NAHL Alumni Update

HCA and Atlantic Hockey Goalie of the Month: Nils Wallström, AIC (Kenai River Brown Bears) - AIC freshman Nils Wallstrom has been chosen as the Hockey Commissioners Association Goaltender of the Month for November. The honor is Wallstrom’s first career HCA award. Wallstrom, who was named the Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Month on Wednesday, was a workhorse for AIC, starting all eight games in November and allowing two or fewer goals in every contest, including his first collegiate shutout against Bentley on Nov. 2. The Skelleftea, Sweden, native stopped 197-of-208 shots faced for a .947 save percentage and 1.38 goals-against average to go along with a 7-1-0 record for the month. With Wallstrom in net, the AIC penalty kill outscored its opposition for the month with three shorthanded goals to two goals allowed while a man down. In all, AIC posted a 94.9 PK rate, killing 37-of-39 opponent power-plays.

Atlantic Hockey Defenseman of the Month: Chris Hedden, Air Force (Shreveport Mudbugs) - Air Force sophomore defenseman Chris Hedden finished second in scoring in Atlantic Hockey for the month with 10 points on a goal and nine assists in eight games. The Kalamazoo, Mich., native blocked 13 shots in eight games and posted a +1 rating in November. Seven of his nine assists during the month were primary assists. Hedden assisted on two of the three goals in the Falcons’ 3-2 overtime win at Niagara on Nov. 3. He had four assists, two in each game, including three primaries, in Air Force’s sweep of Army West Point. The total included the primary assist on the overtime game-winner in the series finale. His lone goal of the month was a shorthanded game winner in the victory over Mercyhurst on Nov. 18. The goal was his first career SHG and first career GWG. Hedden notched the primary assist on all three Falcon goals in their series at Canisius to end the month, including the assist on the game-tying goal in game two to force overtime. This is his first career Atlantic Hockey monthly honor.

CCHA Defenseman of the Month: Kyle Looft, Bemidji State (Austin Bruins) - Looft was second overall and first among CCHA defensemen in points (11) during the month of November, registering three goals and a league-high eight assists. Averaging 1.38 points per contest, he was even over the Beavers’ eight contests, collecting 24 shots on goal, which was second only to teammate Eric Pohlkamp by league blueliners. Opening the month with a four-game points streak in which he notched three goals and four assists for seven points, he totaled six blocks at the defensive end of the ice. On the year, he has five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in 14 games.

CCHA Forward of the Month: Jared Westcott , Lake Superior St. (Lone Star Brahmas) - Westcott paced all CCHA skaters in goals (7), points (14), points per game (1.75) and multi-point games (5), helping the Lakers to a 4-4-0 overall mark. He ranked second in assists (7) and goals per game (0.88), third in assists per game (0.88) and fourth in shots (26). Finishing at +2 for the month, he recorded one power-play goal and one game-winning tally. He put together a four-game point streak, totaling seven goals and four assists during the stretch. Third nationally with 22 points on the year, he ranks second in goals (12) and 35th in assists (10).

ECAC Goalie of the Month: Ian Shane, Cornell (Bismarck Bobcats) - Ian Shane (Jr., Cornell) secures his second consecutive MAC Goaltending Goaltender of the Month honors. With a 3-1-1 record for the Big Red, including a significant victory against Boston University in the Red Hot Hockey contest, Shane displayed an outstanding performance in the crease. Across six games, he made 108 total saves and closed the month with a 2.10 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.

ECAC Defender of the Month/Week: John Prokop, Union (Janesville Jets) - John Prokop (So., Union) earns his first Defender of the Month honors this season with a stellar 10-point performance for the Garnet Chargers. Leading Union to a 4-2 record in November, Prokop recorded three multi-point nights in the six games played, accumulating one goal and nine assists. His lone goal of the month came during the home and away series with Rensselaer. The sophomore blueliner concluded the month with a positive plus-minus of two.

CCHA Forward of the Week: Ryan O'Neill, St. Thomas (St. Cloud Norsemen) - O’Neill paced all league skaters with six points last week, recording a goal and five assists in a road split against Ferris State. Producing a +3 rating for the weekend, he dished out one assist in a 5-2 loss on Friday, before collecting a goal and four helpers for a career-high five points – the most by a CCHA player this season – on Saturday night, helping the Tommies to a 7-2 victory.

