NA3HL announces Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey for the week ending January 17, 2021. The divisional stars of the week are awards given each week of the regular season to the top-performing players in each of the five divisions of the NA3HL as nominated by their head coaches.
Central Division Star of the Week: Pavel Bakhtin, F, Wausau RiverWolves
Bakhtin was instrumental to Wausau’s endeavors last week, tallying two goals and three assists in his first three games with the club and helping them pick up a hard-earned win along the way. After plying nine games with El Paso to start the year, Bakhtin debuted in style with the RiverWolves on Friday, notching a goal and an assist in a 5-1 victory — his second multi-point game of the year. After following up with another helper on Saturday, Bakhtin again posted a 1g, 1a stat line in Sunday’s tilt, solidifying his three-game point streak and marking a strong start to life in Wausau. He now boasts 3g-6a—9pts in 12 total games this year.
2nd Star: Riley Howse, F, St. Louis Jr. Blues
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Owen Carlson, G, St. Louis Jr. Blues — Andrew Doran, G, Peoria Mustangs — George Giese, F, Peoria Mustangs — Devin Hays, F, Oregon Tradesmen — Devin Huie, D, Milwaukee Power — Caeden Phelps, F, Wausau RiverWolves — Brady Rossbach, F, Milwaukee Power — Dylan Schneider, F, Rochester Grizzlies — Carter Watters, D, Oregon Tradesmen — Hunter Wilmes, F, Rochester Grizzlies
East Division Star of the Week: No Games Played
Frontier Division Star of the Week: Derek Humphreys, F, Sheridan Hawks
Like Bakhtin in Wausau, Humphreys also made quite a successful debut for his new team last week. Taking the ice in the NA3HL for the first time, the 5-foot-7, 150-pound native of Spokane, WA recorded a whopping eight points in two wins over Great Falls to help the Hawks increase their lead atop the Frontier standings. Humphreys was dominant in his first game on Friday, netting two goals and three assists in a 9-2 win, and kept his strong start going with another goal and two more assists in Saturday’s victory by the same score. Humphreys’ 3g-5a—8pts have him off and running with the high-flying Hawks, and he’ll look for more success against Yellowstone this weekend.
2nd Star: Isaac Ellingson, F, Helena Bighorns
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Andrew Deskin, F, Helena Bighorns — Pablo Frank, F, Missoula Jr. Bruins — Gabe Gifford, F, Missoula Jr. Bruins — Nathan Gilleshammer, F, Sheridan Hawks
South Division Star of the Week: Nick Cyprian, F, Atlanta Capitals
Cyprian and the Capitals took a 1-1 split at home against the Blazers last week, with the Aledo, TX native bagging a pair of goals and an assist across the weekend set. On Friday, Cyprian fueled an Atlanta comeback in the third period, scoring the go-ahead (and eventual game-winning) goal and setting up an insurance tally in the 3-1 decision. He then got the Capitals on the board in the next matchup — their only goal in a 4-1 loss. Cyprian has now scored in three straight games and boasts 14g-15a—29pts in 19 games this season as Atlanta’s leading scorer.
2nd Star: Rustam Kulizade, G, El Paso Rhinos
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Chris Branch, G, Louisiana Drillers — Jack Cooper, F, Texas Brahmas — Mark Kurliandchyk, F, Louisiana Drillers — RJ Muckensturm, F, Texas Brahmas — Seth Payson, F, Texas RoadRunners — Christian Wong-Ramos, G, Texas RoadRunners
West Division Star of the Week: Jack Willis, F, Willmar Warhawks
Willis and the Warhawks hit the ground running as the West Division returned to play last week. The 6-foot-0, 145-pound native of Chaska, MN had his playmaking abilities on full display as he posted six total assists in a pair of wins. After recording two assists in a Friday win over Alexandria, Willis doubled his output with another four helpers as his Warhawks downed Granite City. Dating back to Oct. 31, Willis has notched points in eight consecutive outings with 1g-13a—14pts in that span, pushing his season totals to 4g-16a—20pts in 16 games this year.
2nd Star: Carson Simon, F, Granite City Lumberjacks
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Campbell Cichosz, D, North Iowa Bulls — Joey Gimberlin, F, New Ulm Steel — Carson Jones, F, North Iowa Bulls — Hanson O’Leary, F, Granite City Lumberjacks — Will Pinney, G, Willmar Warhawks — Corey Stormer, F, New Ulm Steel
