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 13, 2022. The Divisional Stars of the Week is a weekly feature during the 2022-23 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: Damon Furuseth, Forward, Austin Bruins
Austin forward Damon Furuseth, 19, helped his team stay hot this weekend as the Bruins picked up a weekend home sweep of the Minot MInotauros. The Bruins have won four in a row and seven of their last eight games. The 6’0/180 lbs. native of Fargo, ND, had six points in the wins, which included two goals and four assists. On Friday, Furuseth had two goals, including the overtime-winner, and an assist in a 4-3 overtime win. On Saturday, he chimed in with three assists in a 6-2 win. For the season, the second-year veteran is tied for 5th in team scoring with 11 points in 18 games played. “Damon missed the end of last season because of an injury. He was cleared to return about a week before this season began and it’s nice to see him have a breakout weekend for us. He’s a very skilled player that can create offense every time he has the puck. We look forward to helping him work towards his goal of getting an NCAA Division I commitment,” said Bruins head coach Steve Howard.
2nd Star: Cole Moore, G, Aberdeen Wings
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Nolan Abraham, F, North Iowa Bulls – Isaac Deveau, D, North Iowa Bulls – Ian Engel, D, Bismarck Bobcats – Landon Fleming, D, Bismarck Bobcats – Jeremiah Konkel, F, St. Cloud Norsemen – Nikolai Tishkevich, F, Aberdeen Wings – Walter Zacher, F, Austin Bruins
East Division Star of the Week: William Hakansson, Goaltender, Maryland Black Bears
Maryland goalie William Hakansson, 19, moved his record to an amazing and perfect 12-0-0 on the season as he backstopped the Black Bears to a weekend home sweep of the Philadelphia Rebels. The 6’1/180 lbs. native of Oskarshamn, Sweden, allowed just two goals in the two wins, stopping 57 of 59 shots. On Friday, Hakansson stopped all 24 shots that came his way for his second shutout of the season in a 3-0 win. On Saturday, he made 33 saves in a 4-2 win. He is currently 2nd in the NAHL with a 1.66 goals against average and his 12 wins leads the NAHL. “William has shown to be very consistent all season long. His ability to perform under pressure and read the play is as good, or better, than anyone we’ve had in Maryland. He’s a great teammate and extremely talented. Congrats to this kid. He deserves it,” said Maryland head coach Clint Mylymok.
2nd Star: Paul Minnehan, F, Northeast Generals
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): David Andreychuk, F, Northeast Generals – Christian Catalano, F, Maryland Black Bears – Anthony Galante, F, Johnstown Tomahawks – Brendan Kimball, D, Maine Nordiques – Gabriel Lunn, D, Johnstown Tomahawks – Kellen Murphy, F, Maine Nordiques – Logan Nickerson, F, Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Victor Widlund, Forward, Wisconsin Windigo
Wisconsin Windigo forward Victor Widlund, 20, helped his team to a weekend road split with the Janesville Jets. The 5’11/190 lbs. native of Lerum, Sweden, had four points in the two games. On Friday, Widlund had two goals, including the game-winner, and an assist in a 4-3 win. On Saturday, he picked up an assist in a 3-2 loss. For the season, Widlund currently leads the Windigo in scoring with 15 points in 21 games played. “Victor has been gaining more confidence every week as he adjusts to playing in North America. He’s a guy we lean on in a lot of situations and he deserves this recognition,” said Windigo head coach Blake Hietala.
2nd Star: Jimmy Doyle, F, Janesville Jets
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Maxwell Beckford, G, Wisconsin Windigo – Justin Biraben, F, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Casper Conradsson Kelvgaard, F, Kenai River Brown Bears – Bryce Monrean, F, Kenai River Brown Bears – Chris Pelosi, F, Janesville Jets – Isak Posch, G, Minnesota Wilderness – Joey Potter, D, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Eddie Shepler, F, Minnesota Wilderness
South Division Star of the Week: Cameron Korpi, Goaltender, Oklahoma Warriors
In the battle for 2nd place in the South Division, it was the Oklahoma Warriors and goaltender Cameron Korpi who came out on top this past weekend as they pikced up a weekend home sweep of the New Mexico Ice Wolves. Korpi, 18, was in goal for both wins and stopped 46 of 48 shots in the weekend sweeo. On Friday, the 6’3/172 lbs. native of South Lyon, MI, made 24 saves in a 6-1 win, and on Saturday he made 22 saves in a 2-1 win. For the season, the Western Michigan recruit has a 6-2-0 record with a 2.02 goals against average and a .920 save percentage. “Cam did a great job between the pipes for us in a big rivalry matchup against a very good New Mexico team. He has continued to get better each day with the work he has put in on a day-to-day basis. His confidence and calm approach has been a huge part to his success and consistency so far. Any given night our goaltending gives us the chance to win hockey games and that was put on display again this past weekend with Cam,” said Warriors head coach Garrett Roth.
2nd Star: Jaden Goldie, F, Shreveport Mudbugs
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): William Ahlrik, F, Oklahoma Warriors – Preston Brighton, D, Amarillo Wranglers – Luca Ganz, G, Amarillo Wranglers – Drake Morse, F, Shreveport Mudbugs
