SUDBURY, Ont. – The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) announced Monday that Daniel Vasic (Blind River Beavers); Spencer Horgan (Espanola Paper Kings); Noah Tegelaar (Blind River Beavers) and Brant Romaniuk (Timmins Rock) have been named its Forward; Defenceman; Goaltender and Rookie of the Month, respectively, for December.
FORWARD OF THE MONTH – DANIEL VASIC, BLIND RIVER BEAVERS: The 17-year-old Newmarket, Ont., product had points in all eight games the Beavers had last month, of which all were Blind River victories.
Vasic also scored at least once in the final seven outings for his club during the period, notching nine in total, while doling out four assists. He supplied three game-winning goals, and helped set-up another in that span, to see his team extend their current NOJHL-best triumph-run to 13 in succession.
A model of consistency since joining the Beavers back in early November, Vasic has registered points in all 14 league games he has appeared in to date, to play a pivotal role in Blind River’s winning streak.
Honourable Mention: Owen Fergusson, Espanola Paper Kings; Mason Svarich, Timmins Rock
Monthly recipients
September: Nolan Newton, Greater Sudbury Cubs
October: Lucas Signoretti, Espanola Paper Kings
November: Oliver Smith, Greater Sudbury Cubs
December: Daniel Vasic, Blind River Beavers
DEFENCEMAN OF THE MONTH – SPENCER HORGAN, ESPANOLA PAPER KINGS: Another strong month for the stalwart Espanola rearguard saw him extend his overall point lead among NOJHL blueliners.
Hailing from Bowmanville, Ont., the 18-year-old Horgan etched his name on the game sheet in all eight match-ups the Paper Kings had by scoring four times and dishing out nine assists along the way.
He enters the January as the NOJHL’s leading point producer among defencemen with 62 in 32 games, which also ties him for third overall among all league skaters, in terms of offensive production.
Honourable Mention: Andrey Manov, Blind River Beavers; Josh Kavanagh, Greater Sudbury Cubs
Monthly recipients
September: Spencer Horgan, Espanola Paper Kings
October: Kaden Dundas, Soo Thunderbirds
November: Noah Janicki, Hearst Lumberjacks
December: Spencer Horgan, Espanola Paper Kings
GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH – NOAH TEGELAAR, BLIND RIVER BEAVERS: A solid December saw Tegelaar post a 7-0-0-0 record with a 2.00 goals-against average and a league-best .939 save percentage.
The 17-year-old rookie netminder from Georgetown, Ont., backstopped Blind River to a perfect month, winning seven of the eight games the Beavers had, which included one shutout.
Having won his past nine starts, Tegelaar presently tops all NOJHL goalkeepers with his 2.11 GAA and .927 SV%, and is tied for the league-lead in shutouts, with three.
Honourable Mention: Dryden Riley, Timmins Rock; Tristan Boileau, Hearst Lumberjacks
Monthly recipients
September: Daniel Dirracolo, Powassan Voodoos
October: Kolton Bourret, Soo Thunderbirds
November: Elijah Grant, French River Rapids
December: Noah Tegelaar, Blind River Beavers
ROOKIE OF THE MONTH – BRANT ROMANIUK, TIMMINS ROCK: Averaging over a point-per-game last month, Romaniuk led all NOJHL rookies in offensive production.
Skating for his hometown Timmins side, the 16-year-old forward had points in six of the seven contests he appeared in, with a trio of tallies, to go along with eight assists. Two of those helpers came on game-winning goals.
With his solid December and having seven multi-point efforts already in his initial league campaign, Romaniuk’s 27 points, in 34 outings, has moved him into the Top 10 in NOJHL rookie scoring.
Honourable Mention: Owen Kahl, (F) Elliot Lake Vikings; Brendan Cooke, (F) Blind River Beavers
Monthly recipients
September: Hudson Chitaroni, (F) Greater Sudbury Cubs
October: James Legler, (F) Soo Thunderbirds
November: Benjamin Pouliot, (F) Soo Eagles
December: Brant Romaniuk, (F) Timmins Rock
PHOTO CREDITS
Vasic: Bob Davies
Horgan: Northern Exposures Photography
Tegelaar: Helene Rancourt
Romaniuk: Thomas Perry / Timmins Daily Press
