NAHL Robertson Cup Playoffs: Corpus Christi is the First Team Through Division Semis
Updated April 22 at 9:30 a.m. EDT
With USA Hockey Nationals in the rearview mirror, and the Canadian U18 club national championships just underway, it’s officially junior hockey playoff season here at MYHockey Rankings.
The Tier 2 junior postseason in the United States officially got underway the weekend of April 11-13, while Canadian Tier 2 (Jr. A) playoffs have been going on since last month as teams progress down the road to the Centennial Cup.
In the United States, the Tier 1 United States Hockey League (USHL) receives the bulk of the junior hockey coverage since it is the only USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier 1 circuit and is comprised of high-level NCAA Division I and legitimate professional hockey prospects. Similarly in Canada, the Canadian Hockey Legue (CHL), also known as Major Junior, is widely covered as a league that produces some of the top National Hockey League Draft prospects annually.
Because of the attention those leagues already get, our focus is on the Tier 2 North American Hockey League (NAHL) in the United Staes and the Jr. A Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) north of the border.
The NAHL is the only USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier 2 junior league in the U.S. It is a tuition-free league that last year sent more than 400 players on to play NCAA Hockey at the Division I and Division III levels, with about 75 percent of those commits landing on Division I rosters.
The CJHL is comprised of nine Jr. A leagues and 118 teams scattered across Canada. It includes the Alberta Junor Hockey League (AJHL), Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL), Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL), Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) and Quebec Jr. Hockey League (LHJAAAQ).
Those leagues have their own strong track records for sending players on to compete at the Major Junior and professional levels as well as at all levels of North American collegiate hockey.
Each CJHL league holds its own playoffs, with teams competing for various traditional championship trophies and the opportunity play for the Centennial Cup, which is awarded to the Canadian Jr. A national champions. All nine league champions advance to the Centennial Cup tournament to compete along with a host team. This year’s event is being hosted by the Calgary Canucks of the AJHL May 8-18.
The Robertson Cup Playoffs
NAHL teams compete for the Robertson Cup, which is awarded annually to the league champion. There are 35 NAHL teams divided into four divisions: the Central, East, Midwest and South. The Central and Midwest divisions each have eight teams, with the top four regular-season finishers advancing to the Robertson Cup Divisional Semifinals.
The East and South divisions have 10 and nine teams, respectively. In those divisions, the first- and second-place finishers receive byes into the division semifinals, while the next four finishers play in best-of-three play-in series for the right to compete in the best-of-five division semifinals.
The division semifinals and finals both are best-of-five series, and the teams that win their divisional playoffs advance to compete for the Robertson Cup National Championship May 16-20 at Fogarty Arena in Blaine, Minn.
The oldest junior hockey trophy in the United States, the Robertson Cup is named in honor of Chuck Robertson, a pioneer of junior hockey in the NAHL and youth hockey in the state of Michigan.
Once the four NAHL Divisional Playoff champions are determined, the clubs are re-seeded based upon their finish in the NAHL regular-season standings. In Blaine, the first seed plays the fourth seed, while the second and third seeds face off in best-of-three series. The winners advance to the do-or-die national-championship game May 20.
On this page we will preview and track the progress of the 2025 NAHL Robertson Cup Playoffs. It will be updated on a weekly basis through the end of the tournament.
Below are the NAHL’s top 25 teams, according to our MHR Week 30 Rankings. Teams in bold have qualified for their divisional semifinals.
MHR NAHL Robertson Cup Playoff Power Rankings
records and rankings as of April 18
- Bismarck Bobcats (47-12-0) – 93.90
- Austin Bruins (42-17-0) – 93.53
- Minot Minotauros (39-19-0) – 93.52
- Lone Star Brahmas (44-14-0) – 93.11
- Wisconsin Windingo (41-18-0) – 93.10
- Fairbanks Ice Dogs (37-22-0) – 92.91
- Aberdeen Wings (34-24-0) – 92.75
- Anchorage Wolverines (38-23-0) – 92.73
- St. Cloud Norsemen (30-29-0) – 92.49
- Rochester Jr. Americans (39-20-0) – 92.43
- Minnesota Wilderness (29-29-0) – 92.20
- Chippewa Steel (30-29-0) – 92.08
- Shreveport Mudbugs (36-22-0) – 91.99
- Corpus Christi IceRays (37-24-0) – 91.96
- Maine Nordiques (37-25-0) – 91.83
- Maryland Black Bears (35-24-0) – 91.68
- Springfield Jr. Blues (27-32-0) – 91.67
- Odessa Jackalopes (26-33-0) – 91.60
- North Iowa Bulls (19-40-0) – 91.58
- Watertown Shamrocks (19-39-0) – 91.55
- New Mexico Ice Wolves (33-29-0) – 91.54
- Kenai River Brown Bears (21-28-0) – 91.26
- El Paso Rhinos (30-32-0) – 91.19
- Johnstown Tomahawks (33-28-0) – 91.18
- New Jersey Titans (31-29-0) – 91.05
2025 Roberston Cup Overview
Based on our rankings alone, it appears as though the Central Division should present the toughest challenge, with the top three power-ranked teams and four of the top seven competing in the Central Semifinals.
