NAHL announces monthly player awards for January

The North American Hockey League (NAHL) has announced its monthly player awards for the month of January. The Forward of the Month is Max Martin of the Wisconsin Windigo. The Defenseman of the Month is Nolan Gagnon of the Amarillo Wranglers. The Goaltender of the Month is Daniel Duris of the Oklahoma Warriors. 

Only players who are nominated by their respective teams are considered for the NAHL monthly awards.

Bauer Hockey NAHL Forward of the Month: Max Martin, Wisconsin Windigo

Wisconsin forward Max Martin was red-hot during the month of January in the 9 games he played in. Martin, 20, a native of Tawas, MI, was a huge piece in the Windigo’s January success as the team went 8-1 in the month. Martin scored an outstanding 12 goals and handed out 7 assists for 19 points on the month. The Bowling Green State University commit leads the Windigo, and the entire NAHL in scoring with 70 points. “Max’s consistency this season has been impressive and he demonstrated it again with another great month of January,” Head Coach Blake Hietala said. “His work ethic and compete drive his game and his teammates feed off of it. I’m looking forward to seeing how he finishes off the great season he’s having.”

From the first day we got here at training camp our team has been getting better everyday," Max Martin said. "As of late, we’ve started to really show our potential as a group. Everyone up and down our whole lineup has been clicking. The momentum we’re creating heading towards playoffs feels really good. As for the rest of the year, we’re just going to keep focusing on getting better and reaching our full potential as a team," Martin added. "A big shoutout to my teammates for making me better everyday and being a huge contribution to my on ice success as of late. We have a really special group that’s led by two coaches that are the best of the best hands down. I know we can keep things rolling and we will continue to focus on bringing a Robertson Cup to Eagle River for the first time." 

Runner-Up: Hadley Hudak, Springfield Jr. Blues

Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Ryan Burke, Shreveport Mudbugs – Reece Cordray, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Tommy Cronin, Bismarck Bobcats – Grant Dietz, Danbury Hat Tricks – Jack Ivey, Amarillo Wranglers – Luke Janus, Maryland Black Bears – Micheal Kadleck, Odessa Jackalopes – Olivier Lamothe, New Mexico Ice Wolves – Hagen Moe, St. Cloud Norsemen – Charles Panchisin, Philadelphia Rebels – Peyton Platter, Chippewa Steel – Justin Rapp, Johnstown Tomahawks – Nick Sajevic, Janesville Jets – Austin Salani, Austin Bruins – Jack Seaverson, North Iowa Bulls – Drew Sutton, Oklahoma Warriors – Charles Tardif, Maine Nordiques – Nikolai Tishkevich, Aberdeen Wings 

Bauer Hockey NAHL Defenseman of the Month: Nolan Gagnon, Amarillo Wranglers

Amarillo defenseman Nolan Gagnon had a great month of January after appearing in 8 games. The native of Metcalfe, ON, CAN combined for 13 points during the month, where he scored 4 goals and 9 assists while  maintaining a +9 rating. Gagnon, 20, was a major contributing factor on special teams, adding a power-play goal and 7 power-play assists. The University of Alaska-Anchorage commit  is the fifth top scoring defenseman in the NAHL this season with 31 points. "Nolan had a fantastic month of January,” Head Coach Ryan Anderson said. “He was able to earn his commitment to Alaska Anchorage and now this honor is icing on the cake and well deserved. His hard work and dedication to do things the right way was rewarded on the ice,” Anderson continued. “He was able to produce for our team offensively due to his skating and hockey sense. He scored big time goals and ran the Power Play that was a difference maker for our team this month."

“The boys played really well,” Nolan Gagnon said. “This would not have been possible without the guys in front of me. I am very appreciative of this award and want to thank the Wranglers organization and the fan base for all of their support.” 

Runner-Up: Connor Brown, Janesville Jets

Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Erick Comstock, Wisconsin Windigo – Dillon Kuntz, New Mexico Ice Wolves – Kyle Miller, St. Cloud Norsemen – Scott Miner, Chippewa Steel – Will Murphy, Shreveport Mudbugs – Ian Norkevicus, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Matthew Rafalski, Bismarck Bobcats – Dylan Shane, Johnstown Tomahawks – Weston Turner, Aberdeen Wings – Max Vig, Oklahoma Warriors – John Wojciechoski, Odessa Jackalopes – Noah Ziskie, Danbury Hat Tricks 

True Hockey NAHL Goaltender of the Month: Daniel Duris, Oklahoma Warriors

Warriors netminder Daniel Duris stood tall between the pipes over six games during the month of January. Duris, 20, a native of Martin, SVK played 359 minutes of action and posted a 5-1 record, allowing 10 goals on 178 shots during the month. That was good for a 1.67 goals against average and a .940 save percentage. The 2023 Robertson Cup Champion goaltender has played in 29 games this season where he holds a record of 15-12-2-0 with a 2.40 GAA and a .921 SV%. “Daniel has been fantastic for us all season long,” Head Coach Garrett Roth said. “This past month was an important stretch for us to win games and Daniel led the way with an exceptional month. He has achieved a lot during his time with us and we couldn't be happier for him to be recognized for this award and get his much deserved commitment to Long Island University,” Roth added. “Daniel has continued to prove that he is an elite goaltender in this league and a driving force to our success.”

“I am really happy for the recognition, but It’s the result of the whole team,” Daniel Duris said. “We had a really good month and the guys played unreal in front of me. We have been playing much better since the new year and the atmosphere in the whole team has been really good. I believe that it will continue like this.”

Runner-Up: Max Beckford, Wisconsin Windigo 

Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Matthew Alberti, Janesville Jets – Maksim Bely, Odessa Jackalopes – Adam Dybal, Aberdeen Wings – Jackson Fuller, New Mexico Ice Wolves – Lukas Fursten, Danbury Hat Tricks – Klayton Knapp, Bismarck Bobcats – Jakub Krebecek, Philadelphia Rebels – Tyler Krivtsov, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Owen Lepak, Maryland Black Bears – Connor McDonough, Amarillo Wranglers – Jacob Osborne, Johnstown Tomahawks – Carter Richardson, Maine Nordiques – Eliot Seguin-Lescarbeau, Shreveport Mudbugs – Max Weilandt, St. Cloud Norsemen