NA3HL announces monthly player awards for January

The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) has announced its monthly player awards for the month of January.  The Bauer Hockey NA3HL Forward of the Month is Jack Hatton of the St. Louis Jr. Blues.  The Bauer Hockey NA3HL Defenseman of the Month is Niki Raiskio of the Louisiana Drillers.  The Vaughn NA3HL Goaltender of the Month is Peter Ciccarelli from the Northeast Generals.  Only players who are nominated by their respective teams are considered for the NA3HL monthly awards.

Bauer Hockey NA3HL Forward of the Month: Jack Hatton, St. Louis Jr. Blues

Leading the NA3HL Forwards in January for goals, points, points per game, and +/- was the Jr. Blues’ 19-year-old Jack Hatton. The Naperville, IL native scored 15 goals (2 SHG and 3 PPG), and had 8 assists for 23 points at a 3.83 pace of points per game through January. Hatton was +24 all in six games played. “Jack has been an offensive threat for us all year. He is a natural goal-scorer and always puts himself in position to score. He had a monster month for us, and helped our club will 6 games in January,” said General Manager and Head Coach Chris Flaugher.

Runner-Up: Christian Ward, Missoula Jr. Bruins

Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Austin Braley, Northeast Generals – Austin Lewis, Wisconsin Whalers – Blake Bennett, Lockport Express – Brad Becker, Binghamton Jr. Senators – Brad Estrada, Helena Bighorns – Brady Dahl, Granite City Lumberjacks – Davis Van Gemerden, Louisiana Drillers – Jacob Friedman, Cincinnati Thunder – Jake Cox, Point Mallard Ducks – Luc Kreuser, New Ulm Steel – Mathias Tellstrom, Metro Jets – Melker Kroon, Texas Jr. Brahmas – Michael Gulawsky, Jersey Shore Wildcats – Mike Zenone, Wooster Oilers – Oscar Lande, Syracuse Stampede – Ricky Kwapich, Toledo Cherokee – Sascha Figi, Atlanta Capitals – Sean Mallonee, North Iowa Bulls – Tegan Harrington, Great Falls Americans – Thomas Delaney, Euless Jr. Stars – Tyler Briley, La Crosse Freeze

Bauer Hockey NA3HL Defenseman of the Month: Niki Raiskio, Louisiana Drillers

Stepping up from the blue line in January was Louisiana’s Niki Raiskio. The 19-year-old from Tampere, Finland registered 15 points in January to lead all NA3HL defenseman. Raiskio grabbed 8 goals (1 GWG, 2 PPG) and seven assists for a 1.66 points per game average. The Drillers’ defenseman was +12 in 9 games playedin January. “With 15 points and a +12 from the defensive end, Niki is proving that he gives the team his all on both ends of the ice.  Niki is lethal on the power play, and he helps to give the team the leadership we need. He provides the consistency we are looking for on a daily basis.” said Head Coach Shawn McNeil.

Runner-Up: Dylan Carroll, St. Louis Jr. Blues

Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Austin Azzinnaro, Missoula Jr. Bruins – Ben Hamilton, Toldeo Cherokee – Cole Skelly, Binghamton Jr. Senators – Connor Losen, La Crosse Freeze – Dayton Honkanen, North Iowa Bulls – Gibson Stuart, Lockport Express – Jacob Peterson, Texas Jr. Brahmas – Jake Faulkner, Wisconsin Whalers – Jesse Johnson, Great Falls Americans – Jordan Olson, Granite City Lumberjacks – Justin Bioni, Cincinnati Thunder – Matt Goodman, Point Mallard Ducks – Rich Hart, Syracuse Stampede, Robby Flannery, Metro Jets – Sam Storlie, New Ulm Steel – Shawn Peckham, Northeast Generals – Tristen Poliseno, Atlanta Capitals – Tyler Groth, Wooster Oilers

Vaughn Hockey Goaltender of the Month: Peter Ciccarelli, Northeast Generals

As the only NA3HL goaltender with six wins in January, Peter Ciccarelli proved his value in net for the Northeast Generals. The 19-year-old from Chelmsford, MA faced an average of 35.16 shots per game in January, making 195 saves through the month. Ciccarelli finished the month with a save percentage of .924, earning the Generals a winning month. “Pete has been fantastic all season, and that was never more evident than in January as he went 6-0 in net.  Pete's determination is what sets him apart from his peers, and he gets better every game.  He plays his best against the best teams and in games with the highest stakes,” said General Manager Bryan Erikson.

Runner-Up: Will Graves, La Crosse Freeze

Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Alex Hufford, Wisconsin Whalers – Brady Meyers, North Iowa Bulls – Brey Effertz, Alexandria Blizzard – David Mulligan, Granite City Lumberjacks – Hunter Smith, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Jake Gwillim, Metro Jets – Kyler Ayers, Great Falls Americans – Luke Olson, Bozeman Icedogs – Michael Hubbard, Wooster Oilers – Nicholas Battaglia, Helena Bighorns – Nolan Bivolcic, Atlanta Capitals – Peter Stensland, Binghamton Jr. Senators – Roman Malkov, Toledo Cherokee – Santeri Seppinen, Louisiana Drillers – Tyler Myers, Texas Jr. Brahmas

About Bauer Hockey
Bauer Hockey is the world’s most recognized designer, marketer and manufacturer of hockey equipment. Founded in Kitchener, Ontario in 1927, Bauer developed the first skate with a blade attached to a boot, forever changing the game of hockey. Since then, Bauer has continued to develop the most sought after products in the industry, including the widely successful Supreme and Vapor lines of products. To learn more, go to www.bauer.com

About Vaughn

Vaughn is the official Goaltending Equipment Partner to the NAHL and serves as the Preferred Goaltending Equipment Supplier of the NA3HL and NAPHL. Founded in 1982, Vaughn became one of the first major hockey production companies to use multiple foam layers in equipment. As strictly a goalie equipment company, the main focus for Vaughn is the innovation and quality of their product. Visit Vaughn online at: www.vaughnhockey.com