Four Black Hawks Recognized by USHL

As Waterloo prepares for game 3 of the USHL Western Conference semifinal series against the Sioux Falls Stampede tonight (Tues. April 23, 2019), four Black Hawks were named to an All-USHL or All-Rookie Team by the United States Hockey League.

USHL general managers picked Hank Sorensen and Emil Ohrvall for the All-USHL Third Team. Vladislav Firstov was selected for the league’s All-Rookie First Team, while Logan Stein claimed a place on the All-Rookie Second Team.

The 2018/19 campaign was Sorensen’s third full year with the Black Hawks. It was a breakout offensive campaign for the Northern Michigan recruit, who recorded eight goals and 37 assists in 56 games to finish fifth in point production by a league defenseman. An assist during the final game on the schedule – Waterloo’s 6-2 win against the Dubuque Fighting Saints – tied Sorensen with Blake Kessel for the most career regular season assists by a Black Hawks defenseman (65) since the club moved to an all-junior roster in 1979/80.

Ohrvall was Waterloo’s leading scorer with 63 points (31 goals, 32 assists) and finished tied for eighth in overall point production league-wide. He was the first Black Hawk in 25 years to record four hat tricks on one season, a feat last accomplished by Jason Blake in 1993/94. The future Michigan Wolverine was one of only four USHL players to tally a dozen power play goals this season, helping Waterloo to post the top power play conversion rate in the league.

Only ten USHL rookies played in all 62 regular season games. The group included three Black Hawks: Firstov, Wyatt Schingoethe, and Ethan Szmagaj. Among first-year players qualifying for rookie status, Firstov was the second-highest scorer with 58 points (26 goals, 32 assists), a figure which tied him for 15th in the league overall. Recruited by Connecticut and among the league’s star prospects for the 2019 NHL Draft, Firstov provided a boost at key moments, recording six game-winning goals.

Stein appeared in the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in mid-January and was named the league’s Goalie of the Week toward the end of that month, while making a number of clutch appearances. From January 24th through February 8th he won five consecutive decisions, on his way to a 16-6-1-0 record for the season. Shortly after that run, Stein earned a 24-save road shutout in a 3-0 victory over the Des Moines Buccaneers on February 15th. He is committed to Ferris State University.