NAHL announces Bauer Hockey Stars of the Week
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey for the week ending November 21, 2021. The Divisional Stars of the Week is a weekly feature during the 2021-22 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.
Central Division Star of the Week: Cade Neilson, Forward, Aberdeen Wings
Aberdeen Wings forward Cade Neilson, 20, had a big week as the Wings split a home-and-home series against Bismarck. The 6’0/195 lbs. native of Nottingham, England, racked up six points (2 goals, 4 assists) in the two games and extended his point streak to eight straight games. On Friday, Neilson had two assists in a 5-4 home loss. On Saturday, he had two goals, including the game-winner, and two more assists in a 5-3 road win. For the season, the Alaska-Fairbanks recruit is currently 2nd in NAHL scoring with 30 points in 20 games played. “Cade has been elevating his play through the season so far. This weekend was a strong step forward for him, offensively and defensively,” said Wings head coach Steve Jennings.
2nd Star: Sean Vlasich, D, North Iowa Bulls
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jacob Bosse, F, Aberdeen Wings – Hunter Bulger, F, North Iowa Bulls – Jake McLean, F, Bismarck Bobcats – Evan Murr, D, St. Cloud Norsemen – Quinn Rudrud, F, Bismarck Bobcats – Joe Westlund, F, Minot Minotauros
East Division Star of the Week: David Andreychuk, Forward, Northeast Generals
Northeast Generals forward and captain David Andreychuk, 19, helped his team to a weekend home sweep of the Jamestown Rebels. The 6’1/190 lbs. native of Chatham, NJ, had four points and was +4 in the two wins. On Friday, Andreychuk had two goals, including the game-winner, and an assist in a 5-2 win. On Saturday, he assisted on the overtime-winner in a 3-2 win. For the season, the St. Lawrence recruit is 3rd in team scoring with 22 points in 20 games played so far this season. “David had a monster weekend for us. After we got swept in Johnstown last weekend, as the captain, he challenged the guys to be better and give a full 60-minute effort. When you do that, you need to lead by example, and he did just that. He is a very gifted player, but he stepped up in a huge way as a leader and then produced on the ice. He was the catalyst for two big wins this weekend and has us focused on finishing strong headed into Thanksgiving. He works so hard and sees the ice so well that when he is on, he is very hard to contain. We are proud of David for stepping up both vocally and on the ice. He is a true leader,” said Generals head coach Bryan Erikson.
2nd Star: Brent Keefer, F, Northeast Generals
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jacob Badal, F, Johnstown Tomahawks – Brendan Dumas, F, New Jersey Titans – Robert Hyde, F, Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks – David Posma, D, New Jersey Titans
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Sam Livecchi, Goaltender, Minnesota Wilderness
Minnesota Wilderness goalie Sam Livecchi, 19, helped his club to a weekend home-and-home sweep of the Chippewa Steel. The 6’0/160 lbs. native of Rochester, NY, stopped 59 of 61 shots in the two wins, which included his first career NAHL shutout. On Thursday, Livecchi made 33 saves through regulation and overtime, then stopped five of six shooters in the shootout in a 3-2 win. On Saturday, he stopped all 26 shots that came his way for his first career NAHL shutout in a 6-0 win. For the season, Livecchi has a 5-4-0 record in nine appearances with a 3.07 goals against average and .907 save percentage. “We are really happy for Sam. We brought him in two weeks ago and told him we thought he needed to be more intense every day in practice. His response in practice has been outstanding and the results last week were direct result of his response. Sam is a very good goalie and we expect we will see more of what we saw last weekend in future games,” said Wilderness head coach Dave Boitz.
2nd Star: Caden Triggs, F, Kenai River Brown Bears
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Leo Bacallao, F, Springfield Jr. Blues – Gavin Best, F, Minnesota Magicians – Ryan Finch, F, Kenai River Brown Bears – JJ Grainda, F, Chippewa Steel – Kayden Hargraves, G, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Carson Jones, F, Springfield Jr. Blues – Cy LeClerc, F, Janesville Jets – Connor Mahony, F, Minnesota Magicians – Jack Ring, F, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Raythan Robbins, G, Anchorage Wolverines – Talon Sigurdson, F, Anchorage Wolverines – Gunnar Thorson, F, Minnesota Wilderness – Will Troutwine, D, Janesville Jets
South Division Star of the Week: Max Gutjahr, Goaltender, Amarillo Wranglers
Amarillo Wranglers goalie Max Gutjahr, 20, backstopped his team to two wins and a weekend sweep of the Corpus Christi IceRays as the Wranglers moved back into 1st place in the South Division. The 6’1/180 lbs. native of Appleton, WI, stopped 60 of 62 shots in the two wins, which also included his first shutout of the season. On Friday, Gutjahr stopped all 32 shots that came his way in a 3-0 win for his first shutout of the season. On Saturday, he made 28 saves in a 4-2 win. For the season, Gutjahr leads the NAHL with 12 wins and has a 2.45 goals against average and a .919 save percentage. “Max continues to provide our team with elite level goaltending each start that has given our team much needed confidence in our inaugural season. Max’s weekly preparation and work ethic have been the keys to his success. Our players were excited to celebrate his first shutout of the season and have rallied around his inspired play each start,” said Wranglers head coach Harry Mahood.
2nd Star: Will Howard, F, New Mexico Ice Wolves
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jack Anderson, D, El Paso Rhinos – Dillan Bentley, F, New Mexico Ice Wolves – Nathan Butler, F, Corpus Christi IceRays – Davis Goukler, D, Shreveport Mudbugs – Timofei Khoklachev, F, Shreveport Mudbugs – Carter Korpi, F, Wichita Falls Warriors – Alex Krause, F, El Paso Rhinos – William Lawson-Body, F, Wichita Falls Warriors – Charlie Merkley, F, Corpus Christi IceRays – Glebs Prohorenkovs, F, Amarillo Wranglers
