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 January 4, 2026. Only players that are nominated by their respective teams are considered for the Divisional Player of the Week awards.

Central Division Star of the Week: Gavin Hruza, Forward, Austin Bruins

The 6-foot skater hailing from West Fargo, North Dakota, Gavin Hruza spotlighted a dominant nine-point performance for the Bruins last week. His offensive production started on New Year’s Eve, securing a career-high four-point night. The Bruins hosted the Minnesota Mallards for an in-state battle midweek. The veteran skater clinched his first NAHL hat trick, netting all three goals in the second frame. He continued to show up on the scoresheet thanks to an assist on Hudson Routh’s tally in the final frame. Moving into Friday night, Austin continued the trend of battling in-state rivals, this time facing off with the St. Cloud Norsemen. The 6-foot lefty first scored on the power play in buzzer-beater fashion in the first period to give the Bruins the lead heading into the intermission. This tally would be named the game-winning goal of the contest. Hruza would then score his second of the night in the middle frame on a breakaway. His two-goal performance marked his fifth multi-goal night of the season.

Heading into Saturday night, Hruza would secure a three-point night in his team’s 4-1 victory over St. Cloud. The second-year veteran would first provide the primary assist on Matsvei Marshchanok's goal in the first three minutes of the game. The North Dakota native would then score his eighth power-play goal of the season in the second period with less than two minutes on the clock. As the contest looked to wind down in the third, Hruza would produce the setup to the last Central Division Star of the Week, EJ Paddington’s goal at the 3:28 minute mark.

The 20-year-old dominated on the ice for the Bruins over the three games, tallying six goals while making three assists. Two of his goals were scored on the man advantage, while one tally was the game-winner. Hruza is not just recently finding success offensively; he is riding a 14-game point streak with the Bruins that began on November 21, 2025. 29 of his 36 points this season come from that 14-game heater. On his roster, he is tied first with 19 goals on the year and leads alone with his five game-winning goals. The second-year forward is the fourth Austin player to earn a weekly honor this season.

Head coach of the Bruins, Steve Howard, shares what he has seen so far from Hruza.

“Gavin has been outstanding this year, and he has really developed into a top player for us! He has been on a hot streak, and we want him to keep it going in the second half of the season.”

2nd Star: William Braun, G, Aberdeen Wings

3rd Star: Marko Bilic, G, Bismarck Bobcats

 

East Division Star of the Week: Harrison Smith, Forward, Maryland Black Bears

The hero in overtime for the Black Bears this weekend, Harrison Smith, continues to show why he is the league leader in points. Maryland went to New York to take on the Elmira Aviators in a two-game set. Smith played a key offensive role in both games for the Black Bears, securing back-to-back three-point nights. Starting on Friday night, Maryland struck first, tallying three consecutive goals in the first frame. The Sacred Heart commit first provided the setup to Ryan Franks’ goal midway through the opening period. Less than five minutes later, Smith would record a takeaway in the offensive zone and provide a primary assist on Franks’ hat-trick goal. While the Black Bears had a cushioned 3-0 lead, the Aviators were able to battle back and even the score 3-3. As the matchup moved into extra minutes, Smith took it into his own hands in overtime and scored the game-winning goal 41 seconds into the overtime frame.

Heading into Saturday, Maryland was looking to continue their winning ways on the road. The matchup would be a battle with both teams striking back and forth. The 5-foot-10 forward would first provide an assist on Tanner Duncan’s power-play goal in the second frame to even the scoreboard 2-2. As the matchup moved into the third period, Maryland was in the hunt for their first lead of the night. With 5:22 on the clock, the Florida native would find the back of the net to give the Black Bears the 3-2 edge. However, Elmira would not back down from the battle. The Aviators would tie the contest with less than a minute on the clock. As the game once again moved into overtime, the second-year veteran would take Maryland’s fate into his own hands. Smith would score from almost the blue line around the three-minute mark, marking his fourth multi-goal game of the season. His back-to-back overtime goals sealed the Black Bears’ sweep for the weekend.

The Sunshine State skater has dominated this season on the scoresheet, just like he did on the ice this past weekend. He produced six points, tallying three goals and three assists. His ability to secure points is why he leads the league with 63 points and 45 assists. Smith’s offensive production is featured in almost every game this season for Maryland. He has shown up on the scoresheet in 28 out of 31 games played. He is riding a 13-game point streak starting on November 11, 2025. The ‘06 skater features a league-leading 2.03 points per game and is tied in first with his +30 rating. This award marks the second time the 19-year-old has been named as an East Division Star of the Week. Smith has also been named as the runner-up twice for Forward of the Month (October and November).

Head coach of the Black Bears, Clint Mylymok, shares what has impressed him the most about Smith’s work on the ice.

“Smitty has been impressive on the ice in many areas, but the most impressive part of this kid is his leadership and his passion to be a difference maker. We are not surprised by his production, and there is no one more suited to big moments than this kid.”

2nd Star: Will Mizenko, G, Northeast Generals

3rd Star: Jon Dukaric, G, Danbury Hat Tricks

 

Midwest Division Star of the Week: Noah Dziver, Forward, Minnesota Wilderness

Earning his second weekly award is the Wilderness captain, Noah Dziver. The 6-foot skater hails from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Dziver featured a season-high 11-point week, while notching a season-high game on Saturday night. His week, however, kicked off on the New Year with a midweek matchup against the Chippewa Steel. His offensive production would start with a primary assist on Robinson Djian’s shorthanded goal at the 17-second mark of the opening frame. Dziver would show up on the scoresheet once more, this time with a goal of his own in the second period. The second-year forward would score 90 seconds into the middle period, giving Minnesota a 3-0 lead over Chippewa. The Wilderness would skate away with a win and were hungry to continue their winning ways at home, this time against the Kenai River Brown Bears.

