NAHL Announces Monthly Player Awards for September

The North American Hockey League (NAHL) has announced its Bauer Hockey player awards for September. The Forward of the Month is Vincenzo Capano from the Lone Star Brahmas. The Defenseman of the Month is Justin Bartley from the Watertown Shamrocks. The Goaltender of the Month is Izaak Kalis from the Fairbanks Ice Dogs.

 

Bauer Hockey NAHL Forward of the Month: Vincenzo Capano, Lone Star Brahmas

They call him Captain America for a reason in Brahmaland! The second-year veteran, Vincenzo Capano, leads all skaters in the NAHL with his 15 points in September. The 6-foot righty found twine four times and recorded 11 assists in his seven games played for the South Division club. The Army-West Point commit has shown up on the scoresheet in five of his seven games played this season, with each of those contests being multi-point nights. In just the short span of his 2026-27 campaign, he has had more multi-point nights than he did in the 2025-26 regular season.

The Garden State forward recorded one game-winning tally, one power-play tally and a shootout goal for the Brahmas in September. His offensive ability on the ice has been crucial in lifting his team to success night after night. Capano’s career-high performance came in his second game of the season against the Amarillo Wranglers. The 6-foot forward scored two goals and registered two assists in the Brahmas 4-3 overtime victory on September 12, 2026. He battled in the third period to even the score and went on to find twine in overtime fashion for the Brahmas in the contest.

Capano describes what it means to earn the honor and how he attributes the team to his success.

“It’s definitely an honor to win this award. I think it’s a correlation to our success so far as a team. I think relying on my teammates and linemates has made me the most successful. They make playing with them really easy and fun.”

The ‘06 forward is a second-year veteran of the Lone Star Brahmas. In his rookie campaign with the South Division club, Capano recorded 33 points across the regular season and postseason. He tallied 15 goals and notched 18 assists in that span. In addition to his offensive scoring ways, the New Jersey native was a mainstay member on the ice for the Brahmas night after night. Capano was just two games shy of playing every regular season contest in his 2025-26 campaign. In that season, he also recorded five game-winning goals and five power-play tallies for Lone Star.

Head coach of the Brahmas, Dan Wildfong, explains how Capano has impressed him so far this season.

“Vinny has been our best player so far. He has been unbelievable on the ice and is seeing the ice really well. He is playing at a Division I level in juniors.”

Runner-up: Logan Poulin, Northeast Generals

 

Bauer Hockey NAHL Defenseman of the Month: Justin Bartley, Watertown Shamrocks

It was more than puck luck when the 6-foot-3 blueliner was on the ice. Justin Bartley takes home Defenseman of the Month honors after a 10-point September performance. Bartley is a veteran of the South Dakota club, repping the green and white since the inception of the team. The ‘06 captain registered two goals and eight assists in his five games this past month. The Chicago, Illinois, native has shown up on the scoresheet in four of the five contests played, with each of those games being multi-point games for the club. In his second contest of the season, Bartley notched a career-high four points, providing helpers on every Watertown goal in their contest against the Austin Bruins.

His playmaking is evident on the power play as the right-handed defenseman recorded both goals scored this season on the man advantage, with one being a game-winning tally. The Watertown captain leads defensemen in the league with his two points per game average.

Bartley shares more on what it means to earn the monthly honor.

“Earning Defenseman of the Month is super exciting. The NAHL Showcase was a fun event, and it was cool to be able to go 3-0 and put up some points.”

He went on to explain how he attributes his offensive success to his teammates.

“My team is so fun to be around. I look forward to going to the rink every day. We are super driven and aligned with what we want to accomplish as a team. We’ve been clicking on the ice, and I was able to benefit from it this month.”

As Bartley embarks on his final season of junior hockey, his ability from the blue line has been evident since getting to Watertown in his rookie season. During his 2025-26 veteran campaign, the Illinois native laced up in 59 contests across the regular season and postseason, just three games shy of playing in every game. He recorded five goals and produced 30 assists for the Central Division club. His work on the ice earned him the recognition as a Top Prospect for the Selects White team at the annual Top Prospects Tournament. Bartley helped the Selects White take down the USNTDP on day one of the annual event.

