USHL Cut-Down Day

As of today (July 1), the 14 members of the USHL had to whittle their rosters down to 25 players. This is an important day for our favorite junior hockey team as well, as the USHL cuts will shed some light on who may or may not be a part of the Express roster this fall. The next few days could be very exciting, or very depressing, as the rosters are released for public consumption.

Players with Express ties to watch for on USHL rosters:

Dan Cecka - reportedly made the Omaha Lancers 30-Man roster following their tryout camp. Did he survive the cut down to 25??

Zach Vierling - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders - His appearance at Express Open Tryout Camp makes me think he'll be back in Owatonna.

Chris Bournazos - Attended camp with the Green Bay Gamblers.

Bo Dolan - attended Fargo Force tryout camp.

Blake Matejcek - attended Lincoln Stars camp. He was not on the camp all-star game roster, so I like the chances of seeing him in 2 weeks at the Express Main Camp.

Andrew Miller - attended tryout camp with the Des Moines Bucs, but did not make their 25 man roster.

Ben Montgomery - attended camp with the Tri-City Storm, but did not make their camp all-star roster.

Andrew O'Leary - Made the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders 30 man roster after tryout camp. Did he survive the cut down to 25??

Mac Olson - Made the Chicago Steel's initial roster, hurting our chances of ever seeing him in an Express sweater.

Zach Sarig - Went to Youngstown's tryout camp, but did not make their 25 man roster.

Mike Yanis - Made the Sioux Falls Stampede's tryout all-star game.


Disclaimer: The information was culled from a multitude of websites and other sources, and is by no means can I guarantee it is complete nor 100% accurate. In addition, several of the USHL teams did not publish who attended their tryout camps, or announce who made their camp all-star rosters. I also did not include the tendered players on the list, as the names of those 7 players haven't been officially announced.

Next up for the Express is the Main Tryout Camp in 2 weeks. Several of last year's guys, plus the tendered guys, the draft picks, and the cream of the crop from Open Camp last month will battle it out for the 25 spots that will comprise the 2009/2010 Owatonna Express.

See you at the rink.

--BK