Green Bay Gamblers

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.

Green Bay Gamblers
CityAshwaubenon, Wisconsin
LeagueUSHL
ConferenceEastern
Founded1994
Home arenaResch Center
ColorsBlack, yellow, white
              
Owner(s)PMI Entertainment Group
General managerPat Mikesch (2014–19)
Head coachPat Mikesch (2014–19)
Franchise history
1994–presentGreen Bay Gamblers
Championships
Regular season titles5 Anderson Cups (1995–96, 1996–97, 2008–09, 2009–10, and 2011–12)
Playoff championships4 Clark Cups (1996, 2000, 2010, and 2012)

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

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.

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

SeasonGPWLTOTLSOLPTSGFGAPIMFinishPlayoffs
1994–954893414023147264—11th of 11Did not qualify
1995–9646321130067219737—1st of 11Won Clark Cup
1996–975441110208426018718821st of 6, NorthWon Quarterfinals, 4–2 vs. Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks
Won Semifinals, 4–3 vs. North Iowa Huskies
Lost Championship, 4–0 vs. Lincoln Stars
1997–985631200055115718315763rd of 6, NorthLost Quarterfinals, 4–0 vs. Des Moines Buccaneers
1998–995641110408621314315681st of 4, EastWon Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Thunder Bay Flyers
Lost Semifinals, 3–0 vs. Omaha Lancers
1999–005835180057523217413182nd of 7, EastWon Quarterfinals, 3–1 vs. Waterloo Black Hawks
Won Semifinals, 3–2 vs. Des Moines Buccaneers
Won Championship, 4–1 vs. Twin City Vulcans
2000–015632130110751771539941st of 6, EastLost Quarterfinals, 3–1 vs. Tri-City Storm
2001–026135200607618417912571st of 6, EastWon Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Des Moines Buccaneers
Lost Semifinals, 3–1 vs. Sioux City Musketeers
2002–03601636—354013921513415th of 5, EastDid not qualify
2003–04602728—415917117611445th of 6, EastDid not qualify
2004–05602137—20441412209715th of 6, EastDid not qualify
2005–06603026—136418218311273rd of 6, EastLost Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Des Moines Buccaneers
2006–07602430—155417619813174th of 6, EastLost First Round, 4–0 vs. Indiana Ice
2007–08601341—243213022413466th of 6, EastDid not qualify
2008–09603917—048223716513631st of 6, EastWon Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Waterloo Black Hawks
Lost Semifinals, 3–1 vs. Indiana Ice
2009–10604510—239521214013941st of 8, EastWon Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Waterloo Black Hawks
Won Semifinals, 3–1 vs. Indiana Ice
Won Championship, 3–2 vs. Fargo Force
2010–11604115—22861891317902nd of 8, EasternWon Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Indiana Ice
Won Semifinals, 3–1 vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Lost Championship, 3–1 vs. Dubuque Fighting Saints
2011–1260479—22982501388821st of 8, EasternWon Quarterfinals, 3–1 vs. Youngstown Phantoms
Won Semifinals, 3–0 vs. Indiana Ice
Won Championship, 3–2 vs. Waterloo Black Hawks
2012–13643723—317823420710692nd of 8, EasternLost Quarterfinals, 3–1 vs. Youngstown Phantoms
2013–14603024—33661831768874th of 8, EasternLost Quarterfinals, 3–1 vs. Indiana Ice
2014–15601834—354415621310109th of 9, EasternDid not qualify
2015–16603716—43811911358812nd of 9, EasternLost Quarterfinals, 3–1 vs. Dubuque Fighting Saints
2016–17603422—2272173145—5th of 9, EasternDid not qualify
2017–18603024—4266172170—3rd of 9, EasternLost Quarterfinals, 2–0 vs. Dubuque Fighting Saints
2018–19621934—63471732509678th of 9, EasternDid not qualify
2019–20482419—23531681478403rd of 8, EasternSeason cancelled

Players

Current roster

As of October 11, 2019[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

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 draftedPlayerDrafted teamPick
1997Aaron MiskovichColorado Avalanche5th round
Heath GordonChicago Blackhawks6th round
1999Ed HillNashville Predators2nd round
Stephan BabyAtlanta Thrashers7th round
Jeff FingerColorado Avalanche8th round
2000John EichelbergerPhiladelphia Flyers7th round
Jure PenkoNashville Predators7th round
2002Matt GreeneEdmonton Oilers2nd round
Matt JonesPhoenix Coyotes3rd round
Nate GueninNew York Rangers4th round
Jake TaylorNew York Rangers6th round
Joey CrabbNew York Rangers7th round
Adam BurishChicago Blackhawks9th round
2004Blake WheelerPhoenix Coyotes1st round
Victor OreskovichColorado Avalanche2nd round
Kyle KlubertanzAnaheim Ducks3rd round
Wes O'NeillNew York Islanders4th round
Spencer DillonFlorida Panthers9th round
Luke BeaversonFlorida Panthers9th round
2005Greg BellerNew York Rangers6th round
2006Michael ForneyAtlanta Thrashers3rd round
Eric GrybaOttawa Senators3rd round
Derrick LaPointFlorida Panthers4th round
2007Justin BraunSan Jose Sharks7th round
2009Nick JensenDetroit Red Wings6th round
Anders LeeNew York Islanders7th round
2010Ben GallacherFlorida Panthers4th round
Christopher CraneSan Jose Sharks7th round
2011Andy WelinskiAnaheim Ducks3rd round
Adam WilcoxTampa Bay Lightning6th round
Colin SullivanMontreal Canadiens7th round
Alex BroadhurstChicago Blackhawks7th round
Aaron HarstadWinnipeg Jets7th round
2012Jordan SchmaltzSt. Louis Blues1st round
2013Connor HurleyBuffalo Sabres2nd round
Gustav OlofssonMinnesota Wild2nd round
2014Nick SchmaltzChicago Blackhawks1st round
Brendan LemieuxBuffalo Sabres2nd round
Joe WegwerthFlorida Panthers4th round
Matt BerkovitzAnaheim Ducks5th round
Christopher BrownBuffalo Sabres6th round
2015Vili SaarijarviDetroit Red Wings3rd round
Brent Gates Jr.Anaheim Ducks3rd round
Christian WolaninOttawa Senators4th round
Karch BachmanFlorida Panthers5th round
Adam ParsellsSan Jose Sharks6th round
Adam HuskaNew York Rangers7th round
2016Andrew PeekeColumbus Blue Jackets2nd round
Rhett GardnerDallas Stars4th round
2017Casey MittelstadtBuffalo Sabres1st round
Maksim ZhukovVegas Golden Knights4th round
2018Ryan O'ReillyDetroit Red Wings4th round
Demetrios KoumontzisCalgary Flames4th round
Jackson PerbixAnaheim Ducks4th round
David HrenakLos Angeles Kings5th round
John LeonardSan Jose Sharks6th round
2019Michael VukojevicNew Jersey Devils3rd round
McKade WebsterTampa Bay Lightning7th 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[lower-alpha 1]
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
  1. Assistant coach

Statistical leaders

Head coaches

References
  1. "Green Bay Gamblers yearly attendance at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com.
  2. http://www.gamblershockey.com/green-bay-gamblers-timeline
  3. "Green Bay Gamblers Statistics and History". HockeyDB. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  4. "Roster". Green Bay Gamblers. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  5. "Lightning name Jon Cooper coach". NHL.com.
  6. "Lightning name Derek Lalonde as assistant coach". NHL.com.
  7. USAHockey.com (1 January 2014). "2014 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team Announced".
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