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 27, 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: Sean Vlasich, Defenseman, North Iowa Bulls
North Iowa Bulls defenseman Sean Vlasich, 20, helped his club pick up two huge road wins this past weekend in Springfield against the Jr. Blues. The 5’8/175 lbs. native of Upper Saddle River, NJ, put up three points and was a +3 in the two wins, which included scoring the game-winning goal in both contests. On Friday, the Army recruit had the game-winning goal in a 3-1 win. The next night, he scored another game-winner and added an assist in a 5-3 win. For the season, Vlasich is currently 3rd among all NAHL defensemen with 32 points (7 goals, 25 assists) in 46 games played so far this season. “Sean has been a consistent positive for us on the blue line and a regular contributor,” said Bulls head coach Todd Sanden.
2nd Star: Anton Castro, G, Aberdeen Wings
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Kyle Gaffney, F, Aberdeen Wings – Dylan Gajewski, F, North Iowa Bulls – Nik Hong, F, St. Cloud Norsemen – Ben Johnson, D, Minot Minotauros – Connor McGrath, F, Minot Minotauros – Blake Mesenburg, F, St. Cloud Norsemen – Quinn Rudrud, F, Bismarck Bobcats – Ryan Taylor, F, Bismarck Bobcats
East Division Star of the Week: Jake Black, Forward, Johnstown Tomahawks
Johnstown forward Jake Black, 19, had a big week as he helped his club move into 2nd place in the East Division by winning three of four games. The 5’11/175 lbs. native of Pomfret, CT, had eight points in the four games during the week and scored at least a goal in all four. On Monday, the UConn recruit had a goal and two assists in a 4-1 road win in Jamestown. On Thursday, he had a goal in a 4-1 home win over Maryland. On Friday, Black had two goals in a 6-5 loss. To conclude the week on Saturday, he scored two more goals, including the game-winner, in a 3-2 win. For the season, Black currently leads the NAHL in scoring with 62 points and also with 34 goals. “This was a challenging week for us playing Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday against two very good, hard to play against opponents. As a team we were fortunate to grab wins in 3 of the 4 games in regulation and Jake was extremely involved in every game. Not only was he scoring, but it was also the timeliness of his scoring that was so important for us. He has a special ability to find ways to score, and it was on full display this week. As we continue to trek down the home stretch of the season our reliance on Jake will be even that much bigger for the success of our team going forward. I couldn't be prouder of his commitment this week to the success of our team and look forward to more to come from him,” said Tomahawks head coach Mike Letizia.
2nd Star: Joshua Burke, D, Jamestown Rebels
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jack Blanchette, D, Maryland Black Bears – Jacob Brockman, F, Maryland Black Bears – Ben Charette, G, New Jersey Titans – Tyler Gaulin, F, Maine Nordiques – Gus Holt, G, Maine Nordiques – Stephen Kyrkostas, F, Johnstown Tomahawks – Michael Young, F, New Jersey Titans
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Cy LeClerc, Forward, Janesville Jets
Janesville Jets forward Cy LeClerc, 19, helped his club extend their winning streak to seven straight games thanks to a weekend home sweep of the Chippewa Steel. The 5’9/175 lbs. native of Brentwood, NH, had six points in the two wins, which included three goals and three assists. On Friday, LeClerc had three assists in a 4-0 win. On Saturday, he had a hat-trick, which included the game-winning goal, in a 6-2 win. For the season, the University of New Hampshire recruit leads the Jets in scoring with 55 points in 44 games played to date. “Cy had another tremendous weekend for us. He’s so gifted and creative with the puck that he is a threat to score every shift. His effort in all three zones was noticeable and allowed him to create turnovers that led to scoring chances for him and our team. He’s a lot of fun to coach and to be around. We’re proud of Cy for earning this recognition,” said Jets head coach Parker Burgess.
2nd Star: Owen Millward, G, Janesville Jets
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Sam Antenucci, F, Minnesota Wilderness – Cole Crusberg-Roseen, F, Minnesota Wilderness – Ryan Finch, F, Kenai River Brown Bears – Sam Frandina, D, Chippewa Steel – Hunter Longhi, F, Minnesota Magicians – Bryce Monrean, F, Kenai River Brown Bears – Kade Nielsen, F, Chippewa Steel – Evan Tanos, D, Minnesota Magicians
South Division Star of the Week: Timofei Khokhlachev, Forward, Shreveport Mudbugs
Shreveport Mudbugs forward Timofei Khokhlachev, 20, had a big weekend to help the Mudbugs to a weekend road sweep of the Corpus Christi IceRays. The 6’4/215 lbs. native of Moscow, Russia, put up five points in the two wins as Shreveport continues to make a push for the playoffs. On Friday, Khokhlachev had a goal and an assist in a 7-2 win. On Saturday, he had three assists in a 5-3 win. For the season, the American International College recruit has 19 points in 42 games played so far this season. “Tim had a great week of practice leading to him having a great weekend personally and helping our team pick up some big points. He played hard, physical, and fast this weekend which opened up some opportunity for him to showcase some of his skill and poise he has with the puck. His line was really clicking this weekend and he was a big part of that,” said Mudbugs head coach Jason Campbell.
2nd Star: Logan Gotinsky, F, Shreveport Mudbugs
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Tanner Daniels, F, Lone Star Brahmas – Brandon Holt, D, New Mexico Ice Wolves – Danylo Korzhyletskyi, F, Amarillo Wranglers – Braden Rourke, D, Corpus Christi IceRays – Sully Scholle, F, New Mexico Ice Wolves – Ben Zimmerman, F, Lone Star Brahmas
