If the 2018 NHL Draft is any indication, a few dozen or so 2019 draft picks will be taking the ice this September at the USHL Fall Classic at the Lemieux Sports Complex.
The USHL had 57 players with ties to the top junior league in the United States selected in last month's NHL Draft in Dallas, including seven in the first round.
When the USHL drops the puck on the 2018-19 season, it will do so at the Lemieux Sports Complex for the third straight season. This year, for the first time, all 17 USHL teams will play their first two regular season games at the Penguins' practice facility between Sept. 27-30.
“The Fall Classic is truly a unique event — a great opportunity for all 17 USHL teams to come together in one setting and compete before so many NHL and collegiate scouts," Penguins president and CEO David Morehouse said in a statement. "We are strong supporters of amateur hockey development at all levels and continue to be impressed with the job the USHL does to create opportunities for these outstanding young players.”
In this year's NHL Draft, the USHL led all junior leagues — more than the OHL, WHL and QMJHL — with 45 players who played in the league last season, at least 10 more than any other league. That broke the USHL's previous best of 40 players selected in the 2017 NHL Draft.
