NA3HL announces 2013-14 season award winners

March 28, 2014

The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) has announced its award winners for the 2013-14 season, which include: Most Valuable Player, Forward of the Year, Defenseman of the Year, Goaltender of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, General Manager of the Year and Organization of the Year, along with its All-NA3HL 1st, 2nd, 3rd and All-Rookie Teams, Community Service and Academic Award winners as voted by the league’s coaches and general managers.

North Iowa Bulls forward Matt Kroska (Elko, Minnesota) has been named the NA3HL Most Valuable Player, as well as, the NA3HL Forward of the Year. Kroska, 21, shattered league offensive records in 2013-14. His 122 points and 90 assists were both new league single-season records, as was his +107 rating. He was honored as the NA3HL Forward of the Month twice this past season. In his three-year career with the Bulls, Kroska played in 140 regular season games and recorded 247 career points (68 goals, 179 assists).

Ron Lindgren (Janesville, Wisconsin) of the North Iowa Bulls was honored as NA3HL Defenseman of the Year. Lindgren, 20, played in 46 regular season games during the 2013-14 season and had 39 points (11 goals, 28 assists). His 39 points ranked 2nd among NA3HL defensemen and his +79 rating was the best of any defenseman in the league. In two years and 90 regular season games with the Bulls, Lindgren has a +119 rating.

Flint Junior Generals goaltender Anders Franke (Zimmerman, Minnesota) was honored as the NA3HL Goaltender of the Year. Franke, 20, posted a 28-4-1 record during the regular season. Franke’s 28 wins led the NA3HL and his six shutouts tied for the league lead. He also ranked 2nd in games and minutes played and ranked 1st in goals against average among active NA3HL goaltenders with a 1.73 average.

Wisconsin Whalers forward Ryan Martin (Rochester, Minnesota) was honored as the NA3HL Rookie of the Year. Martin, 19, had a very impressive first season in the NA3HL, as he led the Whalers in scoring with 80 points (37 goals, 43 assists) in 47 games played, helping the Whalers earn a playoff spot in the Central Division. His 37 goals ranked 5th in the NA3HL and his seven game-winning goals ranked tied for 3rd in the league.

Flint Junior Generals head coach Steve Howard was honored as the NA3HL Coach of the Year. Howard led Flint to a 42-4-2 record this season, which was second best in the NA3HL. The 42 wins was a franchise record and Flint won both the Eastern Division regular season and playoff titles. He also moved four players up to the NAHL this year with two more signing NAHL tenders.

North Iowa Bulls General Manager and head coach Todd Sanden was honored as the NA3HL General Manager of the Year. Under Sanden’s direction, the Bulls won 45 games this season, which was a new franchise record. For the third year in a row, the Bulls led the NA3HL in attendance with almost 1,000 fans per game. Lastly, the Bulls went onto win the West Division regular season and playoff titles, as well as, the NA3HL regular season title. They had two players tendered to date in the NAHL.

The North Iowa Bulls were honored as the NA3HL Organization of the Year.

Toledo Cherokee forward Zach Armstrong (Findlay, Ohio) was honored with the NA3HL Academic Achievement Award. Armstrong is currently a senior at Findlay High School and ranks 15th out of 400 in his class. He scored a 28 on his ACT and has been offered a full academic scholarship to Adrian College in Michigan. He is also a member of the high school football team and served as team captain.

Peoria Mustangs defenseman Blake Ortman (Dunlap, Illinois) was honored with the NA3HL Outstanding Community Service Award. Ortman has been the face of the team for the last four years. Back in November when Tornado struck his community, he gathered the whole team and went to the scene to help, and assisted families in finding shelter and belongings. He also volunteers at a local school district that helps with inner city youth. In addition, he led the charge with team visits to the hospital and helped lead the team with their stuff a bus campaign. In total, he had over 100+ hours of community service.

NA3HL Most Valuable Player:

Matt Kroska, North Iowa Bulls

NA3HL Forward of the Year:

Matt Kroska, North Iowa Bulls

NA3HL Defenseman of the Year:

Ron Lindgren, North Iowa Bulls

NA3HL Goalie of the Year:

Anders Franke, Flint Junior Generals

NA3HL Rookie of the Year:

Ryan Martin, Wisconsin Whalers

NA3HL Coach of the Year:

Steve Howard, Flint Junior Generals