Fighting Saints Report

Saints win three of four over the week and have clinched the Cowbell Cup!

Jack and Jim sit down to discuss two big wins, the new kids stepping up and what the rest of the month looks like. Also, they predict what will happen the rest of the NHL season!

The Saints couldn't extend their winning streak but have two big home games coming up. Jack and Jim look at the NHL season and preview the games. 

The Fighting Saints are 2-0 in 2021 and riding a three game winning streak after two overtime wins at home this past weekend. Dubuque got a solid performance in net from Hobie Hedquist and overtime goals from Tristan Lemyre and Andrei Buyalsky to send the fans home happy. We also break down the World Junior semi-finals and finals.

Riese Gaber joins the pod to talk about the NCHC pod. The Saints leading goal scorer in the Tier-1 era is off to a great start this season for North Dakota. Jack Milewski and Jim Leitner discuss six straight on the road for Dubuque and what the Saints can do to prepare for Green Bay. 

Jack and Jim breakdown the first win of the season for the Saints and how the team is getting stronger every week. Also a look ahead at the weekend series with Muskegon. Plus, Matthew Kopperud joins the show after his incredible start to the 2020 season. 

Jim and Jack break down the weekend for the Fighting Saints and also look at the road ahead for Dubuque which includes two tough games this weekend against Waterloo and Chicago. Henry Thrun has been selected to the WJC Training Camp Roster, Matthew Kopperud scored his first two NCAA goals and Dylan Herzog is now heading to the NCAA and Yale after committing to the Bulldogs.

Another weekend off for the Fighting Saints lends itself to making a list. Jack and Jim talk their favorite reverse retro jerseys and also what to expect from the Saints once they get back to the ice on Monday. 

We interview Oliver David and get his thoughts on week one of the season and Jim Leitner and Jack Milewski also break down the week for the Fighting Saints. 

After a crazy weekend of opponent switches and game cancellations, the Saints head into their final week before Opening Night! Jack Milewski and Jim Leitner talk the one-game weekend and what to expect come Opening Night. 

Jack Milewski and Jim Leitner dissect week one of the preseason as the Saints go 1-1 against the Des Moines Buccaneers. There are some tough decisions ahead for head coach Oliver David and staff, but the team looks skilled and ready for success.  

The Fighting Saints are back in training camp and the NHL is the midst of Free Agency, plus Oliver David joins the show!

Jack Milewski and Jim Leitner discuss the NHL Draft and Saints players taken. Also camp has started and the Saints are back in town. 

The schedule is out and Jack Milewski and Jim Leitner dive deep into that. GM Kalle Larsson joins the show to talk about the Training Camp roster and what to expect from the Saints this season.

Jack Milewski and Jim Leitner discuss the biggest news in the USHL and Fighting Saints world. Madison and Cedar Rapids have unfortunately opted out of the 2020-21 season and the Saints gained two new players in the dispersal draft. Jim Montgomery landed an assistant coaching gig with the St. Louis Blues and we're just under two weeks away from training camp. 

Jack Milewski and Jim Leitner are back for Season 2 of the Fighting Saints Report as they discuss the Training Camp Roster for the Saints. Oliver David joins the show to discuss the preparation and expectations for his Saints squad as we near the return to play date of November 6th. 

On the final episode of season 1: Hockey is back in the USHL as the league sets its sights on November 6th. Jack and Jim discuss the best and worst from the NHL playoffs so far. Max Montes announced his commitment to St. Cloud State and Jordan Kuhns joins the show. 

Jack and Jim discuss all things NHL. From the bubble being a success, to the games being even better, we dive into a great Qualifying Round for the NHL. Plus, the Rangers get the first pick in the draft lottery and speaking of picks, Jack and Jim make a theirs for the First Round series as things heat up in Edmonton and Toronto. 

We talk with another Saint for Life turned RoughRider as the Cedar Rapids Goalie Coach, Christian Frey, joins the show. We also look at how the NHL restart has looked and what Saints in the tournament have stood out so far. 

We talk Main Camp 2020, the NHL Restart and Evan Janssen becoming a Cedar Rapids RoughRider. We're back from a week off to break down the Fighting Saints Main Camp and some high-profile players. Evan Janssen joins us to talk about his new role in the USHL and we dive into the NHL playoffs. 

