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 January 2, 2022. 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: Cole Mickel, Defenseman, Minot Minotauros
Minot defenseman Cole Mickel, 19, had a big weekend to help the Minotauros pick up a sweep of the Bismarck Bobcats in a home-and-home series and take over sole possession of 1st place in the Central Division. The 5’11/191 lbs. native of Wheatridge, CO, had two goals and two assists in the two wins. On Friday, Mickel had the game-winning goal and an assist in a 6-1 home win. On Saturday, he again had a goal and an assist in a 4-3 shootout win. For the season, Mickel leads all Minot defensemen in scoeing with 19 points in 32 games played. “Cole has continued to lead the way with our group. He is being rewarded offensively because of how sound he has been defending. We look forward to Cole continuing to set the tone within our team,” said Minotauros head coach Cody Campbell.
2nd Star: Dominik Wasik, G, Aberdeen Wings
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Nico Chmelevski, F, Bismarck Bobcats – Jake McLean, F, Bismarck Bobcats – Michael Mesic, F, North Iowa Bulls – Sutter Muzzatti, F, Austin Bruins – Kade Nielsen, F, Minot Minotauros – Landry Schmuck, F, Aberdeen Wings – Sean Vlasich, D, North Iowa Bulls – Walter Zacher, F, Austin Bruins
East Division Star of the Week: Jazz Krivtsov, Forward, Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks
Danbury forward Jazz Krivtsov, 20, helped Danbury snap their losing streak over the weekend thanks to a series split in Maine against the Nordiques. The 6’0/182 lbs. native of Los Angeles, CA, had four goals in the two games, which included a hat-trick and the game-winning goal in Friday’s 9-4 win. He also scored a goal the next night in a 7-3 loss. For the season, Krivtsov has 18 points in 23 games played. “Jazz has seemed to take his game to another level as of late. He is always very reliable defensively and consequently is one of our top penalty killers. Offensively he finds a lot of his success from being strong on the wall, protecting pucks, and the one thing he has been showing here lately, is that he can really fire the puck. He shoots the puck like a pro and is creating more opportunities to utilize that asset. It’s great to see a hardworking, 200-foot player like Jazzy get rewarded with this honor,” said Danbury head coach Billy McCreary.
2nd Star: Ignat Belov, F, Maine Nordiques
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jake Black, F, Johnstown Tomahawks – Tristan Fasig, F, Maine Nordiques – Sean Ramsay, F, Johnstown Tomahawks – Boris Skalos, F, Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Kyle Kozma, Goaltender, Minnesota Magicians
Magicians goalie Kyle Kozma, 20, played in his first games since late November and led his team to a weekend home sweep of the Kenai River Brown Bears. The 6’3/200 lbs. native of Vaughan, ON, stopped a total of 56 of 59 shots in the two wins. On Saturday, he made 37 saves in a 5-2 win, and then on Sunday, he made 19 saves in a 6-1 win. For the season, Kozma has a 5-6-1 record in 12 NAHL games with a 2.97 goals against average and a .903 save percentage. “Kyle had a great weekend. First games after break are hit and miss sometimes and he made some big saves when we needed it. He saw a lot of shots on Saturday and kept us in while we worked through something’s and Sunday he made a couple big saves when needed it,” said Magicians head coach Nick Bydal.
2nd Star: Hunter Longhi, F, Minnesota Magicians
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jonah Aegerter, F, Janesville Jets – Ethan Begg, F, Janesville Jets – Nolan Cunningham, D, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Colton Friesen, F, Anchorage Wolverines – Konrad Kausch, G, Minnesota Wilderness – Logan Kroyman, D, Kenai River Brown Bears – Alexander Malinowski, F, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Nicholas Rexine, F, Minnesota Wilderness – Aiden Westin, F, Anchorage Wolverines
South Division Star of the Week: Brandon Milberg, Goaltender, Wichita Falls Warriors
Wichita Falls goaltender Brandon Milberg, 20, helped his club to a weekend home sweep of the Amarillo Wranglers. The 6’1/181 lbs. native of Thornhill, ON, stopped 44 of 47 shots in the two wins. On Friday, the Sacred Heart recruit made 19 saves in a 4-1 win. On Saturday, he made 25 saves in a 5-2 win. For the season, Milberg has played in 15 NAHL games and recorded a 6-6-3 record with a 2.70 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. “Brandon played really well for us and he was a big part of our success this past weekend. Since being acquired in late November he's continued to gain the teams confidence and has worked hard to give us a chance every night. Brandon made some big saves this weekend, which allowed us to keep gaining momentum through the weekend that delivered much needed points in the standings,” said Warriors head coach Garrett Roth.
2nd Star: Trevor Taulien, D, Odessa Jackalopes
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Gustav Bloom, D, New Mexico Ice Wolves – Evan Carroll, F, New Mexico Ice Wolves – Juraj Elias, F, Corpus Christi IceRays – Dominic Foglia, D, Corpus Christi IceRays – Connor Gatto, F, Shreveport Mudbugs – Gunner Moore, D, Shreveport Mudbugs – Nicholas Niemo, F, Lone Star Brahmas – Artur Turansky, F, Lone Star Brahmas – Brendan Williams, F, Wichita Falls Warriors
