NA3HL announces Bauer Divisional Stars of the Week

The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey for the week ending December 20, 2017. The divisional stars of the week is an award given each week of the regular season to the top performing players in each of the eight divisions of the NA3HL as nominated by their head coaches.

Central Division Star of the Week: Nick Rogers, Forward, Wisconsin Whalers

The forward from Dubuque, Iowa picked up an eight point week for the Wisconsin Whalers as the team went 3-0-1. His best game came on Tuesday at the NA3HL Showcase as the Whalers completed the sweep with a 7-5 win over the Southern Tier Xpress. Rogers shined as he scored a pair of goals and picked up two assists in the win. He also had a plus-4 rating in that contest. Rogers leads the Whalers with 51 points in 26 games this season.

2nd Star: Clayton Lackey, F, La Crosse Freeze

Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Josh Arnold, F, North Iowa Bulls – Colin Cain, G, North Iowa Bulls – Matthew Francois, F, La Crosse Freeze – Jimmy McDermott, F, Wisconsin

Coastal Division Star of the Week: Cole Archambeault, Forward, New England Stars

A native of Lunenburg, Massachusetts, Archambeault picked up five points at this season’s NA3HL Showcase. He logged a pair of assists against Granite City on Sunday night, scored a goal against Pittsburgh and notched another pair of assists in a victory over Mid Cities on Tuesday. He finished the Showcase with a plus-3 rating. In 26 games played this season, Archambeault has 11 goals and 13 assists to give him 24 points.

2nd Star: Noah Carlock, F, Long Beach Sharks

Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Ian Gatley, F, New England Stars

East Division Star of the Week: Turner Banyasz, Forward, Wooster Oilers

Turner Banyasz had himself quite the Showcase as he picked up three multi-point games while in Blaine. He had two assists in his team’s first game against Atlanta. He followed that up with a goal and two more assists against the Northeast Generals. He concluded his Showcase experience with two goals and another assist against the Willmar Warhawks. All of Banyasz’s goals came on the power play and he finished the showcase with a plus-3 rating.

2nd Star: Joey Gerace, F, Southern Tier Xpress

Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jhuwon Davis, F, Metro Jets - Joel De Simone, G, Pittsburgh Vengeance – Dom Glavach, F, Pittsburgh Vengeance – Connor Inger, F, Metro Jets - Matthew Kesto, F, Wooster Oilers

Frontier Division Star of the Week: Jack Oberg, Forward, Gillette Wild

The Gillette Wild were one of the few teams to sweep the NA3HL Showcase and Jack Oberg was a big reason why. In their win on Sunday against Roc City, Oberg scored one goal and three assists. Oberg came back the following day with three more assists against the Cape Cod Islanders. Finally on Tuesday, the forward from Rapid City, South Dakota scored a goal and had two assists to finish the Showcase with 10 points. Oberg finished the Showcase with a plus-6 rating and now has 47 points in 26 games.

2nd Star: Brodie Thornton, D, Bozeman Icedogs

Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Tait Carlson, G, Bozeman Icedogs – Brooks Mitzel, F, Gillette Wild

Midwest Division Star of the Week: Jack Hatton, Forward, St. Louis Jr. Blues

The St. Louis Jr. Blues points leader had another great week, this time it was in front of over 100 scouts at the NA3HL Showcase. Hatton logged two points in every game in Blaine as he picked up two assists in a win over Texas, scored both St. Louis goals in a loss to the New Ulm Steel and then had one goal and one assist in win against Yellowstone. Hatton finished the week with a plus-5 rating and now has 54 points in just 20 games this season in St. Louis.

2nd Star: Jaden Gardner, G, Peoria Mustangs

Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Blake Bjella, G, St. Louis Jr. Blues

Northeast Division Star of the Week: Brady Anderson, Goaltender, Binghamton Jr. Senators

18-year old Brady Anderson impressed many bath the 2017 NA3HL Showcase as he quieted two of the best teams in the league in back to back days. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota native slowed down the high flying Metro Jets as he allowed just two goals on 32 shots in a 3-2 shootout loss. The following day he shut down the first place Texas Brahmas as stopped all 36 shots thrown his way to pick up his first shutout of the season. During the Showcase, Anderson posted a 0.96 goals against average and a .971 save percentage.

2nd Star: Eric Vanderhoff, F, Skylands Kings

Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Dylan Dinzik, D, Skylands Kings – Steven Kozikoski, G, Oswego Stampede – Eric Melso, F, Binghamton Jr. Senators – Marcos Zarragoitia, D, Oswego Stampede

South Division Star of the Week: Brandon Vukasin, Forward, Louisiana Drillers

The Louisiana Drillers went back home with a sweep at the NA3HL Showcase and no one was better than Brandon Vukasin. The forward from Anchorage, Alaska scored seven goals in three games and also added four assists. On Sunday against Wausau, Vukasin notched a hat trick and then assisted on the game winning goal in a 4-3 victory. He saved his best performance for last as he scored another hat trick and picked up three assists in a win over Cape Cod. The 20-year old also had a plus-7 rating for the week.

2nd Star: Nick Sheridan, F, Mid Cities Jr. Stars

Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Brandon Speights, F, Mid Cities Jr. Stars

West Division Star of the Week: Logan Nelson, Forward, Alexandria Blizzard

The Alexandria Blizzard had a Showcase to remember as they went 3-0 in their three games. Logan Nelson was the catalyst for their explosive offense. Nelson scored a hat trick and added an assist in Alexandria’s win over Missoula. On Monday, he scored one goal and added three helpers in a victory over Point Mallard before scoring a goal and assisting on another in yet another Alexandria win, this time against Lansing. Nelson was a plus-8 during the three games in Blaine.

2nd Star: Brandon Bissett, F, Granite City Lumberjacks

Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Kyle Hayden, G, Alexandria Blizzard – Logan Neu, F, Granite City Lumberjacks – Alec Skar, D, Alexandria Blizzard