmaltz | St. Louis Blues | 1st round |
| 2013 | Connor Hurley | Buffalo Sabres | 2nd round |
| Gustav Olofsson | Minnesota Wild | 2nd round | |
| 2014 | Nick Schmaltz | Chicago Blackhawks | 1st round |
| Brendan Lemieux | Buffalo Sabres | 2nd round | |
| Joe Wegwerth | Florida Panthers | 4th round | |
| Matt Berkovitz | Anaheim Ducks | 5th round | |
| Christopher Brown | Buffalo Sabres | 6th round | |
| 2015 | Vili Saarijarvi | Detroit Red Wings | 3rd round |
| Brent Gates Jr. | Anaheim Ducks | 3rd round | |
| Christian Wolanin | Ottawa Senators | 4th round | |
| Karch Bachman | Florida Panthers | 5th round | |
| Adam Parsells | San Jose Sharks | 6th round | |
| Adam Huska | New York Rangers | 7th round | |
| 2016 | Andrew Peeke | Columbus Blue Jackets | 2nd round |
| Rhett Gardner | Dallas Stars | 4th round | |
| 2017 | Casey Mittelstadt | Buffalo Sabres | 1st round |
| Maksim Zhukov | Vegas Golden Knights | 4th round | |
| 2018 | Ryan O'Reilly | Detroit Red Wings | 4th round |
| Demetrios Koumontzis | Calgary Flames | 4th round | |
| Jackson Perbix | Anaheim Ducks | 4th round | |
| David Hrenak | Los Angeles Kings | 5th round | |
| John Leonard | San Jose Sharks | 6th round | |
| 2019 | Michael Vukojevic | New Jersey Devils | 3rd round |
| McKade Webster | Tampa Bay Lightning | 7th round |
Olympics
Maris Ziedens appeared in the 2006 Winter Olympics for his native Latvia. Latvia finished 12th.
Blake Wheeler was selected to the United States national team for the 2014 Winter Olympics.[7] They finished 4th.
NCAA champions
Gamblers alumni have played on multiple NCAA men's hockey national champions teams:
| Year | Player | School | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Jason Notermann | North Dakota | Division I |
| 2002 | Judd Stevens | Minnesota | Division I |
| 2003 | Judd Stevens | Minnesota | Division I |
| 2006 | Adam Burish | Wisconsin | Division I |
| A.J. Degenhardt | |||
| Josh Engel | |||
| Kyle Klubertanz | |||
| 2008 | Brandon Longley | St. Norbert | Division III |
| Ryan Petersen | |||
| Nick Tabisz | |||
| 2009 | Eric Gryba | Boston | Division I |
| 2011 | Brandon Longley | St. Norbert | Division III |
| Nick Tabisz | |||
| Aaron Crandall | Minnesota–Duluth | Division I | |
| Keegan Flaherty | |||
| 2013 | Mitch Witek | Yale | Division I |
| 2014 | Patrick McCadden | St. Norbert | Division III |
| Tony Kujava | |||
| Ryan Peterson[a] | |||
| 2016 | Christian Wolanin | North Dakota | Division I |
| Nick Schmaltz | |||
| 2018 | Matt Anderson | Minnesota–Duluth | Division I |
| 2019 | Jesse Jacques | Minnesota–Duluth | Division I |
| Matt Anderson |
- ^ Assistant coach
Statistical leaders
|
|
|
|
|
Head coaches
- Don Granato (1994–97)
- Mark Osiecki (1997–2004)
- Mark Mazzoleni (2004-2008)
- Dave Insalaco (2008) (interim)
- Jon Cooper (2008–2010)
- Eric Rud (2010–11)
- Derek Lalonde (2011–2014)
- Pat Mikesch (2014–present)
References
- ^ "Green Bay Gamblers yearly attendance at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com.
- ^ http://www.gamblershockey.com/green-bay-gamblers-timeline
- ^ "Green Bay Gamblers Statistics and History". HockeyDB. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- ^ "Roster". Green Bay Gamblers. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
- ^ "Lightning name Jon Cooper coach". NHL.com.
- ^ "Lightning name Derek Lalonde as assistant coach". NHL.com.
- ^ USAHockey.com (1 January 2014). "2014 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team Announced".
