Cammarata storming back to top of USHL scoring list

When Taylor Cammarata left the Waterloo Black Hawks at the end of October to play for the U.S. at the World Junior A Challenge, he was leading the United States Hockey League in scoring.

In his two-week absence players passed him, but it hasn't taken the 5-foot-7, 156-pound forward long to reclaim his spot atop the USHL leaderboard.

Taylor Cammarata, Waterloo Black Hawks

Cammarata had a goal and two assists Saturday in the Black Hawks' 7-3 win at the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders. Cammarata now has points in seven straight games -- all but one since his return from the World Junior A. He has at least two points in all of them. With six goals and 16 assists in his scoring streak, he has a league-best 31 points in just 14 games. He also has an even 100 points in 74 USHL games.

"He was one of the most noticeable guys on the U.S. team," NHL Central Scouting's Chris Edwards, who watched each game of the World Junior A, told NHL.com about Cammarata. "Every time he was on the ice he made something happen. … He was around the puck, creating, scoring. He was very noticeable every game, every shift."

Cammarata is No. 18 on NHL Central Scouting's top 25 ranking of skaters for the 2013 NHL Draft.

Here is how a few other prospects for this year's draft fared in the USHL this weekend:

* Youngstown center Austin Cangelosi had a pair of assists Friday in a 6-0 win against Team USA, and one night later he had two goals in the Phantoms' 3-0 win in a rematch with Team USA.

* Goalie Sean Romeo stopped 23 shots Friday for Youngstown in the 6-0 defeat of Team USA for his first USHL shutout. One night later he did it again, stopping all 24 shots in the 3-0 defeat of Team USA.

* Green Bay left wing Alex Kile had two goals in the Gamblers' 5-2 win at the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Friday.

* Des Moines center Joseph Gambardella had a hat trick in the Buccaneers' 7-3 defeat of the Indiana Ice on Friday. It was Gambardella's second hat trick in four games. In a losing effort, Indiana left wing Austin Ortega had a pair of goals.

* Chicago left wing Alex Roos scored twice in the Steel's 4-2 defeat of the Lincoln Stars on Friday. Teammate Raymond Pigozzi had a goal and an assist.

* Right wing Michael Vecchione and center Jared Linnell combined for six points in the Tri-City Storm's 6-3 win against the Omaha Lancers on Friday. Vecchione had a goal and two assists, while Linnell scored twice and added an assist.

* Muskegon left wing Cullen Hurley scored the game's only goal at 1:49 of overtime in the Lumberjacks' 1-0 defeat of Green Bay on Saturday. Goalie Kevin Lindskoug stopped 29 saves for the shutout.

* Indiana left wing Drew Smolcynski had a pair of assists -- one coming on the game-tying goal -- and scored the game-deciding shootout goal in the Ice's 5-4 shootout win at Chicago on Saturday.

* Omaha defenseman Matias Cleland had a pair of goals in the Lancers' 5-4 shootout win Saturday against the Sioux City Musketeers. Teammates Jacob Randolph and Drew Melanson had a pair of assists each. Sioux City's Jake Guentzel had a pair of goals and an assist in the loss.

Contact Adam Kimelman at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @NHLAdamK