NAHL announces monthly player awards for October

The North American Hockey League (NAHL) has announced its monthly player awards for the month of September.  The Forward of the Month is Jack Hillier from the New Jersey Titans. The Defenseman of the Month is Brock Devlin from the Anchorage Wolverines.  The Goaltender of the Month is Tomas Anderson from the Bismarck Bobcats. 

Bauer Hockey NAHL Forward of the Month: Jack Hillier, New Jersey Titans

Heading into October with one win in seven regular season games, the New Jersey Titans have  catapulted themselves up the East Division standings in October and veteran forward Jack Hillier has been a catalyst to that turnaround. 

“I’m honored to be named the forward of the month, but credit goes to my teammates,” said Hillier. “We’ve done a great job flipping the script after returning from the showcase. We are beginning to make some noise in the East and I’m excited to see what this group brings falling into these next few weeks.”

Hillier’s offensive prowess broke out on the 5th of October against the Northeast Generals, tallying a goal and two assists in the Titans’ 4-3 victory. Following that Saturday night, the Petawawa, Ontario native logged at least one point in the next six games, four of those being multi-point performances. In that stretch, Jack found the back of the net seven times and dished eight helpers, co-leading the league in points throughout October with fellow Titan Ryan Shaw. The Sacred Heart University commit has 64 points in 73 regular season games so far in his NAHL career.

“There's no denying Hillier's point production in the last month of the season has been off the charts,” said New Jersey head coach George Haviland. “Jack is a big, strong power forward who has a scorer's touch as he enters the offensive zone. We are very proud of Jack's accomplishments to date."

Runner-Up: Niko Tournas, Danbury Hat Tricks

Bauer Hockey NAHL Defenseman of the Month: Brock Devlin, Anchorage Wolverines

Anchorage blueliner Brock Devlin and St. Cloud’s Kyle Miller have much in common in the early part of this season: both lead the NAHL in scoring by defenseman and both now have earned Star of the Month honors. 

“I am very thankful to win defenseman of the month,” said Devlin. “It couldn’t have been possible without my teammates and all the staff in Anchorage. Our team is off to a great start and it starts with the team chemistry. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by people that push themselves and others to be their best everyday. We are very confident that we can make it back to the Robertson Cup and ultimately win it all this year.”

For a franchise who has punched a ticket two out of their first three seasons, Devlin and the Wolverines know the expectations of success in Anchorage and they have met those expectations so far. Anchorage was victorious in six of their eight games this month and Devlin played a role offensively in seven of those games. Dating back to a matchup against the Chippewa Steel on October 5th, Brock has tallied at least one point in every game. His best performance came on the 19th on the road against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs, dishing out four assists in a dominant 7-1 Wolverines victory. Currently onn a 79 point regular season pace, we could be seeing some franchise records be broken by the defenseman from Mission Viejo, California.

“Brock couldn’t be a more deserving candidate for star of the month this month. We knew with him returning, he would play a big role for our team especially with pieces of last years D core departing,” said Anchorage head coach Nick Walters. “His commitment to learning and exceling on the defensive side of things has catapulted him into that next tier player. He kills plays on the blueline and corners, defends at net front, and retrieves pucks at an elite level. By doing these things the puck ends up on his stick more. What he is able to do with the puck on transition and on the offensive side of things can't be taught in my opinion. The way he sees the ice and distributes the puck has made him a go to player on the power play and in the offensive zone. Only being 13 games into the season, the sky is the limit for him, and we as an organization are excited to see what the rest of the season brings.”

Runner-Up: Ian Engel, Bismarck Bobcats

NAHL Goaltender of the Month: Tomas Anderson, Bismarck Bobcats

The Bismarck Bobcats are on franchise record setting pace so far this season and have yet to lose in regulation; there’s no question that netminder Tomas Anderson has been a key piece to that success. 

“I'm honored to receive this recognition, but this award is really to be shared with my entire team,” said Anderson. “My teammates have been incredible in front of me, blocking shots and playing strong defense. This is a really special group of guys we have this year. The whole coaching staff has been important in helping me develop my game and stay focused. I just try to show up every day, work hard, and give our team a chance to win. There's still a lot of season left, and I'm excited to keep building on what we've started here in Bismarck.”

The league leader in goals against average had an incredible month between the pipes for the Central Division powerhouse, earning a win in five of his six starts. The Stillwater, Minnesota native did not allow more than two goals in any of his starts in October. In those games, Anderson maintained a GAA of 1.00 while holding an impressive .962 save percentage. Anderson earned his first two shutouts of the season consecutively, logging a 23 save shutout on the 19th against the Watertown Shamrocks, following that up with a 34 save shutout against the Minot Minotauros.

“Tomas has had a great start to the season for us and has been the backbone of our team,” said Bismarck head coach Garrett Roth. “His consistency and ability to make timely big saves has been a huge part of the success we have had as a team. His work ethic and practice habits have led the way in his development this year as a big time goaltender. We are excited for Tomas earning this award and looking forward to his continued development and success at our level and beyond.”

Runner-Up: Beck Liden, St. Cloud Norsemen