CCHA Defenseman of the Week: Mason Wheeler, Minnesota State (Minnesota Magicians) - Wheeler helped the Mavericks to a five-point road weekend, scoring his first collegiate goal and blocking four shots at the defensive end of the ice. He recorded three blocks in a 2-2 tie on Friday night at Lake Superior State, in which Minnesota State collected two points by winning the shootout. He then tallied in a 4-3 victory over the Lakers on Saturday night. For the weekend, he was +1 with one shot on goal and one minor penalty.

B1G #1 Star: Kyle McClellan, G, Wisconsin (Austin Bruins) - Backstopped No. 6/8 Wisconsin to a conference sweep of Ohio State in Madison, Wis. Turned away 50 of 51 shots with the lone goal allowed coming on the power play Compiled a .980 save percentage and 0.50 goals-against average along with his third shutout of the season. He leads the NCAA with a 1.74 GAA and ranks second with a .934 save percentage. He secures third career Star award and second of the 2023-24 campaign

Hockey East Goalie of the Week: Henry Welsch, UMass-Lowell (Aberdeen Wings) - Henry Welsch (Sr., G; Lakeville, Minn.) finished the weekend with a 1-1-0 record for the River Hawks as he allowed just one goal in each game and led the league in goals against (2), goals against average (1.02) and save percentage (.955). He made 15 saves on Friday night at UConn, before making 27 saves in Sunday’s 2-1 win at Vermont. In the win over Vermont, Welsch had a shutout until the 18:51 mark of the third period.

Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week: Brian Kramer, AIC (Corpus Christi IceRays) - AIC defenseman Brian Kramer was a force for AIC with three two-point showings, scoring twice including the game winning goal against Army, and then notching a goal and an assist in each of two games with Sacred Heart. Every single point Kramer put up was consequential, as each of the goals he had a hand in either tied the game or put AIC in the lead. He also helped limit opposing teams to an average of 21.7 shots per game on the week and put together a +7 rating; AIC did not allow a goal at even strength when Kramer was on ice.

Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week: Boris Skalos, Mercyhurst (Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks) - Mercyhurst freshman forward Boris Skalos dominated Canisius in game two of the series on Saturday. He scored his first career hat trick and the first for Mercyhurst since the 21/22 season, helping the Lakers collect 5 points on the weekend in total. Skalos got the first two goals and the final goal of the 5-1 match.

ECHL Rookie of the Month: Max Andreyev, Kansas City Mavericks (New Jersey Titans) - Kansas City Mavericks’ forward Max Andreev has been named the ECHL Rookie of the Month for November. Andreev scored four goals and added 11 assists for 15 points in 12 games during the month. The 25-year-old tallied at least one point in 10 of his 12 games in November. Andreev had four multi-point games, including a three-point game (1g-2a) on Nov. 10 at Allen. Under contract to Coachella Valley of the American Hockey League, Andreev leads ECHL rookies, and is tied for second overall, with 24 points (5g-19a) in 18 games this season.

ECHL Goalie of the Month: Ryan Bednard, Greenville Swamp Rabbits (Johnstown Tomahawks) - Ryan Bednard of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits has been named the ECHL Goaltender of the Month for November. Bednard went 5-0-0 with one shutout, a 1.58 goals-against average and a save percentage of .954 in five appearances during the month. The 26-year-old allowed two goals or less in four of his five appearances while making 38 or more saves in three different games. He set a Swamp Rabbits’ all-time record with his seventh shutout for the club on Nov. 25, stopping all 24 shots in a 5-0 win at Atlanta. Under contract to Ontario of the American Hockey League, Bednard is 7-0-0 for Greenville this season and leads the ECHL with a 1.84 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage.

ECHL Goalie of the Week: Zach Driscoll, Indy Fuel (Austin Bruins) - Zach Driscoll of the Indy Fuel is the ECHL Goaltender of the Week for Nov. 27-Dec. 3. Driscoll went 2-0-0 with a 1.42 goals-against average and a save percentage of .953 in two appearances against Fort Wayne last week. The 26-year-old made 30 saves in a 3-1 win on Friday and turned aside 32 shots in a 3-2 shootout victory on Sunday. A native of Apple Valley, Minnesota, Driscoll is 5-3-0 in nine appearances this season and ranks sixth in the ECHL with a 2.51 goals-against average and tied for 14th with a .910 save percentage.