The Director of Player Personnel for the USHL joins the podcast to talk about his first year in the role. Luke Curadi, part of the Saints 2010-11 Championship team, discusses his path to the role at the USHL and also what the league plans to do in the future to continue growing. 

Former Fighting Saints Assistant Coach and Goalie Coach, Matt Millar joins us from sunny California. Millar is in his first season with the LA Kings Organization as a developmental Goalie Coach. The podcast discusses his hockey journey, coaching style and more. 

The podcast gets another great guest as Pierre McGuire of NBC Sports joins the show to discuss what will hopefully be a reboot to the NHL season. He also talks about the USHL and the development of players in the league and how it has grown. Jack and Jim discuss their favorite matchups from the first round of the 24-team playoff. 

The pod is joined by USHL Coach of the Year Oliver David as he dishes on everything that has happened over the last two months. We talk USHL Draft, USHL Camp, what went right this season and what OD has learned over his years in junior hockey. We also look at the great history of coaches in the USHL and breakdown the top players who David has coached in his tenure with Dubuque. 

Aidan Fulp joins the podcast to talk about his three-year career in Dubuque, winning the Curt Hammer Award this season, wearing the C during 2019-20 and much more. We also discuss the USHL's tough task of restarting next season and what players with Dubuque ties would have made the Hlinka Gretzky Cup team. 

Peter Chiarelli joins the Fighting Saints Report to talk about the long hockey layoff, what it takes to build a championship team and his path through the sport of hockey. Jack Milewski and Jim Leitner detail the importance of building a team in the USHL and why two-year players could be the ultimate key to success. 

On this episode we hear from multiple members of the 2012-13 Clark Cup Championship team. Also, Jack Milewski and Jim Leitner talk about the Saints and their off-ice awards announced this week. 

Time Stamps for Interviews:

22:36-Peter Quenneville

34:00-Joe Coombs

1:02:22- Frankie DiChiara

1:19:40- Matt Benning

1:37:04- Karson Kuhlman

Jack Milewski and Jim Leitner talk the NHL's plans to restart the season and the 24-team playoff format. Also discussed: NHL Draft Lottery and favorites and darkhorses for the playoff run. Interviews with Zemgus Girgensons of the Buffalo Sabres and Dylan Gambrell of the San Jose Sharks highlight this NHL-centered episode. 

Jack Milewski and Jim Leitner breakdown the diverse ownership group of the Dubuque Fighting Saints which includes Stanley Cup Champion Dan Bylsma. Bylsma joins the show to detail his path through the hockey world and his career as a coach in the NHL. 

Jason Lammers sits down to discuss his time in Dubuque, completing three seasons with the Niagara Purple Eagles and how he got to where he is now. President and CEO of the United Way of Dubuque Area Tri-States Danielle Peterson joins us to discuss community outreach in Iowa during COVID-19. We also discuss the coaching hotbed that Dubuque has become in the hockey world. 

We dive in to the Phase I and Phase II portions of the USHL Draft as the Saints selected a total of 28 players in 26 rounds over two days. Jack and Jim break down most of the picks and gain insight from Saints GM of the year Kalle Larsson on the team's selections. 

Jack and Jim talk about the Fighting Saints haul of awards, with 5 players selected to All-USHL Teams and individual awards going to Goalie of the Year, Player/Forward of the Year, GM of the Year and Coach of the Year. Jack is joined by Goalie of the year Erik Portillo and also Dubuque's first ever Player of the Year in Riese Gaber. 

On episode four of the podcast, Jack Milewski and Jim Leitner talk Fighting Saints in college hockey and sit down with two current NCAA players. Willie Knierim and Tyce Thompson join the show after great seasons at the collegiate level. 

Jack Milewski speaks with Austin Rueschhoff after he signed an entry-level deal with the New York Rangers. Rueschhoff details his experience with the Fighting Saints as well as his college career at Western Michigan

On the third episode of the Fighting Saints Report we feature interviews with Hunter Miska and Wyatt Kaiser. Miska is coming off a tremendous season with the Colorado Eagles while Kaiser has been ranked in the top 50 of the newest NHL Central Scouting Rankings. 

We sit down with former Fighting Saints forward Nate Sucese after completing his final season with the Penn State Nittany Lions. Sucese finished as the highest scoring Penn Stater in the teams history and has just signed a pro contract with the Arizona Coyotes.