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 February 20, 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: Brady Egan, Forward, Bismarck Bobcats
Bismarck Bobcats forward Brady Egan, 20, helped his club stay in the thick of the playoff race in the Central with a weekend road sweep of the North Iowa Bulls. The 5’10/170 lbs, native of Carp, ON, picked up five points in the two wins, which included four goals and an assist. On Friday, the Clarkson recruit had a hat-trick and an assist in a 6-2 win. On Saturday, he picked up another goal in a 4-0 win. For the season, Egan has recorded 15 points in 12 games since joining the Bobcats in mid-January. “Brady has been a great addition for us. He is definitely a natural goal scorer and has helped us stay in contention and make a playoff push,” said Bobcats head coach Layne Sedevie.
2nd Star: Nik Hong, F, St. Cloud Norsemen
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Brayden Beahm, F, Minot Minotauros – Jacob Bosse, F, Aberdeen Wings – Will Gilson, D, Aberdeen Wings – Hunter Hanson, F, St. Cloud Norsemen – Jake LaRusso, F, North Iowa Bulls – Oskar Spinnars Nordin, G, Bismarck Bobcats – Season Vlasich, D, North Iowa Bulls
East Division Star of the Week: Andrew Takacs, Goaltender, New Jersey Titans
Led by the brilliant goaltending of Andrew Takacs, 20, the New Jersey Titans widened their lead in the East Division with a weekend road sweep of the Maryland Black Bears. The 6’3/190 lbs. native of Bowie, MD, allowed just a single goal in the two wins, stopping 58 of 59 shots. On Friday, the Colgate recruit made 33 saves in a 4-1 win. On Saturday, he was even better as he stopped all 25 shots that came his way for his second shutout of the season in a 3-0 win. Takacs currently leads the NAHL with 24 wins and ranks the Top 10 in both goals against average (2.47) and save percentage (.918). “Andrew has continued his strong play throughout the season. He was tremendous this weekend in Maryland both from a goaltending and puck handling standpoint. He is our backbone, and we look forward to him leading us to the Robertson Cup Playoffs,” said Titans head coach Craig Doremus.
2nd Star: Levente Keresztes, F, New Jersey Titans
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Tyler DesRochers, D, Johnstown Tomahawks – Luca Di Pasquo, G, Maryland Black Bears - Brad McNeil, F, Maryland Black Bears – Holt Oliphant, F, Johnstown Tomahawks – Evan Orloff, D, Maine Nordiques – Avery Sturtz, G, Maine Nordiques
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Owen Millward, Goaltender, Janesville Jets
It was another solid weekend for Jets goalie Owen Millward, 18, who led his team to a weekend home sweep of the then Springfield Jr. Blues. The 6’3/205 lbs. native of Davis, CA, allowed just a single goal in the weekend series as he stopped 50 of a possible 51 shots. On Friday, Millward posted his second straight shutout as he made 22 saves in a 3-0 win. The next night, he made 28 saves in a 9-1 win. For the season, Millward has posted a 20-8-0 record with a 2.68 goals against average and .907 save percentage. “Owen was tremendous this weekend and has been the backbone of our team. He’s playing with confidence and composure. He is invested in his craft and has developed as a leader this season as well. This recognition is very well deserved, and our players and staff are very proud of him,” said Jets head coach Parker Burgess.
2nd Star: Alexander Malinowski, F, Fairbanks Ice Dogs
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Ryan Finch, F, Kenai River Brown Bears - William Gustavsson, F, Janesville Jets – Lucas Kanta, F, Minnesota Magicians – Hunter Longhi, F, Minnesota Magicians – Bryant Marks, G, Kenai River Brown Bears – Brendan Miles, D, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Talon Sigurdson, F, Anchorage Wolverines – Shane Soderwall, G, Anchorage Wolverines
South Division Star of the Week: Dillan Bentley, Forward, New Mexico Ice Wolves
It was a big week for Ice Wolves leading scorer Dillan Bentley, 20, and his team as they widened their lead in the South Division with a three-game weekend road sweep of El Paso. The 6’4/195 lbs. native of Peoria, Illinois, had six points in the three wins, which included four goals and two assists. On Friday, the UMass-Lowell recruit and NA3HL and NAPHL grad had a goal in regulation and a shootout goal in a 3-2 shootout win. On Saturday, he had two goals and an assist in a 5-2 win. On Sunday, he had the game-winning goal and an assist in a 3-0 win. For the season, Bentley is in the Top 10 in NAHL scoring with 49 points in 43 games played.“Dillan had a great weekend for us. He scored some great goals at key moments for us in each game we had. I thought his line mates were great too, they created chances every game and Dillan finished them,” said New Mexico head coach Phil Fox.
2nd Star: Brandon Milberg, G, Wichita Falls Warriors
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Damon Beaver, G, Corpus Christi IceRays – Beni Halasz, G, New Mexico Ice Wolves – Cade Lemmer, F, Wichita Falls Warriors – Blake Lewis, F, Corpus Christi IceRays – Dylan Smith, F, Lone Star Brahmas – Artur Turansky, F, Lone Star Brahmas
