DALLAS, TEXAS – The North American Hockey League (NAHL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey for the week ending December 17, 2023. The Divisional Stars of the Week is a weekly feature during the 2023-24 season that honors the top performing players in each of the four NAHL divisions. Only players that are nominated by their respective teams are considered for the Divisional Players of the Week award.
Central Division Star of the Week: Trevor Stachowiak, Forward, Minot Minotauros
Minot forward and captain Trevor Stachowiak, 20, had a big weekend as Minot widened their lead atop the Central Division thanks to a weekend home sweep of North Iowa. The 6’1/196 lbs. native Santa Barbara, CA, had six points (2 goals, 4 assists) in the two wins. On Friday, he had a goal and an assist in a 5-0 win. On Saturday, he had a goal and three assists in a 9-1 win. For the season, Stachowiak is 3rd in team scoring with 26 points in 28 games played. “Trevor had a great weekend for us. As always, his play was hard and consistent. This weekend he was rewarded for that with offensively pointing. Because of that he also broke our organizations all time assists record. Trevor has been a leader and the driver of this team all year long. We are happy he is being recognized for his play this past weekend and look forward to him continuing to perform at a high level as he pursues an extremely well-deserved opportunity at the NCAA D1 level,” said Minot head coach Cody Campbell.
2nd Star: Adam Dybal, G, Aberdeen Wings
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Tommy Cronin, F, Bismarck Bobcats – Patrick Johnson, F, Bismarck Bobcats – Austin Salani, F, Austin Bruins – Riley Sharun, F, Aberdeen Wings
East Division Star of the Week: Luke Janus, Forward, Maryland Black Bears
Janus, 19, helped the Black Bears to a three-game weekend road sweep of the Johnstown Tomahawks. The 6’2/185 lbs. native of Winnipeg, MB, had five points in the three wins, including two goals and three assists. On Friday, he had a pair of assists in a 5-4 win. On Saturday, he picked up another assist in a 3-1 win. On Sunday, he had two goals in a 4-2 win. For the season, the RPI commit has recorded 15 points in 32 games played to date. “Luke has really started coming along nicely and being named the star of the week is certainly well deserved. We feel his best hockey is yet to come and cannot wait to see what he has in store for us in the second half of the season,” said Maryland head coach Clint Mylymok.
2nd Star: Luke Arnell, D, Maryland Black Bears
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Zakari Brice, G, New Jersey Titans – Matteo Disipio, F, Rochester Jr. Americans – Jack Hillier, F, New Jersey Titans – CJ Kier, G, Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks – Matthew Lewis, F, Maine Nordiques – Carter Richardson, G, Maine Nordiques
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Matthew Alberti, Goaltender, Janesville Jets
Janesville goalie Matthew Alberti, 19, had a big weekend in helping the Jets pick up a weekend home sweep of Kenai River. The 6’0/170 lbs. native of Hamburg, NY, stopped 72 of 74 shots, allowing just two goals in the two wins. On Friday, Alberti made 36 saves in a 4-2 win. On Saturday, he stopped all 36 shots that came his way in a 4-0 shutout. For the season, Alberti has a 14-3-3 record in 21 gamed played with a 2.62 goals against average and a .925 save percentage. “Matthew was outstanding again for us this past weekend and continues to prove he is one of the top goalies in our league. He made key saves throughout the weekend which was a huge reason for our success. He just continues to get better every day and I look forward to continuing to watch his progress,” said Jets head coach Joe Dibble.
2nd Star: Danny Bagnole, F, Anchorage Wolverines
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Daniel Astapovich, F, Minnesota Wilderness – Liam Beerman, G, Anchorage Wolverines – Adam Johnson, F, Minnesota Wilderness – Tyler Krivtsov, G, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Max Martin, F, Wisconsin Windigo – Everett Pietila, F, Wisconsin Windigo – Peyton Platter, F, Chippewa Steel – Jack Thomas, D, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Tomas Trunda, F, Chippewa Steel – Max Wagener, F, Janesville Jets
South Division Star of the Week: Rasmus Leijonhielm, Forward, New Mexico Ice Wolves
New Mexico forward Rasmus Leijonhielm, 20, had a productive offensive weekend to help his team post a weekend home sweep over the Oklahoma Warriors. The 6’3/200 lbs. native of Taby, Sweden, had five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in the two wins. On Friday, he had a goal and an assist in a 5-1 win. On Saturday, he posted a goal and two assists in a 7-4 win. For the season, he has recorded 14 points in 28 games played. “It’s great to see Rasmus have success on the scoresheet this past weekend after a couple big team wins. He’s been working hard and continually developing his game, which is fun to see. It was a matter of time before he had a weekend like this for us. I expect to see more of this for Rasmus the second half of the year,” said New Mexico head coach Phil Fox.
2nd Star: Jack Wieneke, G, Lone Star Brahmas
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Cameron Dunn, F, Odessa Jackalopes – Nikola Goich, G, Shreveport Mudbugs – Zach Homer, F, Oklahoma Warriors – Olivier Lamothe, F, New Mexico Ice Wolves – Brent Litchard, F, Shreveport Mudbugs – Kaden Nelson, F, Oklahoma Warriors – Alexander Papaspryopoulos, F, Amarillo Wranglers – Topi Puikkonen, F, Amarillo Wranglers – Quentin Sigurdson, G, Odessa Jackalopes – David Skuhrovec, F, Lone Star Brahmas