Eagle River’s Mac Swanson. Photo courtesy Fargo Force
Thirty years after his dad won a United States Hockey League championship with the Omaha Lancers, Mac Swanson of Anchorage is trying to match that feat with the Fargo Force, who open the Clark Cup Finals against the Dubuque Fighting Saints on Friday night,
Wednesday, though, Mac matched his father, Brian, when he was selected First-Team All-USHL in a vote of league general managers. Brian was First-Team in 1994 for Omaha, went on to be an All-American center at Colorado College, an NHLer and a Kelly Cup champion with the ECHL’s Alaska Aces in 2011.
Mac Swanson delivered 26-51—77 totals in 55 regular-season games to lead the league in assists and finish third in points. He also tied for the league lead in plus-minus at plus-39, and leads playoff scorers in assists and points with 3-9—12 totals in eight games.
Mac Swanson, 18, will be a true freshman at North Dakota in the fall. The left wing also is a potential NHL draft pick this summer. Brian Swanson was a fifth-round draft pick, 111th overall, by the San Jose Sharks in 1994.
Mac Swanson became the first Alaskan voted First-Team All-USHL since goaltender Isaiah Saville of Anchorage in 2019, when he was also voted Goaltender of the Year and the All-Rookie goalie. Swanson also helped Team USA to a bronze medal at the World Junior A Challenge this season.
UPDATE: Thursday, Swanson became the third Alaskan selected Forward of the Year as he joined Chris Fournier in 2001 and Steve MacSwain in 1983. Friday, he was named USHL Player of the Year, joining Fournier and MacSwain.
Mac Swanson is your 2023-24 USHL Player of the Year 🏆
The @UNDmhockey commit scored 26 goals and dished out 51 apples this season for the @FargoForce
Swanson was named USHL Forward of the Year and All-USHL First Team earlier this Week.#StarsRise | 🔗 https://t.co/Jrdr57Wwpx pic.twitter.com/VDYXjFcb99
— USHL (@USHL) May 10, 2024
The success of Alaskans in the USHL, the top junior circuit in the country, dates back more than 40 years. Forward Steve MacSwain of Anchorage was the circuit’s Player of the Year, Forward of the Year, Rookie of the Year and First-Team All-USHL for the Dubuque Fighting Saints in 1983. Teammate Kory Wright of Anchorage was also First-Team that season. Anchorage forward Chris Fournier was also voted Player of the Year and Forward of the Year for the Lincoln Stars in 2001.
Alaskans have won all the league’s major awards – Player of the Year, Forward of the Year, Goaltender of the Year, Defenseman of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
Here’s the history of Alaskan award winners in the USHL: (One caveat: Alaskan Ty Conklin was First-Team All-USHL goalie for Green Bay in 1996, but the Goaltender of Year in USHL media guide that season is listed as Omaha’s Mike Correia, who wasn’t First-Team or Second-Team. Hmm).
Player of the Year
2024 – Mac Swanson, F, Anchorage, Fargo Force
2001 – Chris Fournier, F, Anchorage, Lincoln Stars
1983 – Steve MacSwain, F, Anchorage, Dubuque Fighting Saints
Forward of the Year
2024 – Mac Swanson, F, Anchorage, Fargo Force
2001 – Chris Fournier, Anchorage, Lincoln Stars
1983 – Steve MacSwain, Anchorage, Dubuque Fighting Saints
Defenseman of the Year
2003 – Matt Carle, Anchorage, River City Lancers
1986 – Kord Cernich, Anchorage, Dubuque Fighting Saints
Goaltender of the Year
2019 – Isaiah Saville, Anchorage, Tri-City Storm
2015 – Eric Schierhorn, Anchorage, Muskegon Lumberjacks
2010 – Steve Summerhays, Anchorage, Green Bay Gamblers
Rookie of the Year
1983 – Steve MacSwain, F, Anchorage, Dubuque Fighting Saints
First-Team All-USHL
2024 – Mac Swanson, F, Anchorage, Fargo Force
2019 – Isaiah Saville, G, Anchorage, Tri-City Storm
2015 – Eric Schierhorn, G, Anchorage, Muskegon Lumberjacks
2010 – Steve Summerhays, G, Anchorage, Green Bay Gamblers
2003 – Matt Carle, D, Anchorage, River City Lancers
2001 – Chris Fournier, F, Anchorage, Lincoln Stars
1996 – Ty Conklin, G, Anchorage, Green Bay Gamblers
1994 – Brian Swanson, C, Eagle River, Omaha Lancers
1986 – Kord Cernich, D, Anchorage, Dubuque Fighting Saints
1983 – Steve MacSwain, F, Anchorage, Dubuque Fighting Saints
1983 – Kory Wright, F, Anchorage, Dubuque Fighting Saints
Second-Team All-USHL
2012 – Brian Cooper, D, Anchorage, Fargo Force
2011 – Brian Cooper, D, Anchorage, Fargo Force
2005 – Shane Lovdahl, D, Anchorage, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
2001 – Mike Doyle, F, Anchorage, Sioux Falls Stampede
1998 – Josh Kern, F, Anchorage, Dubuque Fighting Saints
1995 – Tom Kowal, D, Anchorage, Omaha Lancers
1993 – Todd Bethard, D, Anchorage, Omaha Lancers
1993 – David Vallieres, C, Eagle River, Dubuque Fighting Saints
1990 – Todd Skoglund, F, Anchorage, Madison Capitols
1989 – Georg Thiele, F, Dubuque Fighting Saints
1986 – Harry Armstrong, D, Anchorage, Dubuque Fighting Saints
USHL All-Rookie
2023 – Mac Swanson, F, Anchorage, Fargo Force
2019 – Isaiah Saville, G, Anchorage, Tri-City Storm
2005 – Drew O’Connell, G, Anchorage, Waterloo Black Hawks
1986 – Kord Cernich, D, Anchorage, Dubuque Fighting Saints
1983 – Steve MacSwain, F, Anchorage, Dubuque Fighting Saints
1983 – Kory Wright, F, Anchorage, Dubuque Fighting Saints
USHL Scholar-Athlete of Year
2012 – Brian Cooper, D, Anchorage, Fargo Force