WRITTEN BY DAIN SOLBERG

As a junior hockey player, the culmination of a season is winning a championship. In the United States Hockey League, the goal for all 16 teams in the league is to bring home the Clark Cup to their respective city.

The Dubuque Fighting Saints were no different, coming into the 2025-26 season with a bitter taste in their mouths after falling to the No. 4 seeded Muskegon Lumberjacks in the 2025 Eastern Conference Final.

For the leadership group of Teddy Merrill, Colin Frank, Charlie Arend and Michael Barron the message is simple: "Unfinished Business." 

Michael Barron leads the team in points with 50 (14g/36a), Merrill is second on the team in points with 49 (25g/24a) and Colin Frank is directly behind with 43 total points (24g/19a). Meanwhile, Charlie Arend rounds out the top five on the team's statsheet with 40 points (17g/23a).

"We know what it takes with four guys that have been to the playoffs," Merrill said. "We've seen the lows of losing in the Final in Fargo to beating Madison to get to the Conference Final the year after. It is a next man up mentality and we know it will take hard work and determination." 

When it comes to junior hockey, teams need to have a foundation of excellence if they want to win at the USHL level and the Fighting Saints have found their identity as a group.

"This year, the culture has been a feeling like no other team I've been on," Frank added. "We are all excited to be at the rink and push each other."

Head Coach Evan Dixon described the locker room as a group of guys who have great work ethic and drive.

"Every team has its own identity," Dixon said. "For me, it is the people that make the place. In Dubuque, we foster a culture of development, experience and growth. You can hear it in the locker room how close the guys are. Our organization is all about alignment and refining the details from our owners, front office, hockey operations group all the way down to the players."

For Merrill, the message in the locker room is simple: it's to win.

"The tone in the room is that everyone wants to win," Merrill said. "We are a process driven team. As we come towards the home stretch, we want to develop. If we have problems, we want to solve the issues as a team."

Merrill, Frank, Arend and Barron have been in the Key City for three years, suiting up for the Fighting Saints.

"When I got to Dubuque I had zero expectations," Merrill said. "The way the organization has treated every player has been first-class. Off the ice, our billet families have come close to being like our own family."

For many of the players on the leadership team, wearing the "C" or "A" is a first.

"I am thankful to be named assistant captain and play under Teddy [Merrill]," said Barron. "We have all put in the work and everyone wants to work harder to make each other better. It is a great feeling to help the younger players. We have all become good friends throughout the process."

Alongside Barron is Charlie Arend, who is also wearing a letter for the first time in his USHL career. 

"It means a lot to me to wear a letter," Arend said. "I have had multiple different roles throughout juniors. All of us know our roles which makes us super close. The other three captains are some of my best buddies. We are so close."

Dixon is proud of the leadership group and how they have carried themselves on and off the ice. 

"It is unique to have only six players returning with four of those guys being third year captains," Dixon said. "It has been a unique environment and those guys have built the tone in the room intentionally and have been leaders. I have let them drive the message. It has almost been like a blank canvas."

"Third year players are unique. In the junior-hockey landscape there is a lot of change with movement. It is special that this group stayed in Dubuque. They believe in the organization and are true Fighting Saints."

The Red and White recently traveled to Plymouth, Mich., to battle the USA U17 National Development Team Program where they came back to Iowa with 7-3 and 6-2 wins. Following a sweep of the U17s, the team headed home for a meeting with the Green Bay Gamblers.

"The most recent loss to Green Bay was very unsettling," Frank said. "In this league, you need to have a short memory. Every team is going to give their best each and every night in the Eastern Conference. Our goal is to get pucks in deep and rag on guys on the forecheck."

As the regular season's end nears, all eyes will be on hoisting the Clark Cup in May.

"We have one goal and that is to bring home a championship, Frank said. "We have a chip on our shoulder. Our mission is to have whole hearts and minds. When things don't go our way, it isn't going to work if we dwell on the past. We need to hit the reset button."

Dixon stated that the players and staff have been through it all with both wins and losses during the playoffs.

"Staff and players have a shared vision," Dixon said. "We have all experienced a loss in a Clark Cup Final. Our group is aligned with the same energy and excitement. The guys want to finish their junior career the way they want, with a championship."

Dubuque will host the Waterloo Black Hawks on Friday to open a home-and-home Cowbell Cup series.