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 March 9th, 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: Ian Spencer, Forward, Minot Minotauros

The 5’9 Assistant Captain of the Minotauros, Ian Spencer, orchestrated a six-point weekend. Spencer is a second-year veteran of the Tauros and was just featured a month ago at Top Prospects with the Central Division squad. On Friday night, the New Lenox, Illinois native had hats flying at the Maysa Arena. Spencer got the scoring started and found the back of the net twice in the first period. Moving into the second period, that is when the ‘04 lefty notched his first hat trick of the season. Thanks to his work on the ice, he helped to lift Minot to a 7-1 victory over the Minnesota Mallards. Heading into Saturday evening, the Mallards struck first thanks to a goal by Jordan Brothers. However once Minot got the scoring started, they did not lift off the breaks. Spencer scored the equalizing goal that was done on the man advantage in the first period. After Spencer found the back of the net, he then went on to assist in two goals.

For the weekend, Spencer tallied four goals, made two assists, and featured a +3 rating between the two contests. Additionally, three out of his four goals were scored on the power play. The Minotauros currently lead the league in their effectiveness on the power play. Minot spotlights a 24.3% power play percentage. Spencer’s offensive production has been felt by the Minotauros since the start of 2025. Spencer has contributed to the scoresheet in 18 out of 20 matchups and is currently riding a five-game point streak. On the season he currently sits in second in the league with his 66 points (23-43–66) on the year and 1.35 points per game. 

This weekly award marks the fifth time that the Minot Minotauros had an athlete featured and first time that Ian Spencer was named.

Head coach of the Minotauros, Cody Campbell, goes into detail on how Spencer has contributed to his squad.

“Ian has been great for us all season long in all facets. He had a great weekend when it came to putting the puck in the net. We are happy Ian’s play is being recognized and look forward to him continuing his strong play as we push toward the playoffs as a group and as Ian works toward earning a Division I opportunity.” 

2nd Star: Tomas Anderson, G, Bismarck Bobcats

3rd Star: Tyler Wishart, F, St. Cloud Norsemen

 

East Division Star of the Week: Brendan Boring, Forward, Danbury Hat Tricks

Nothing was boring about Brendan Boring this past weekend. The 6’0 righty from West Babylon, New York served as the overtime savior for the Danbury Hat Tricks. Walking into this series, the Hat Tricks were looking to secure their first win against the Maryland Black Bears for the season. Starting on Friday night, the contest was a battle back and forth between the teams. Danbury got the scoring started in the first period. However, every time the Hat Tricks would score, the Black Bears were right there behind them finding the back of the net. As the matchup went into overtime that is when Boring’s savior story started. The ‘05 skater gets the puck and immediately makes a breakaway down the ice and scores backhanded around the four-minute mark. Boring helps to end the six-game skid with a 3-2 overtime victory.

Moving into Saturday night, the contest was tight again between the Hat Tricks and Black Bears. Danbury got the scoring started and was riding a lead of 4-2 heading into the third period. Maryland battled back and was able to equalize the contest with less than two minutes in the third frame, forcing the matchup to go into overtime again. However, just like the night before, Brendan Boring was the hero of the game. Instead of scoring a minute into overtime, Boring finds the back of the net with less than 40 seconds on the clock. On back-to-back nights, Boring scored the overtime game-winning goals for his squad, helping the Hat Tricks to produce their first sweep in eight weeks. 

Boring made his NAHL debut on January 4, 2025. For his 19 games played so far this season, he has tallied three goals and three assists. This weekly award also marks the fourth time that a Danbury Hat Tricks player was named this season.

Head coach of the Hat Tricks, Lenny Caglianone, explains what he has seen from Boring on the ice. 

“Brendan was a dog this weekend, with relentless puck pursuit and a hard 200-foot game. He has grown incredibly in his role and will continue to provide offense and a sound defensive game. We’re very proud of Boro and his commitment to the game.”

