List of USHL seasons

This is a list of seasons of the United States Hockey League since its transition to a junior hockey league in 1979.

Junior league

Starting in 1979–80, the USHL changed to an all-junior league and would operate as an American competitor to the Canadian Hockey League. While the CHL is the major junior program for most professional hockey prospects, its players are forbidden by NCAA regulations to play hockey for Division I or III programs, making the USHL a favorite preparatory league for players seeking to play collegiate hockey in America.

No.	Season	No. of teams	Reg. season games	Start (reg. season)	Finish (incl. USHL playoffs)	Anderson Cup Champion	Clark Cup Champion
1	1979–80	7[lower-alpha 1]	48			Hennepin Nordiques (30–18–0)	Hennepin Nordiques
2	1980–81	8[lower-alpha 2]	48			Dubuque Fighting Saints (38–9–1)	Dubuque Fighting Saints
3	1981–82	7[lower-alpha 3]	48			Sioux City Musketeers (29–16–3)	Sioux City Musketeers
4	1982–83	7	48			Dubuque Fighting Saints (39–8–1)	Dubuque Fighting Saints
5	1983–84	8[lower-alpha 4]	48			St. Paul Vulcans (37–8–0–3)	St. Paul Vulcans
6	1984–85	10[lower-alpha 5]	48			Austin Mavericks (39–8–1–0)	Dubuque Fighting Saints
7	1985–86	9[lower-alpha 6]	48			Sioux City Musketeers (42–6–0–0)	Sioux City Musketeers
8	1986–87	10[lower-alpha 7]	48			Rochester Mustangs (37–9–0–2)	Rochester Mustangs
9	1987–88	10	48			Thunder Bay Flyers (40–7–1-0)	Thunder Bay Flyers
10	1988–89	10	48			Thunder Bay Flyers (40–6–2–0)	Thunder Bay Flyers
11	1989–90	10	48	September 30		Omaha Lancers (36–11–0–1)	Omaha Lancers
12	1990–91	10	48			Thunder Bay Flyers (36–10–2–0)	Omaha Lancers
13	1991–92	10[lower-alpha 8]	48			Thunder Bay Flyers (36–11–1)	Des Moines Buccaneers
14	1992–93	10	48			Omaha Lancers (35–9–0–4)	Omaha Lancers
15	1993–94	10	48–54[lower-alpha 9]			Des Moines Buccaneers (36–12–0–0)	Omaha Lancers
16	1994–95	11[lower-alpha 10]	48			Des Moines Buccaneers (38–5–5–0)	Des Moines Buccaneers
17	1995–96	11[lower-alpha 11]	46			Green Bay Gamblers (32–11–3–0)	Green Bay Gamblers
18	1996–97	12[lower-alpha 12]	54		April 22	Green Bay Gamblers (41–11–0–2)	Lincoln Stars
19	1997–98	13[lower-alpha 13]	24, 56		April 21	Des Moines Buccaneers (40–14–2)	Omaha Lancers
20	1998–99	13[lower-alpha 14]	56		April 23	Des Moines Buccaneers (48–7–0–1)	Des Moines Buccaneers
21	1999–2000	14[lower-alpha 15]	58	September 17	April 27	Lincoln Stars (41–16–1)	Green Bay Gamblers
22	2000–01	13[lower-alpha 16]	24, 58		April 28	Lincoln Stars (43–7–0–6)	Omaha Lancers
23	2001–02	14[lower-alpha 17]	13, 61		May 12	Omaha Lancers (46–12-0–3)	Sioux City Musketeers
24	2002–03	11[lower-alpha 18]	60	September 27	April 29	Waterloo Black Hawks (37–14–3–6)	Lincoln Stars
25	2003–04	12[lower-alpha 19]	60	September 26	May 5	Tri-City Storm (43–12–1–4)	Waterloo Black Hawks
26	2004–05	11[lower-alpha 20]	60	September 24	May 9	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (42–13–1–4)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
27	2005–06	11[lower-alpha 21]	60	September 23	May 1	Sioux Falls Stampede (43–13–1–3)	Des Moines Buccaneers
28	2006–07	12[lower-alpha 22]	60	October 5	May 15	Waterloo Black Hawks (39–17–4)	Sioux Falls Stampede
29	2007–08	12	60	October 5	May 10	Omaha Lancers (43–12–5)	Omaha Lancers
30	2008–09	12[lower-alpha 23]	60	October 3	May 8	Green Bay Gamblers (38–17–4)	Indiana Ice
31	2009–10	14[lower-alpha 24]	60	October 2	May 12	Green Bay Gamblers (45–10–5)	Green Bay Gamblers
32	2010–11	16[lower-alpha 25]	60	October 1	May 21	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (42–13–6)	Dubuque Fighting Saints
33	2011–12	16	60	September 30	May 23	Green Bay Gamblers (47–9–4)	Green Bay Gamblers
34	2012–13	16	64	September 28	May 17	Dubuque Fighting Saints (45–11–8)	Dubuque Fighting Saints
35	2013–14	16	60	September 20	May 20	Waterloo Black Hawks (44–11–5)	Indiana Ice
36	2014–15	17[lower-alpha 26]	60	September 26	May 15	Youngstown Phantoms (40–14–6)	Sioux Falls Stampede
37	2015–16	17	60	September 25	May 20	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (40–15–3–2)	Tri-City Storm
38	2016–17	17	60	September 23	May 24	Sioux City Musketeers (40–13–5–2)	Chicago Steel
39	2017–18	17[lower-alpha 27]	60	October 6	May 19	Waterloo Black Hawks (38–14–6–2)	Fargo Force
40	2018–19	17	62	September 27	May 17	Tri-City Storm (45–12–3–2)	Sioux Falls Stampede
41	2019–20[lower-alpha 28]	16[lower-alpha 29]	47–50	September 26	March 11	Chicago Steel (41–7–1–0)	Not awarded
42	2020–21	14[lower-alpha 30]	49–54	November 6	April 24	Chicago Steel (38–11–3–2)	Chicago Steel
43	2021–22	16[lower-alpha 31]	62	September 23	May 21	Tri-City Storm (47–11–3–1)	Sioux City Musketeers
44	2022–23	16	62	September 22	May 19	Fargo Force (40–14–4–4)	Youngstown Phantoms
45	2023–24	16	62	September 20	May 22	Fargo Force (50–10–2–0)	Fargo Force

