NAHL announces Bauer Hockey Stars of the Week
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey for the week ending January 23, 2022. The Divisional Stars of the Week is a weekly feature during the 2021-22 regular 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: Tomas Bolo, Goaltender, St. Cloud Norsemen
St. Cloud Norsemen goalie Tomas Bolo, 19, helped his team to a weekend road sweep of the Minot Minotauros. The 6’2/188 lbs. native of Zilina, Slovakia, allowed just two goals in the two wins, stopped 39 of 41 shots. On Friday, Bolo made 17 saves in a 4-1 win. On Saturday, he made 22 saves in a 6-1 win. For the season, Bolo has a 12-6-0 record in 18 appearances with a 2.48 goals against average and a .894 save percentage. “Tomas has started to get back on track since coming back from the World Junior Championships. We will need solid performances from him the second half to have success as a team,” said Norsemen head coach Corey Millen.
2nd Star: Klayton Knapp, G, Austin Bruins
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Nick Catalano, F, Austin Bruins – Brady Egan, F, Bismarck Bobcats – Hugo Gustafson, D, Aberdeen Wings – Byron Hartley, F, North Iowa Bulls – Jack Mesic, D, North Iowa Bulls – Evan Murr, D, St. Cloud Norsemen – Quinn Rudrud, F, Bismarck Bobcats – Ronan Walsh, F, Aberdeen Wings
East Division Star of the Week: Stephen Kyrkostas, Forward, Johnstown Tomahawks
Johnstown forward Stephen Kyrkostas, 20, helped the Tomahawks to a weekend road sweep of the Maine Nordiques. The 5’10/175 lbs. native of Long Island, NY, put up four points (3 goals, 1 assist) in the two wins. On Friday, Kyrkostas had a goal in a 5-3 win. On Saturday, he had two goals and an assist in a 7-2 win. For the season, Kyrkostas is 4th in team scoring with 28 points in 35 games played. “Stephen has been a key piece to our line-up this season. Using his speed while playing a full 200-foot game has made him a valuable weapon for us each night. Kyrkostas played a part of several big goals during this weekend’s sweep over Maine. We look forward to seeing him continue to elevate his game as the stakes get higher down the final stretch of the regular season,” said Tomahawks head coach Mike Letizia.
2nd Star: David Tolan, F, Northeast Generals
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Aden Bruich, F, Maryland Black Bears – Anthony Calafiore, F, New Jersey Titans – Ryan Gordon, F, Northeast Generals – Brad McNeil, F, Maryland Black Bears – Patrick Schmeidlin, F, Maine Nordiques – Egan Schmitt, F, Johnstown Tomahawks – Theo Thrun, F, Maine Nordiques
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Cole Dubicki, Forward, Kenai River Brown Bears
Kenai River Brown Bears forward Cole Dubicki, 20, had nine points this past weekend in a three-game series against the Janesville Jets. The NAPHL alum and 5’9/170 lbs. native of Seattle, WA, began the weekend by assisting on the lone goal in a 4-1 loss on Friday. He then had a goal and three assists in a 6-4 win on Saturday. To conclude the weekend, Dubicki assisted on all four Brown Bears goals in a 4-2 win on Sunday. Dubicki currently leads in the NAHL in scoring with 51 points in 39 games played. “Cole once again led the charge for us this past weekend which allowed us to earn our first back-to-back wins of the season. He displayed his dynamic offensive skill set and his willingness to do whatever it takes to make the team successful. Cole is a leader and has the ability to make everyone around him better,” said Brown Bears interim head coach Taylor Shaw.
2nd Star: Aiden Westin, F, Anchorage Wolverines
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jonah Aegerter, F, Janesville Jets – Noah Holt, F, Springfield Jr. Blues – Kevin Marx Noren, F, Kenai River Brown Bears – Max Neill, F, Minnesota Wilderness – Aksel Reid, G, Springfield Jr. Blues – Billy Renfrew, F, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Raythan Robbins, G, Anchorage Wolverines – Matt Smith, G, Minnesota Wilderness – Brady Welsch, F, Fairbanks Ice Dogs
South Division Star of the Week: Arthur Smith, Goaltender, Lone Star Brahmas
Lone Star Brahmas goalie Arthur Smith, 17, had a solid weekend to help his team pick up a weekend road sweep of the Amarillo Wranglers. In the two wins, the 6’3/195 lbs. native of Farmington, CT, stopped 46 of 47 possible shots. On Thursday, Smith stopped all 26 shots that came his way in his second shutout of the season in a 5-0 win over Amarillo. On Friday, he allowed just a single goal and made 20 saves in a 5-1 win. For the season, Smith has a 9-1-2 record with a 2.06 goals against average and a .907 save percentage. “Arthur is playing with a lot of confidence right now. He is getting better every game that he plays in and is a very good prospect,” said Brahmas head coach Dan Wildfong.
2nd Star: Stepan Kuznetsov, F, Corpus Christi IceRays
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Dillan Bentley, F, New Mexico Ice Wolves – Stefan Carney, G, Corpus Christi IceRays – Will Howard, F, New Mexico Ice Wolves – Hunter Jones, F, Wichita Falls Warriors – Nicholas Niemo, F, Lone Star Brahmas – Philip Tornqvist, D, Wichita Falls Warrior
