NAHL announces Bauer Hockey Divisional Stars of the Week
JANUARY 7, 2019
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey for the week ending January 6, 2019. The Divisional Stars of the Week is a weekly feature during the 2018-19 regular season that honors the top performing players in each of the four NAHL divisions. Only players that are nominated by their respective teams are considered for the Divisional Players of the Week award.
Video: NAHL Stars of the Week for January 1-7, 2019
Central Division Star of the Week: Connor Beatty, forward, Aberdeen Wings
The Aberdeen Wings picked up three more wins this past week as they beat the Brookings Blizzard on New Year’s Day and then over the weekend, they defeated the Bismarck Bobcats in a home-and-home set, extending their winning streak to a franchise record 12 straight games. This past week, a different name emerged as the star as forward Connor Beatty, 20, stepped up and produced in all three wins. The 5’8/160 lbs. native of Concord, New Hampshire, had five points (3 goals, 2 assists) and was a +6 in the three wins. On Tuesday, Beatty had a goal in a 7-3 win over the Blizzard. On Friday, he had a goal and an assist in a 7-0 shutout of the Bobcats, and then on Saturday he had another goal and an assist in a 6-2 road win in Bismarck. For the season, has 24 points in 32 games played and is currently riding a six-game point streak. “Connor’s ability to play with grit, speed, and scoring touch makes him a very valuable player for the Aberdeen Wings. He is a high-energy player, that sets the standard for work ethic, and is a huge asset to our team,” said Wings head coach Scott Langer.
2nd Star: Dylan Johnson, F, Minnesota Wilderness
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Brendan Aird, D, Brookings Blizzard – Austin Jouppi, F, Bismarck Bobcats – Taylor Lantz, F, Minot Mintauros – Keenan Lund, F, Minot Minotauros – George McBey, G, Brookings Blizzard – Alex Pollock, F, Bismarck Bobcats – Nick Portz, F, Minnesota Wilderness – Matt Vernon, G, Aberdeen Wings
East Division Star of the Week: Louis Boudon, forward, Northeast Generals
Northeast Generals forward and Lake Superior State commit Louis Boudon, 20, had another good weekend, helping the Generals to a weekend split with the Maryland Black Bears. The 5’11/165 lbs. native of Grenoble, France, had three points and was a +2 in the two games. On Friday, Boudon had two goals in a 7-1 road win in Maryland, and then on Saturday, he assisted on the lone Generals goal in a 2-1 loss. For the season, Boudon currently leads the Generals in scoring and is 5th in the NAHL in points this season with 46 points (13 goals, 33 assists) in 34 games played. “Louis continues to amaze us day in and day out. He has done an incredible job this year helping us. We have had a massive amount of injuries, and he has continued put us in a position to have a big second half and continue our playoff push. His leadership on and off the ice has been outstanding,” said Generals GM Bryan Erikson.
2nd Star: David Tomeo, G, Maryland Black Bears
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jacob Badal, F, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights – John Kaljian, F, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights – Connor Marshall, F, Northeast Generals
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Nikita Kozyrev, forward, Springfield Jr. Blues
The Springfield Jr. Blues gave their playoff hopes a huge shot in the arm this past weekend as they picked up a two-game home sweep of the 1st place Minnesota Magicians. Forward Nikita Kozyrev, 20, played a big role in both wins as he totaled three points in the two games. On Friday, the 5’8/155 lbs. native of Tallin, Estonia, had a goal in a 3-2 win, and then on Saturday, Kozyrev had the overtime-winning goal and an assist in a 2-1 win, completing the weekend sweep. For the season, Kozyrev is 4thin team scoring with 17 points in 22 games played. “Nikita was back to the player that we are used to seeing. His speed and work ethic was elite this past weekend and he finally got a few bounces to go his way. He has the ability to be an elite player in our league and hopefully he can built on this and keep going the rest of the season,” said Jr. Blues head coach Tyler Rennette.
2nd Star: Carter Hottmann, F, Janesville Jets
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jack Johnston, F, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Brenden MacLaren, F, Janesville Jets – Max Osborne, D, Springfield Jr. Blues – Noah Wilson, D, Fairbanks Ice Dogs
South Division Star of the Week: Jake Willets, defenseman, Amarillo Bulls
Thanks to three more wins over the weekend, the Amarillo Bulls are running away with the South Division, as they now enjoy the largest division lead (17 points) of any NAHL team. This past weekend, the Bulls swept the visiting Corpus Christi IceRays in a three-game set and defenseman Jake Willets, 19, played a big role in all three wins. The 6’2/190 lbs. native of Monroe, Michigan, had four points, including three goals, and was a +6 in the three wins. That included a goal and an assist in Friday’s 5-2 win and two goals in Saturday’s 8-2 win. For the season, Willets has recorded 17 points (7 goals, 10 assists) in 31 games played. “Jake has played very good hockey for us for close to two months now. He is creating offense playing hard defensively and being a leader for our group. He’s playing big minutes against the other teams top lines and having a lot of success. We are very happy for Jake and the way he has performed for our team,” said Bulls head coach Rocky Russo.
2nd Star: Gabriel Seger, F, Amarillo Bulls
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): None
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