NAHL Announces Bauer Hockey Stars of the Week
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) announced today the Bauer Hockey Divisional Stars of the Week for the week ending September 14, 2025. Only players that are nominated by their respective teams are considered for the Divisional Player of the Week awards.
East Division Star of the Week: Lukas Fürsten, Goaltender, Maine Nordiques
Hailing from Trencin, Slovakia, Lukas Fürsten showed off his abilities between the pipes and aided the Nordiques to a weekend sweep over the Philadelphia Rebels. Starting on Friday night, the ‘05 netminder helped to lift the Nordiques to a 5-1 victory. He stopped 22 out of 23 shots. Heading into Saturday night, the 5’10 19-year-old got the call to play in the blue paint a little over a minute into the second frame. Fürsten gave up a lone goal at the 17:38 minute mark in the second period and then went on to turn away every other shot. The Nordiques were able to turn things around after being down 3-0, coming back to win the contest in a shootout. He stopped 22 out of 23 shots and helped to clinch a sweep with a 4-3 victory over the Rebels.
For the weekend, Fürsten featured a .957% save percentage and a 1.17 goals against average.
Head Coach of the Nordiques, Nick Skerlick, explains what it means to have Fürsten in the locker room and on the team.
"Lukas is no stranger to the East Division. He is an ideal leader for those who want to improve every day. Lukas is pretty methodical with his process and preparation each and every night, and being a late pick up for us, we are excited for him to back stop this team into another winning season in Maine. Lukas showing up for the season was a surprise. Lukas executed a championship mentality while leading the team to two wins."
2nd Star: Tate Pecknold, F, New Jersey Titans
3rd Star: Joseph Gasperko, F, Maine Nordiques
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Talan Blanck, Forward, Minnesota Wilderness
The 5’11 lefty from Wisconsin, Talan Blanck, played a vital role in aiding the Wilderness' opening weekend sweep over the Springfield Jr. Blues. Starting on Friday night, the Nanooks commit scored his first goal of the season and was able to find the back of the net shorthanded on the ice in the second period. He then went on to notch an assist on the game-winning goal by Zachary Homer in the final frame of the contest, helping the team clinch a 4-2 victory. His two-point game performance continued into Saturday night, where Blanck tallied two assists for the Wilderness' 6-2 victory over Springfield.
The ‘05 forward is a third-year veteran of the NAHL, playing two seasons with the Chippewa Steel. The Wisconsin native featured a four-point performance while notching a +2 rating for the weekend.
Head Coach of the Wilderness, Zach Stepan, shares more on what he has seen from Blanck this past weekend.
“It was great to see Talan get off to a strong start in his opening weekend back in the league. He played a key role throughout the weekend and consistently demonstrated why the expectations are so high for him to be a difference maker each night. Talan proved that with his performance and helped our team get out of the gates on the right foot.”
2nd Star: Kevin Lysohir, F, Chippewa Steel
3rd Star: Valdemar Anderson, G, Minnesota Wilderness
South Division Star of the Week: Andy Earl, Forward, New Mexico Ice Wolves
Hailing from the State of Hockey, Andy Earl featured a five-point weekend for the Ice Wolves. Earl is a third-year veteran of New Mexico, and starting on Friday night, the 6’0 forward scored the team’s lone goal against the Amarillo Wranglers. Moving into Saturday night, the Minnesota native tallied a goal and two assists for the South Division team’s 4-2 victory. The ‘05 skater rounds out his weekend on Sunday afternoon with an assist on the game-winning goal by Anton Malyshev.
The 20-year-old notched a league-leading five points over the weekend with two goals and three assists over three games played.
Head Coach of the Ice Wolves, Kyle McKenzie, dives into detail on Earl’s performance.
“Andy had a great weekend. He puts a lot of work into molding his game, and that shows. It’s no surprise Andy is off to a hot start.”
2nd Star: Nicholas Rempel, G, Lone Star Brahmas
3rd Star: Tyler Tsoukalas, F, Amarillo Wrangler