2nd Star: Austin McNicholas, G, New Jersey Titans

3rd Star: Jack MacDonald, F, New Hampshire Mountain Kings

 

Midwest Division Star of the Week: Daniel Bagnole, Forward, Anchorage Wolverines

The 6’0 second-year veteran, Daniel Bagnole, produced his first four-point game of the season. The Wolverines were coming off a 3-2 loss to the Fairbanks Ice Dogs on Friday night. Moving into Saturday night, the offensive production for Anchorage was picked up. The contest started scoreless in the first frame at the Big Dipper Ice Arena. Heading into the second period, that is when scoring started. The Wolverines tallied a trio of goals before Fairbanks could find the back of the net. With a 3-1 lead moving into the third and final frame, the Wolverines continued to extend their lead and that is when Bagnole’s breakout moment happened. The Franklin Park, Illinois native found the back of the net immediately into the period with a goal scored in the first 12 seconds. This goal would turn out to be the game-winning goal. He then dished a shorthanded goal nine minutes later for the Wolverines and finally notched his third and final goal of the matchup with less than four minutes on the clock. His trio of goals in the third marked his first hat trick of the season. Bagnole walked away from this game with three goals, an assist, and a +4 rating on the weekend. 

Bagnole was featured at the 2025 Top Prospects Tournament on Team Midwest less than a month ago. On the year, the ‘04 skater leads his squad with 24 goals and sits third overall with 47 points (24-23–47) on the season. This honor marks the first time Bagnole has gone home as the Midwest Star of the Week and the fourth time the Anchorage Wolverines had an athlete named as the weekly award winner.

Head coach of the Wolverines, Nick Walters, describes what he has seen from Bagnole’s development and commitment to the game. 

“Danny has been a sneaky scorer for us this year and had a big-time game on Saturday when we needed someone to step up and get the scoring going. To see him get recognized by the league for his efforts is outstanding. He has come a long way since he first landed in Anchorage, and he has taken the step this year that we all wanted to see, and then some. He has put the time into becoming a better player when the puck is not on his stick. Whether that is supporting the puck, going to the net, backchecking, forechecking, etc. Because of that, he is finding himself with more opportunities when that puck does land on his stick. Saturday’s hat trick and four-point night is a testament to that. We will be leaning on him down the stretch and going into the playoffs.”

2nd Star: Hunter Hayes, F, Wisconsin Windigo

3rd Star: Connor Broadhead, D, Springfield Jr. Blues

 

South Division Star of the Week: Stepan Kuznetsov, Forward, Corpus Christi IceRays

A fourth-year veteran of the NAHL, Stepan Kuznetsov, notches his second Star of the Week honors thanks to his work on the ice for the IceRays. This series featured a thrilling matchup between the number two-ranked IceRays and the number three-ranked Mudbugs for a three-game set in Corpus Christi. On Friday night, the IceRays fell to Shreveport 3-2 in overtime. As Corpus Christi looked to bounce back from that loss, on Saturday night, the IceRays started from behind. This time Shreveport found the back of the net twice in the first period. Corpus Christi got the scoring started in the second period thanks to a goal by Grayson Gerhard. Heading into the third frame, Kuznetsov scored the equalizing goal that helped to take the matchup into overtime. Max Ranstrom of the IceRays became the hero of the matchup by dishing a goal within the first 40 seconds of overtime. Corpus Christi walked away with a 3-2 overtime victory. 

Finally, heading into Sunday’s matinee special, the 6’1 righty from Biloxi, Mississippi had a season-high four-point performance. He tallied his first goal in the first frame and then went on to produce an assist on Carter Krenke’s goal. Moving into the second period, Kuznetsov dished two goals for the IceRays, with one of them on the man advantage. This marked for the ‘04 skater his first hat trick of the season. In this 7-2 victory, he helped to produce four of the seven goals. 

On the weekend, Kuznetsov logged four goals, an assist, and a +3 rating against the Shreveport Mudbugs. His offensive production has been felt by the IceRays all season. He currently sits second overall on his squad with 42 points (19-23–42) and 19 goals on the year. The 6’1 righty was featured at the 2025 Top Prospects Tournament on the South Division squad. The last time Kuznetsov earned the South Division Star of the Week honors was October 7, 2024. This marks the fifth time the IceRays have had an athlete named to this weekly award.

Head coach of the IceRays, Slyvain Cloutier, shares his excitement for Kuznetsov.

“Hard work and dedication always pay off. Winning South Division Star of the Week is a reflection of his effort and commitment to the team. We are proud of Kuzy.”

2nd Star: Jackson Fuller, G, New Mexico Ice Wolves

3rd Star: William Karphed, G, Odessa Jackalopes