Top-ranked Bismarck played outside of its division against Danbury and Philadelphia from the East Division and Janesville of the Midwest. The Bobcats won all three of those September contests, but all were close games and none of those teams made the playoffs. No. 7 Aberdeen beat playoff-participant and No. 12 Chippewa, 2-1, in September and also knocked off a pair of non-playoff teams, the Northeast Generals from the East, 5-3, and the El Paso Rhinos from the South, 4-2.
The second-ranked Austin Bruins beat a pair of East teams that also didn’t advance to the division semifinals in September when they knocked off the New Hampshire Mountain Kings, 4-1, and the Elmira Aviators, 6-1. They also beat the New Mexico Ice Wolves, ranked 21st and the South Division No. 4 seed, 2-1 in overtime. The third-ranked Minot Minotauros were the only Central Division semifinalist to falter playing outside the division, falling to El Paso, 2-1, and Springfield, 3-0, in September.
In the Midwest Division Semifinals, our fifth, sixth, eighth and 12th-ranked teams will be battling it out for a trip to Blaine. Meanwhile, the South Division features the defending-champions and No. 5 Lone Star Brahmas along with the Nos. 13, 14 and 21 teams, and the East includes teams ranked 10th, 15th, 16th and 24th.
All Robertson Cup Playoff games can be seen at NAHLTV.com.
Central Division Preview
Four of the top seven NAHL power-ranked teams, according to the MHR Week 30 rankings, will try to slug their way out of the Central Division for the opportunity to compete for the Robertson Cup in Blaine.
The top-seeded and top-ranked Bismarck Bobcats take on the No. 7 Aberdeen Wings in one semifinal, while second- and third-ranked clubs, the Austin Bruins and Minot Minotauros, face off in the other best-of-five series.
Bismarck and Aberdeen met eight times this season, with the Bobcats winning six of those contests and outscoring the Wings, 30-18. The Bobcats won the two most-recent meetings, 4-1 and 6-2, Feb. 21 and 22.
While Bismarck doesn’t have any players among the league’s top scorers, the Bobcats feature a balanced attack with nine players contributing at least 31 points. Forward Louie Kamineski, acquired from Oklahoma during the season, led the way with 47 points on 25 goals and 22 assists, while defensemen Matthew Rafalski and Ian Engel contributed 38 and 37 points, respectively. Six Aberdeen skaters recorded 40-plus points, led by forward Jibber Kuhl with 17-33-50 in 44 games.
Austin and Minot split their eight regular-season meetings, with the Bruins compiling a 22-20 overall scoring edge that included a pair of shutout victories Dec. 22 and March 22. The teams also split their four most-recent contests in late March.
The Bruins have league’s top two scorers in forwards Alex Laurenza and Luc Malkhassian, who finished with 82 and 78 points, respectively. The next-closest player in the team scoring race was EJ Paddington, who recorded 50 points, and five players notched between 30 and 41. Minot forward Ian Spencer ranked sixth overall in scoring with 25-46-71, while teammates Jack O’Hanisain (24-41-65), Jesse Juhola (20-44-64) and Billy Batten (20-42-62) each eclipsed the 60-point mark.
Central Division Semifinals Schedule & Results
#1 Bismarck Bobcats vs. #4 Aberdeen Wings - Aberdeen leads, 2-0
Game One: April 18 @ Bismarck - Wings 4, Bobcats 3 (OT)
Game Two: April 19 @ Bismarck - Wings 1, Bobcats 0 (OT)
Game Three: Friday, April 25 @ Aberdeen, 8:15 PM EDT
Game Four: Saturday, April 26 @ Aberdeen, 8:15 PM EDT*
Game Five: Monday, April 28 @ Bismarck, 8:15 PM EDT*
#2 Austin Bruins vs. #3 Minot Minotauros - Minot leads, 2-0
Game One: April 18 @ Austin - Minotauros 3, Bruins 1
Game Two: April 19 @ Austin - Minotauros 2, Bruins 1 (OT)
Game Three: Friday, April 25 @ Minot, 8:35 PM EDT
Game Four: Saturday, April 26 @ Minot, 8:35 PM EDT
Game Five: Monday, April 28 @ Austin, 8:05 PM EDT
East Division Preview
The East Division Semifinals should be evenly matched as MHR’s Nos. 10, 15, 16 and 24 teams will be facing off.
