Shayne Gould returns to Sioux City, skips UConn commitment

Shayne Gould is heading back to Sioux City instead of taking the expected NCAA step to UConn, keeping the USHL’s top-scoring defenseman among blueliners in junior hockey for another season. The Princeton, Massachusetts native led USHL defensemen in scoring last season, and Sioux City already has him listed on its 2025-26 roster.

The move cuts against the easiest path on paper. Gould had been recruited by UConn as a five-star defenseman, the kind of blue-line commitment that usually signals a fast track to college hockey in Storrs. Instead, he is choosing another year in the USHL, where every shift will be measured against older, faster junior competition and where offensive numbers still carry real weight with pro scouts.

That choice also keeps the major-junior door open. Gould was drafted by the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats, giving him a second development route if he decides the best way to boost his stock is north of the border. For a defenseman who already led the USHL in scoring among his position last season, the decision is less about staying put than about picking the stage that can add the most to his profile next.

Sioux City’s roster page has Gould set for 2025-26, and Elite Prospects lists him as No. 9 on the Musketeers’ roster, a strong sign that the return to junior hockey is not just a possibility but the plan. That keeps one of the league’s most productive defensemen in the USHL and gives Gould another year to turn power-play production and transition offense into a stronger runway for whatever comes next, whether that ends up being UConn later or Moncton now.