Friday night hockey spotlighted the captain producing his fifth three-point night of the season. Dziver would score on the man advantage less than six minutes into the matchup from the faceoff circle. The 6-foot righty would then provide the primary assist on Max Edward’s power-play goal in the second frame, giving Minnesota the 4-0 lead moving into the final period. In the final minutes of the game, the Brown Bears would pull their goaltender to give their team the man advantage. However, Dziver secured the turnover around the 1:25 minute mark and provided the assist on Talan Blanck’s empty-net goal. Moving into Saturday night, the Wilderness were looking to secure win number four in a row. The lamp was lit for the first time at the 16:16 minute mark by Andrei Gudin in the opening period, thanks to a primary assist by Dziver. Less than 10 minutes later, the 20-year-old would then strip the puck from the Brown Bears and score on a breakaway in shorthanded fashion. His offensive production does not stop there. Dziver would continue his offensive abilities in the third and final period with four assists, three of them on Zachary Homer’s goals. The Canadian would skate away with a season-high six-point night, contributing to every goal in the 6-3 victory.

The captain produced three goals and eight assists last week. He currently rides a five-game multi-point streak for the Wilderness. Dziver leads his team with 46 points, 29 assists, and his +18 rating, while sitting second with his 17 tallies for the season. The ‘05 forward is also tied in fourth place in the league with his 46 points on the year, while in third place in the league amongst qualified skaters with his 1.7 points per game. This award marks the second time Dziver has been named to a weekly honor. He was also named previously as Forward of the Month for his work in October on the ice.

Head Coach of the Wilderness, Zach Stepan, explains more on why Dziver is not only a leader on the ice, but off it as well.

“Noah Dziver continues to set the standard for our group, and this past weekend was another perfect example of why he wears the ‘C’. Putting up 11 points in three games is impressive on its own, but what stands out most is the leadership, pace, and competitiveness he brings every single shift. Coming out of the Christmas break, Noah was clearly determined to make a statement, and he did exactly that. The truth is, this isn’t just a hot weekend; he has been doing it all season. He drives our locker room, he drives our bench, and he consistently finds ways to elevate everyone around him.”

2nd Star: Zach Homer, F, Minnesota Wilderness

3rd Star: Beau Kralovec, F, Wisconsin Windigo

 

South Division Star of the Week: Grayson Gerhard, Forward, Shreveport Mudbugs

A third-year NAHL South Division veteran, Grayson Gerhard, recorded a career-high night over the weekend, helping to lift the Mudbugs to a weekend sweep over the New Mexico Ice Wolves. The 6-foot-3 forward has played 145 games in the NAHL during his tenure. His offensive production has continued to rise year after year, and his prowess hit a new high on Friday night. In the first period, around the 2:15-minute mark, Gerhard raced from the faceoff to gain possession of the puck to provide an assist on Chase Secriskey's goal at the 2:09-minute mark. Then, 17 seconds later, the Texas native would be a catalyst in Owen Case’s first goal, notching an assist again. Moving into the second period, the 20-year-old would tally his first goal of the night four minutes into the frame. He would find the back of the net from in front of the blue paint to give Shreveport a cushioned 4-1 lead. Gerhard would then tally his second two-goal performance of the season in the final period with 13:58 on the clock. His four-point night was a career high for him.

Heading into Saturday night, Shreveport was looking to secure the sweep over the Ice Wolves; however, New Mexico came out striking first in the opening period with back-to-back goals. Shreveport would respond with two power-play tallies of its own in the first frame. As New Mexico retook the lead in the second period, the Mudbugs had some work to do in the final 20 minutes of regulation. From the faceoff around the 15:30 minute mark in the third, Gerhard would secure possession of the puck and deliver an assist to Jeremiah Roberts’ power-play goal seconds later. His ability to secure possession once again from the faceoff would be rewarded a minute and a half later in the frame. Evan Hoglund would score his hat-trick goal thanks to a setup by Gerhard. The Mudbugs would secure the sweep and even the series against New Mexico to 2-2.

The Lone Star State skater was traded midseason from the Corpus Christi IceRays. The 20-year-old spotlighted a six-point performance between the two games, tallying two goals and four assists. In his last 10 games, Gerhard has shown up on the scoresheet in eight out of 10 of them. Right now, he features four consecutive multi-point contests. The 6-foot-3 forward is the second Mudbug this season to earn a South Division Star of the Week honor.

Head coach of the Mudbugs, Jason Campbell, went into detail on what he has seen from Gerhard in his short time with Shreveport.

“Grayson is off to a great start since coming to Shreveport. This past weekend has been his best from a production standpoint, and it came at a great time for our team. He’s playing with a lot of poise and confidence right now, and that makes him hard to defend. He and his teammates are going to continue to find ways to put the right kind of work into getting the most positive results.”

2nd Star: Tommy Shore, D, El Paso Rhinos

3rd Star: Evan Hoglund, F, Shreveport Mudbugs