General 12/23/2025 9:43:00 AM

Steel Host Chicago Blackhawks Night and KIDZ BOP Day For Holiday Hockey

Blackhawks soloist Jim Cornelison and Tommy Hawk to appear at Saturday’s game

GENEVA, ILLINOIS — The Chicago Steel will resume the USHL schedule with two big promotions this weekend, starting with Chicago Blackhawks Night on Saturday, Dec. 27 at 6:05 pm and KIDZ BOP Day on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 3:05 pm as they host the Youngstown Phantoms.

Saturday marks the annual Chicago Blackhawks Night with unique special guests, Blackhawks anthem singer Jim Cornelison, along with mascot Tommy Hawk. Cornelison will perform the national anthem before the game. Following the pregame performance, Cornelison will meet fans and sign autographs.

Fan-favorite Tommy Hawk returns to the Fox Valley Ice Arena to entertain fans and participate in fun promotions throughout the night.

Fans will have a chance to win prizes from the Blackhawks, including tickets plus an intermission Zamboni ride for the Blackhawks January 15 game vs. Calgary, two tickets plus a chance to play "Shoot the Puck" during intermission of the January 15 game, and a separate prize of four tickets to the January 15 game.

Sunday's contest is the first home matinee of the season for the Steel and will feature music, videos, and special prizes from KIDZ BOP, including tickets to KIDZ BOP LIVE: The Concert Movie, which will be in theatres for a limited time, January 2-5, 2026.

KIDZ BOP is a popular children's music brand that creates family-friendly versions of today's biggest pop hits, featuring lyrics cleaned up for kids by a rotating group of young performers known as the KIDZ BOP Kids. KIDZ BOP sells music albums, has a strong presence on YouTube and SiriusXM Radio, hosts live tours, and offers merchandise, all focused on making popular music accessible and safe for kids.

After Sunday's game, fans can stick around for a Post-Game Skate with the Steel.

The Steel (12-12-2-1, 27 pts.) dropped their final game before the league-wide holiday break on Dec. 12, a 3-2 home loss to Green Bay, its third straight defeat.

Chicago enters this weekend outside of the USHL playoff picture, but by only one standings point in a stacked Eastern Conference.

The Steel will get a shot to the arm coming back to action with the return of two NHL draft picks Ashton Schultz and Jackson Crowder, as well as defenseman Cole Tuminaro. The three skaters missed the last four games while representing Team USA in Quebec at the World Junior A Challenge (WJAC). Team USA won its second consecutive championship with a 5-1 win over Canada West on Dec. 13.

Schultz and Crowder both rank fifth on the Steel in points (14), with Schultz second in goals (8) and Crowder third in assists (10). Schultz had scored five points in four games in his last action with the Steel, which included a hat trick and an assist for a four-point night in an impressive 4-2 win over Fargo on Nov. 28.

Crowder's last appearance with the Steel was Nov. 7, where he potted a goal and an assist in a win over Omaha. The Washington Capitals prospect was sidelined thereafter with an injury before appearing in all five games for Team USA at the WJAC.

The Steel announced the acquisition of Finnish goaltender Veeti Louhivaara earlier this week to bolster the goaltending room. Louhivaara was selected by the New Jersey Devils in Round 5 of the 2024 NHL Draft and has played in his hometown of Jyvaskyla, Finland for JYP in the Finnish SM-sarja. He appeared in nine games this season with the U20 team and posted a 2.52 goals against average and a .917 save percentage.

The Youngstown Phantoms (19-7-1-1, 40 pts.) split a pair of home games against Omaha before the holiday break that opened with a 4-0 shutout loss on Dec. 12. It was Youngstown's first regulation loss in nine games and snapped a seven-game winning streak. The Phantoms outshot Omaha 42-19 in the loss and were blanked on four power play opportunities. Youngstown responded the following night on Dec. 13 with a 4-1 victory. All four goals were scored by a different skater, and the team went 2-for-6 on the power play while limiting Omaha to 16 shots.

Youngstown sits in a tie for second place in the Eastern Conference with Muskegon and has been the hottest team behind Green Bay with an 8-1-0-1 record in its last ten games.

Phantoms forward Cooper Simpson ranks as the second-highest scorer in the USHL with 37 points (13G-24A) this season. His 24 assists are tied for the second-most. He has recorded 95 shots on goal, the most for the Phantoms and the third-most in the league. The first-year Phantom recorded a 12-game point streak from Oct. 31 to Dec. 5, the longest streak in the USHL this season. He potted 20 points during his streak (7G-13A).

Ryan Rucinski is third in USHL scoring with 36 points (17G-19A). He ranks fifth in the league in goals and has scored the most game-winning goals of any league skater (6).

The Phantoms' power play unit ranks second in the league, and both Simpson and Rucinski have played a significant role. Simpson leads the USHL in power play assists (16) and power play points (22), and Rucinski is tied for the most power play goals in the league (10). He ranks immediately behind Simpson in power play points (20), the second-most in the league.

Goaltender Tobias Trejbal has been one of the most consistent netminders in the league this season. He has won seven of his last nine starts and has not allowed more than three goals in any of those outings. His 2.09 goals against average is second-best among league goaltenders, and he has the second-most wins (12).

The Steel are 52-46-7-5 all-time against Youngstown and 25-26-3-2 at home. The two matchups are the third and fourth of seven scheduled games this season after last meeting in Youngstown at the end of October, where Chicago earned a 3-2 win on Oct. 31 before falling 6-1 the following night on Nov. 1.

Tickets for all Steel home games are on sale now starting at just $10.

For just $55, fans can purchase the Steel Holiday Plan and receive one ticket to three Steel games, including Chicago Blackhawks Night, plus one ticket to a select Chicago Blackhawks home game.

For a limited time, Steel Suites are on sale for just $30 per person (min. 12 tickets) when purchased online. This offer is valid for December home games, excluding Dec. 27.

For more information, call 855-51-STEEL or visit ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com.

Chicago Steel Upcoming Schedule presented by Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush:
Saturday, December 27 vs. Youngstown Phantoms (6:05 pm CT) | Chicago Blackhawks Night featuring Jim Cornelison and Tommy Hawk
Sunday, December 28 vs. Youngstown Phantoms (3:05 pm CT) | KIDZ BOP Day with Music, Videos and Prizes from KIDZ BOP | Post-Game Skate with the Steel
Friday, January 2 at Dubuque Fighting Saints (7:05 pm CT)

###

Print Friendly Version