Notes

1. The USHL began its first all-junior season in 1979 with six teams continuing from the semi-professional USHL the year before and one expansion franchise (Hennepin Nordiques).
2. Waterloo Black Hawks relocated to Dubuque, Iowa, as the Fighting Saints; Hennepin Nordiques relocated to Waterloo, Iowa, as the Black Hawks; Des Moines Buccaneers added as an expansion team.
3. Green Bay Bobcats ceased operations.
4. North Iowa Huskies added as an expansion team.
5. Thunder Bay Flyers and Madison Capitols are added as expansion teams. Bloomington Junior Stars change their name to Minnesota Stars.
6. Minnesota Stars ceased operations. Austin Mavericks relocated to Rochester, Minnesota, as the Mustangs.
7. Omaha Lancers added as an expansion team.
8. Madison Capitols changed their name to Wisconsin Capitols.
9. For the 1993–94 season, some teams played a normal 48-game schedule, while others played slightly more with the North Iowa Huskies playing the most at 54 games.
10. Green Bay Gamblers added as an expansion team.
11. Fargo-Moorhead Bears added as an expansion team. Wisconsin Capitols ceased operations. St. Paul Vulcans changed their name to Twin City Vulcans.
12. Fargo-Moorhead Bears ceased operations. Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks and Lincoln Stars added as expansion teams.
13. US National Team Development Program played a partial, 24-game schedule.
14. US National Team Development Program added as a full-time member.
15. Sioux Falls Stampede added as an expansion team. North Iowa Huskies relocated to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.
16. Thunder Bay Flyers ceased operations; Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks relocated to Chicago, Illinois, as the Steel; Twin Cities Vulcans relocated to Kearney, Nebraska, as the Tri-City Storm. The US National Team Development Program returns to a partial, 24-game schedule.
17. Dubuque Fighting Saints relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the Crude. Topeka ScareCrows added as an expansion team after the organization's franchise was removed the professional CHL. The US National Team Development Program played once against each team.
18. Rochester Mustangs and Tulsa Crude ceased operations. Omaha Lancers relocated to Council Bluffs, Iowa, as the name River City Lancers. US National Team Development Program stops playing USHL games.
19. Danville Wings transferred from the NAHL. Topeka ScareCrows relocated to Chesterfield, Missouri, as the Heartland Eagles.
20. Danville Wings relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana, as the Indiana Ice. The St. Louis Heartland Eagles ceased operations.
21. River City Lancers changed their name back to Omaha Lancers.
22. Ohio Junior Blue Jackets added as an expansion team.
23. Ohio Junior Blue Jackets ceased operations; Fargo Force added as an expansion team.
24. Youngstown Phantoms and US National Team Development Program transferred from the NAHL.
25. Dubuque Fighting Saints resurrected and Muskegon Lumberjacks added as an expansion team.
26. Bloomington Thunder and Madison Capitols added as expansion teams; Indiana Ice granted "dormancy status".
27. Bloomington Thunder changed their name to Central Illinois Flying Aces.
28. Remainder of season canceled on March 18, 2020, and did not resume play due to COVID-19 pandemic. All teams suspended play a week prior to cancellation.
29. Central Illinois Flying Aces ceased operations.
30. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Madison Capitols went on hiatus.
31. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Madison Capitols returned from hiatus.

References