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 January 5, 2025. 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: Leonid Bulgakov, Forward, Aberdeen Wings

The 20-year-old skater, Leonid Bulgakov has played an instrumental role for Aberdeen this season. This past weekend the 5’9 lefty helped the Wings produce a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Mallards on Friday night. As both squads were scoreless heading into the second period, the Wings were able to get on the board first with a goal by Cade Moxham a little over a minute into the game. Minnesota tied the game up 12 minutes later thanks to James Ghebbari finding the back of the net for the first time this season. Following that goal, Bulgakov clinched the game-winning goal with less than two minutes on the clock in the second period. 

Heading into the third period, Central's second star of the week, Luke Backel found the back of the net in the first 2:30 of the period. Later on in this period, the Mallards pulled goaltender Zane Spaniol to give Minnesota the man advantage around the three-minute mark. However, with 45 seconds on the clock, Bulgakov scores an empty-netter to extend the lead and help to seal the victory. 

In game two on Saturday night, the Mallards were hungry for a win and to produce some points for the standings. Bulgakov tallied an assist in the first period during this matchup. As the squads headed to the third period, Aberdeen was leading 2-1. However, the Mallards were able to produce three goals in the last 12 minutes of play. 

The Augustana University commit leads his squad in goals (22) and total points (34) while ranks third for points per game (1.17). 

Scott Langer, head coach for the Wings shares more about Bulgakov’s work ethic.

“Leo puts in a lot of work when it comes to his game. He is a threat every night offensively. He creates his offense through hard work.”

2nd Star: Luke Backel, F, Aberdeen Wings

3rd Star: Phileas Lachat, G, Watertown Shamrocks

 

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

Earning his second East Division Star of the Week honors, Carter Richardson was a dominant force between the pipes for the Nordiques. The 6’2 netminder played in three back-to-back matchups over the weekend and helped the Nordiques produce a win in each game. His weekend started with two games at home versus the Philadelphia Rebels. On Friday night, he only allowed one goal on his watch against one of Philadelphia’s top goal-scorers, Ruslan Jamaldinov. He ended the game saving 27 out of 28 shots. 

Heading into Saturday night’s matchup, the Lake Superior State commit again only allowed one goal against the Rebels' other top goal-scorer, Caesar Bjork. Bjork struck first in the matchup, however, the Nordiques shut down Philadelphia’s lead quickly. Less than a minute after Bjork’s goal, Shane Kozalina of the Nordiques found the back of the net. In this 3-1 victory, Richardson saved 28 out of 29 shots on the night.

Following these two games in Lewiston, the Nordiques head South to play the Danbury Hat Tricks for one game. Richardson stayed diligent in the net and helped the Nordiques produce their third win of the weekend. The second-year netminder allowed two Danbury goals in the third period, however, it proved not to be enough for Maine’s offensive dominance. Nordiques won 5-2 and picked up their fourth consecutive win. Maine has jumped from fourth in the standings to now tied for second with the help of Richardson. 

On the weekend, Richardson sported a 1.33 goals against average, a .956 save percentage, and saved 87 out of 91 shots.

Maine’s head coach, Nick Skerlick, shares his thoughts on Richardson’s and the Nordiques’ weekend.

“Carter is Carter. He’s a special talent. Nice work by all Nordique players this week. He was averaging 26 shots against teams that can score. It’s a great team effort backstopped by the best goalie in the division.”

2nd Star: Jaden Davis, F, New Hampshire Mountain Kings

3rd Star: Benji Motew, G, Maryland Back Bears

 

Midwest Division Star of the Week: Logan Nickolaus, Forward, Wisconsin Windigo

Third-year veteran Logan Nickolaus really put things in motion for the Windigo and produced a season-high weekend against the Kenai River Brown Bears. The 6’1 lefty from Michigan had one of his most offensively dominant weekends of his season. On Friday night, he scored a goal and made two assists in the Windigo’s 5-2 victory. However, his single-game season-high in goals came on Saturday night. The 20-year-old scored two goals for the first time this season. He found the back of the net in the first period around the nine minute mark for Wisconsin. Kenai River put up a battle for the Windigo. Every time the Windigo scored, Kenai River was finding the back of the net quickly after. However, with Nickolaus on the ice, he provided the offensive prowess that the Windigo needed. He scored his first game-winning goal in the third period at the 12:15 mark. He scored two of the three goals in Wisconsin’s 3-2 victory.

Nickolaus wrapped up his weekend with three goals, two assists, five total points, and a +5 rating for the two games.

Head coach of the Windigo, John Mitchell, shares how much Nickolaus means to the squad and community. 

“Logan is a pillar here in the community of Eagle River and epitomizes everything a coach would hope for in a player. He’s a pro, through and through. From his preparation on and off the ice, to his leadership traits, he’s a great example for our young players to learn from. We are happy to have him back in the lineup.”

2nd Star: Logan Sutton, F, Springfield Jr. Blues

3rd Star: Kyler Rohrer, F, Fairbanks Ice Dogs

 

South Division Star of the Week: Cooper Conway, Forward, Corpus Christi IceRays

The 6’0 lefty from Minnesota, Cooper Conway, led the way for the IceRays in scoring points this past weekend. The second-year NAHL skater was traded earlier this season from the North Iowa Bulls. After Conway transitioned to the squad in late October and early November, he has been an offensive dominant force for the IceRays. In his last 10 games, he has tallied at least one point in nine of those 10 games. His offensive prowess was obvious this past weekend. He played in three back-to-back games for the IceRays and starting on Friday night he scored a goal and made an assist in the IceRays 5-2 victory. 

The next night, the Colorado College commit made a season-high three assists in Corpus Christi’s 4-2 victory. Each of his assists came in each period for three different skaters. Thanks to the ‘05 skater, the IceRays swept the Amarillo Wranglers. 

With one series finished, the IceRays had a matinee special at the American Bank Center against the Oklahoma Warriors. The Warriors were coming off back-to-back shutout losses by the Lone Star Brahmas and they were hungry for a win. During this one-game special, the IceRays and Warriors battled to score goals. Each squad had six goals by the end of the third period, and Conway scored two goals during this affair. The game went into overtime, however neither team was able to produce a goal. As the squads head to the shootout, the Warriors were able to come off victorious in the fourth round thanks to Kyle Sorensen. This game marked the second shootout loss of the season for Corpus Christi. 

Conway ended his weekend with three goals, four assists, seven total points, and a +5 rating for the three games. He leads his squads for points per game at 1.04 while is tied second with 11 goals. 

Sylvain Cloutier, head coach of the IceRays, shares about the development he has seen from Conway.

“Since we’ve acquired Cooper, he has been exceptional for us offensively and has become a key part of our team. The dedication he has shown since joining us is clearly paying off.”

2nd Star: Luc Bydal, F, Colorado Grit

3rd Star: Andy Earl, F, New Mexico Ice Wolves