Tenth-ranked Rochester plays 24th-ranked Johnstown in one semi, while heated rivals the No. 15 Maine Nordiques and No. 16 Maryland Black Bears square off in the other matchup. Maine rallied to win the last two games of its play-in series vs. the New Hampshire Mountain Kings, while Johnstown swept the New Jersey Titans. Maryland lost to Lone Star in the 2024 Robertson Cup national championship game.
The East Semifinals won’t be a cakewalk for top-seeded Rochester, which posted a 2-4 record vs. Johnstown during the regular season. The Tomahawks captured the first two and last two games of the season series and outscored the Americans, 21-15, in the six matchups.
Rochester forward Calle Karlsson ranked fifth in the NAHL scoring race with 73 points on 31 goals and 42 assists. Teammate Adam Gionta added 28-37-65, while six other Amerks posted between 38 and 58 points. Eight Tomahawk players notched between 30 and 43 points, led by forwards Adam Ondris (24-19-43) and Cullen Emery (18-22-40).
Higher-seeded Maryland also dropped its season series vs. Maine, losing four of the six matchups with the Nordiques Maine holding a 19-14 scoring edge. The Black Bears won the season-opener, 3-2, in overtime but dropped the next three meetings before splitting the Feb. 28 and March 1 contests.
Two of Maryland’s top four scorers came over in trades with Oklahoma as Sebastian Speck finished with 21-35-56 and Travis Bryson notched 20-22-42. Harrison Smith and Isaac Nielsen each surpassed the 50-point plateau, and 10 Black Bears recorded at least 30 points. Maine had four players post between 41 and 60 points, but the Nordiques next-closest scorer fell off to 27. Ethan Wongus had 20-40-60, while Laurent Trepanier and Zion Green contributed 57 points apiece.
East Division Semifinals Schedule - Johnstown leads, 2-1
#1 Rochester Jr. Americans vs. #4 Johnstown Tomahawks
Game One: April 18 @ Rochester - Americans 5, Tomahawks 2
Game Two: April 19 @ Rochester - Americans 2, Tomahawks 1
Game Three: Friday, April 25 @ Johnstown, 7:30 PM EDT
Game Four: Saturday, April 26 @ Johnstown, 7:30 PM EDT*
Game Five: Monday, April 28 @ Rochester, 7:00 PM EDT*
#2 Maryland Black Bears vs. #3 Maine Nordiques - Series tied, 1-1
Game One: April 18 @ Maryland - Nordiques 4, Black Bears 3
Game Two: April 19 @ Maryland - Black Bears 2, Nordiques 0
Game Three: Friday, April 25 @ Maine, 7:30 PM EDT
Game Four: Saturday, April 26 @ Maine, 7:00 PM EDT*
Game Five: Monday, April 28 @ Maryland, 7:00 PM EDT*
Midwest Division Preview
All four Midwest Division semifinalists fell among our top 12 in the Week 30 NAHL rankings. The top-seeded and fifth-ranked Wisconsin Windingo take on the No. 12 Chippewa Steel in one semifinal, while it’s a Battle of Alaska between No. 6 Fairbanks and No. 8 Anchorage in the other best-of-five matchup.
Wisconsin went 8-4 during the regular season against Chippewa, outscoring the Steel by a 48-30 margin. Chippewa did win three of the final five matchups, however, including the most recent, 6-3, March 8. Three of the 12 contests were decided by a single goal.
Windingo forward Braydon Beahm ranked eighth in league scoring with 69 points on 33 goals and 36 assists. Hunter Hays recorded 25-29-54 and Zachary Cline added 17-29-46 as the only two other players to score more than 40 points, but six others contributed 30 or more. The Steel had five players notch 41-plus points, led by Jacob Ligi with 12-40-52 and Jackson Lackas with 22-26-48. Seven Chippewa forwards posted 36 points or better.
Fairbanks rallied to win its final five regular-season matchups against in-state rival Anchorage to take the season series, 8-4, after the Wolverines had won three of the first four meetings. For the year, the Ice Dogs outscored Anchorage, 41-32. All five of those late-season victories came between March 1 and 23.
