NA3HL announces 2018-19 season awards

April 25, 2019

Coulee Region Chill forward Brady Lindauer was named the NA3HL Most Valuable Player and Forward of the Year for the 2018-19 season.

The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) has announced its award winners for the 2018-19 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, Leadership and Academic Award. The awards are voted on by the league’s head coaches and general managers, based upon performance during the 2018-19 regular season.

Most Valuable Player & Forward of the Year: Brady Lindauer, Coulee Region Chill

Coulee Region Chill forward Brady Lindauer, 19, who is committed to play NCAA Division III hockey for Saint Mary’s University in the Fall, led the NA3HL in scoring during the 2018-19 regular season with 134 points (59 goals, 79 assists) in 46 games played. The 5’10/180 lbs. native of Cary, Illinois, recorded at least one point in 44 of his 46 games this season and his 75 assists were tied for the league lead. He was named the Forward of the Month in December and spent two seasons playing in the NA3HL.

Defenseman of the Year: Toon De Schepper, Coulee Region Chill

Coulee Region Chill defenseman Tood De Schepper, 20, was third is scoring this season among NA3HL defensemen with 80 points (11 goals, 69 assists) in 45 games played. The 6’0/185 lbs. native of Nieuwenrode, Belgium, also recently committed to play NCAA Division III hockey for Wilkes University. De Schepper was also selected to and played in the 2019 NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament for the Central Division team, where he recorded one point in three games played at the event. This was his fourth and final season playing junior hockey in the NA3HL.

Vaughn Hockey Goaltender and Rookie of the Year: Mikael Foucher, St. Louis Jr. Blues

St. Louis Jr. Blues goalie Mikael Foucher, 18, had a great first season of junior hockey in the NA3HL. The 5’11/180 lbs. native of St-Hubert, Quebec, tied for the NA3HL lead this season with 24 wins. Overall, Foucher posted a 24-5-2 record during the 2018-19 regulae season. His four shutouts and 2.24 goals against average both ranked in the Top 10 of NA3HL goaltending statistics. He was also selected to and played in the 2019 NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament.

Coach of the Year: Brad Willner, Granite City Lumberjacks

Willner helped the Granite City Lumberjacks to the West Division regular season title with a record of 37-8-2. He was also the head coach of the West Division team, which went 2-1 at the 2019 NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament. Back in late January, Willner picked up his 500th career USA Hockey junior hockey win. Having just completed his 10th season with the Lumberjacks, Willner has moved over 40 players onto NCAA hockey, has won four league championships, five divisional championships, and was previously named NA3HL General Manager of the Year and Organization of the year in 2012.

General Manager of the Year: Todd Sanden, North Iowa Bulls

Having just completed his 8th season as General Manager and Head Coach for the North Iowa Bulls, Sanden and the Bulls put together another great regular season on the ice and with player advancement. The Bulls posted a 32-12-3 record during the regular season and won the West Division playoff title. In addition to the on-ice success, Sanden had another great year in terms of player advancement as six players to date have made college commitments during the 2018-19 season and six more have been tendered by NAHL teams.

Organization of the Year: L/A Nordiques

The L/A Nordiques had an incredible regular season on the ice, posting a league-best 43-4-0 record during the regular season. The team won both the Coastal Division regular season and playoff title and advanced all the way to the Fraser Cup Championship Game, where they fell to the Texas Brahmas, 2-1. The Nordiques also had a passionate fan following in Lewiston/Auburn as they finished ranked 7th in NA3HL attendance. The team’s 43 wins was the most since the 2016-17 season.

Apex Learning Virtual School Academic Achievement Award: Matt DeRosa, Rochester Grizzlies

DeRosa, 18, posted a perfect 4.0 GPA, while attending full-time classes at John Marshall High School in Rochester, Minnesota. A top of that, the 5’11/160 lbs. native of Alpharetta, Georia, was 3rd in team scoring this season with 46 points (23 goals, 23 assists) in 46 games played.

Community Service Award: Alex Holt, Louisiana Drillers

The Drillers go out of their way to maintain their special bond with the Lafayette, Louisiana community and Holt led the way. He donated his time away from the rink to visit kids at Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Lafayette and talk about the game of hockey with them. In addition, on a second occasion he helped deliver toys to terminally sick kids during the Holidays. Also during the Holidays, Holt donated his time to help raise money at Acadian Village, an open-air museum that features one of the oldest authentic versions of Acadian life in southwest Louisiana in the 19th century. During Valentine’s Day, he worked with a local flower shop to deliver roses to the elderly at Senior Centers in the area.

Leadership Award: John Bannon, Missoula Jr. Bruins

Bannon's season got off to a tough start. Just seven games into the season he suffered a serious injury, which kept him off the ice until late January. While sidelined, he stayed around the team, despite what would have been an easy decision to recover and rest back home in Deer Lodge, Montana just about an hour from Missoula. Bannon, 20, continued to provide encouragement and leadership to the team and once he was able to return to action, the energy level of the group was noticeably higher and he went on to have a terrific finish to the regular season, finishing with 31 points in 24 games played. He was able to motivate his teammates to work harder on and off the ice and was a key leader in making sure no off-ice issues ever hindered the development of any individual player or the team.

All-NA3HL 1st Team

Forward: Brady Lindauer, Coulee Region Chill

Forward: Matthew Monreal, St. Louis Jr. Blues

Forward: Misha Akatnov, Missoula Jr. Bruins

Defense: Toon De Schepper, Coulee Region Chill

Defense: Cole Ouellette, L/A Nordiques

Goaltender: Mikael Foucher, St. Louis Jr. Blues

All-NA3HL 2nd Team

Forward: Thomas Magnavite, Coulee Region Chill

Forward: Grant Troumbly, Granite City Lumberjacks

Forward: Mike Padgeon, Binghamton Junior Senators

Defense: Hunter Muzzillo, St. Louis Jr. Blues