The 6-foot-3 defenseman got his first taste of NAHL hockey after being drafted by the Watertown Shamrocks in the 2024 NAHL Entry Draft in the third round. Bartley played in 33 games, registering a goal and 10 assists for the South Dakota-based team.

Head coach of the Shamrocks, Casey Kirley, describes what it means to see the captain go home with this honor.

“It is great that Justin is getting recognized for his outstanding play during September.  He has grown immensely as a person, leader, and player over the past three seasons in Watertown. Justin is a fantastic captain who shows up and competes every day. He leads by example on and off the ice, and helps make his teammates better people and players as well.”

Kirley explains more about how Bartley has become a critical piece in Watertown’s success.

He plays a lot of minutes for us in all situations and is able to do so at a high level every night. We are proud of what he’s accomplished right away this season and look forward to watching him continue to grow his game throughout the year.”

Runner-up: Dean Andrews, Fairbanks Ice Dogs

 

Bauer Hockey Goaltender of the Month: Izaak Kalis, Fairbanks Ice Dogs

Who you gon’ call? Of course, Izaak Kalis, when you need someone to stand tall in the blue paint night after night. The 6-foot State of Hockey netminder showcased an impressive month of September. The 19-year-old featured a league-leading 1.00 goals-against average and a .974 save percentage.

His 2026-27 campaign kicked off with a 41-save performance against the Janesville Jets on September 19, 2026. The ‘07 netminder notched his first win of the year while posting a .953 save percentage in that lone contest. His numbers following that performance just got better with each game he played between the pipes for the month of September. Kalis got his next start on September 23, 2026, at the NAHL Showcase, where he turned aside 26 out of 27 shots on net against the Bismarck Bobcats. The Little Falls, Minnesota, native earned his team the win while notching a .963 save percentage.

Kalis would go on to find a way to top his two previous performances with a 47-save shutout against the USNTDP on Saturday night. The U17 team had almost double the number of shots on goal as the Ice Dogs; however, Kalis ability in net kept Fairbanks in the hunt to earn and eventually secure a victory. The 6-foot goaltender was faced with 117 shots in the month, and Kalis turned aside 114 of them. The 19-year-old ranks in the top five of the NAHL, facing on average 39 shots a game.

The State of Hockey netminder shares what it means to receive this award.

“I think it’s very special to earn this award! It's a great way to start the season, and it feels great to do it representing the Ice Dogs! I think we had success keeping the puck out of our net in September, because of the dedication that everyone has to the team. Our team carries a lot of trust in each other along with a positive attitude every day. This ultimately leads to team success in all aspects!”

Head coach of the Ice Dogs, Dakota Bell, shares how the NAHL and Fairbanks organization has a proven track record of producing Division I caliber players.

“Izaak winning NAHL Goaltender of the Month is a tremendous accomplishment. Our league has been a goalie factory for NCAA Division I and pro hockey for years now, so this award undoubtedly carries a little extra meaning as the competition for it is strong. Fairbanks has a track record of producing elite goaltending talent, and this is a great start to Izaak being the next in line.”

He goes on to share how big of an accomplishment this is for the ‘07 netminder.

“Winning this award in September is no easy task, as games this time of year tend to be more open and higher scoring as coaches work to put their systems in place and get their teams up to speed. Izaak shut the door repeatedly in September and has helped our team get off to a solid start despite being one of the youngest in the NAHL.”

Bell states his gratitude for his organization in helping Kalis.

“Our goalie coach Adam Carlson has done a great job in getting Izaak ready for anything that may come his way, and our scouts did a great job identifying his talent a few years back. Izaak is a tremendous young man who has a bright future ahead of him, and we are glad that he is getting this recognition early in the season.”

Runner-up: Michael Iliff, Maryland Black Bears