Seven Fairbanks players notched between 38 and 58 points during the regular season, with Kyle Rohrer’s 58 points on 20 goals and 38 assists leading the way. Adam Timm added 19-35-54, while Wyatt Carlson contributed 16-29-45. Defenseman Brock Devin’s 12-55-67 paced the Anchorage attack, ranking first among league blue-liners and 10th overall. Cole Christian added 24-38-62 for the Wolverines, while seven other Anchorage skaters notched 31-plus points.
Midwest Division Semifinals Schedule
#1 Wisconsin Windigo vs. #4 Chippewa Steel - Series tied, 1-1
Game One: April 18 @ Wisconsin - Windingo 7, Steel 3
Game Two: April 19 @ Wisconsin - Steel 2, Windingo 0
Game Three: Friday, April 25 @ Chippewa, 8:00 PM EDT
Game Four: Saturday, April 26 @ Chippewa, 8:00 PM EDT*
Game Five: Monday, April 28 @ Wisconsin, 8:00 PM EDT*
#2 Fairbanks Ice Dogs vs. #3 Anchorage Wolverines - Anchorage leads, 2-0
Game One: April 18 @ Fairbanks - Wolverines 2, Ice Dogs 1
Game Two: April 19 @ Fairbanks - Wolverines 4, Ice Dogs 1
Game Three: Friday, April 25 @ Anchorage, 11:30 PM EDT
Game Four: Saturday, April 26 @ Anchorage, 11:30 PM EDT*
Game Five: Monday, April 28 @ Fairbanks, 11:00 PM EDT*
South Division Preview
The defending-champion Lone Star Brahmas enter the South Division Semifinals as the lone division team ranked among the Week 30 top 12 at No. 4. Lone Star takes on 24th-ranked New Mexico, which won its play-in series, 2-1, against No. 23 El Paso. In the other best-of-five South Semifinal, No. 13 Shreveport faces off against 14th-ranked Corpus Christi. Corpus Christi swept the Colorado Grit in two games to earn the semifinal berth.
Lone Star and New Mexico played four hard-fought, low-scoring games during the regular season, with the top-seeded Brahmas coming out on top three times. Three games were decided by a single goal, and Lone Star skated to a 3-0 victory in the fourth. The Brahmas outscored the Ice Wolves, 8-4, in their three meetings.
Saxton Tess led the way for a very balanced Lone Star team with 50 points on 19 goals and 31 assists. Owen Kerr added 25-22-47, while a total of 13 Brahmas recorded at least 22 points. Meanwhile, nine Ice Wolves posted 20-plus points, with Ethan Hull’s 15-29-44 leading the way. Toivo Laaksonen added 14-28-42, with Andrew Earl contributing 23-18-41.
Shreveport and Corpus Christi battled on 12 occasions during the regular season, with the Mudbugs winning eight times while outscoring their foes from Texas by a 37-30 margin. Shreveport won seven of the final nine meetings, including the most recent matchups April 4-5. Six of the meetings were decided by a single goal, and four required overtime.
Seven Mudbug players scored 30 points or more, led by Kyan Haldenby’s 51 points on 15 goals and 26 assists. Lucas Deeb contributed 26-23-49, while Brent Litchard added 19-26-45. For the IceRays, three players eclipsed the 50-point barrier and two more scored at least 41 points. Pierson Sobush paced the team with 24-29-53, followed by Stepan Kuznetsov with 26-26-52 and Cooper Conway with 20-31-51.
South Division Semifinals Schedule
#1 Lone Star Brahmas vs. #4 New Mexico Ice Wolves - Lone Star leads, 2-0
Game One: April 18 @ Lone Star - Brahmas 4, Ice Wolves 0
Game Two: April 19 @ Lone Star - Brahmas 4, Ice Wolves 1
Game Three: Thursday, April 24 @ New Mexico, 8:30 PM EDT
Game Four: Friday, April 25 @ New Mexico, 8:30 PM EDT*
Game Five: Sunday, April 27 @ Lone Star, 8:00 PM EDT*
#2 Shreveport Mudbugs vs. #3 Corpus Christi IceRays - Corpus Christi advances, 3-0
Game One: April 18 @ Shreveport - IceRays 2, Mudbugs 1 (3OT)
Game Two: April 19 @ Shreveport IceRays 3, Mudbugs 1
Game Three: April 21 @ Corpus Christi - Ice Rays 3, Mudbugs 0
*if necessary
