NAHL Announces Bauer Hockey Stars of the Week

The North American Hockey League (NAHL) announced today the Bauer Hockey Divisional Stars of the Week for the week ending December 22, 2024. Only players that are nominated by their respective teams are considered for the Divisional Player of the Week awards.

 

Central Division Star of the Week: Nikolai Tishkevich, Forward, Aberdeen Wings

The 20-year-old lefty from Belarus put on a show in his third and fourth game back with the Aberdeen Wings. Nikolai Tishkevich played a crucial role in Aberdeen’s offensive game over the weekend against the North Iowa Bulls. Starting Friday night, the 5’11 skater produced two goals and an assist in the 4-3 overtime victory. He first assisted Luke Backel’s goal in the first period. Moving into the second period, Tishkevich found the back of the net at the 12:55 mark. However, the North Iowa Bulls responded. With less than a second on the clock in the third period, the Bulls produced the game-tying goal. However, that did not hinder the Wings. As they move into overtime, Tishkevich scores the game-winning goal at the 2:30 mark for Aberdeen.

Heading into Saturday night, the third-year veteran of the Wings played just as strong. Tishkevich scored a goal and assisted Leonid Bulgakov’s goal in the third period. The Wings did walk away with a 4-3 loss against the Bulls. However, Tishkevich walked away with three goals, two assists, and five total points on the weekend. Thanks to his work on the ice, he continues his goal streak to four straight games.

“Nikolai has come back and picked up where he ended last year,” said Aberdeen’s head coach, Scott Langer. “He is a mature ultra-competitive individual who was an instant difference maker in our lineup.”

2nd Star: Cole Wirun, F, North Iowa Bulls

3rd Star: Phileas Lachat, G, Watertown Shamrocks

 

East Division Star of the Week: Carter Richardson, Goaltender, Maine Nordiques

In the battle versus the top of the East division, Carter Richardson showed off his defensive dominance between the pipes. The 6’2 netminder shined bright in game two against the Jr. Americans. After coming off a 2-1 loss against Rochester on Friday night, the ‘05 Canadian was electric between the posts in Saturday night’s matchup. He produced a 38-save shutout against the number-one-ranked squad in the East division. This marked his second shutout of the season with the Nordiques. 

On the weekend, he featured a 1.01 goals against average, a .967 save percentage, and saved 62 out of 64 shots. The ‘05 goaltender leads his squad with 11 wins and will head to Lake Superior State University next year to play Division I college hockey.

“Carter came into this series looking for more out of himself. A slow and strange start to the season; coming back from the USHL, and CHL teams looking to acquire him, it all became a distraction. There is some fantastic goaltending in this league, but Carter over his last five starts is starting to show again why he will sit as a candidate for the league’s top goalie,” said head coach of the Nordiques, Nick Skrelick. “We are happy with his preparation and focus as of late which has his game trending up. He was a Rochester roadblock last season and we believe he will be the ‘X Factor’ to get us out of the East division this season.”

2nd Star: Alex Papaspyropoulos, F, New Jersey Titans

3rd Star: Danick Leroux, G, Rochester Jr. Americans

 

Midwest Division Star of the Week: Cole Burke, Forward, Fairbanks Ice Dogs

Third-year veteran of the Ice Dogs, Cole Burke, played an offensive role in Fairbanks’ sweep over Wisconsin. The 6’2 righty in Friday night’s matchup produced two of the six goals scored by the Ice Dogs. His first goal was scored in the first period around the 14:28 mark while his second goal was tallied in the third period with a little more than three minutes left on the clock. The Ice Dogs ended the night with a 6-2 victory over Wisconsin. 

Heading into Saturday night, the Michigan native found the back of the net again for the Ice Dogs. He scored his game-winning goal in the second period with a little more than a minute left on the clock. Fairbanks finishes their sweep with a 4-1 win over Wisconsin. The 6’2 righty is tied first on his squad in goals (11) and his plus-minus rating (+16), while he is tied second in total points (26).

“Cole has been very consistent in his play from the start of the season. He brings a ton of energy and a great attitude every day to practice. The effort he puts forth throughout the week has been a staple he brings to every game. Cole is a player that is reliable and he plays in every situation during a game,” said by the head coach of the Ice Dogs, Ryan Theros. “He plays with great structure, consistency, and accountability. As one of our captains and one of many leaders we have on the team, he leads by example. We are excited for Cole going forward as he continues to have individual success for the team. It is not surprising to us with his success as his loyalty to his teammates and the organization is top-notch. He has a great team-first mentality and he plays for his teammates and the logo.”

2nd Star: Justin Collins, F, Fairbanks Ice Dogs

3rd Star: Mitchell McCusker, G, Kenai River Brown Bears

 

South Division Star of the Week: Carl Jacobson, Forward, Amarillo Wranglers

First-year skater for Amarillo, Carl Jacobson wrangled up an award thanks to his offensive production on the ice. The ‘04 lefty had a season-high weekend in assists and total points. Starting on Friday night, Jacobson tallied his first power play goal of the season during the first period against the Colorado Grit. He then assists Trace Day’s game-winning goal in the second period.

Moving forward to Saturday night, Jacobson hit his season-high of three assists. He helps to get the teddy bears to start flying in Amarillo by assisting Salvatore Cerrato’s goal in the first thirty seconds of play. He then assisted on Corson Maguire’s goal five minutes later in the first period. Jacobson notched his third and final assist of the night with less than a minute on the clock for the Wranglers in the third period. Amarillo took down Colorado with a 6-3 victory at home.

On the weekend, Jacobson scored a goal, made four assists, and produced a +3 rating.

"I’m excited for Carl! He is very deserving of this award. Day in and day out, he does all of the little things well, said by the Wranglers' head coach, Corey Wogtech. "This is a testament to Carl’s dedication to his development, and it’s exciting to see him get recognized for his efforts."

2nd Star: Seth Murch, D, Shreveport Mudbugs

3rd Star: Sebastian Speck, F, Oklahoma Warriors