Takes into account all September and October games
New England Division
Forward: Max Lundgren, Islanders Hockey Club
Throughout the midst of the Islanders’ league-best 10-game winning streak, Lundgren racked up eight goals in the space of six straight games, the best of any goal-scoring streak yet this year. That contributed to his total of nine goals, which were matched by nine helpers, showing he’s just as comfortable with the passing play as taking the initiative to shoot. Overall, he has 18 points in 13 games, good for a 1.38 points per game average. He was also a big help, offensively, with +8.
After posting 14 points in 26 games last year with the Islanders, the 2003-born Stockholm, Sweden, native has already beaten those totals in his second year.
Forward: Tikhon Ashikhmin, Islanders Hockey Club
Another second-year Islander who has left his previous season totals in the rearview, this ‘03 forward from Yekaterinburg, Russia, set the pace for scoring streaks pretty much out of the gate. All of his nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points were scored in a stretch of 10 games from Sept. 24 through Oct. 19. Only recently has Ogden’s Dimitri Voyatzis passed him by one game.
He is currently tied for fourth in league scoring at 19 points, and is tied for second in game-winning goals with three, so he scores big when it matters most. Last year, he posted 16 points and he’s already bypassed that by three.
Forward: Coleman Jenkins, Boston Junior Bruins
In six of Jenkins’ 12 games so far, the third-year NCDC veteran has put up multiple points and he leaves October on an active four-game goal-and point-scoring streak of 4-3-7. Overall, he has scored seven goals and added nine assists for 16 points in 12 games, giving him a points per game average of 1.33.
Like the others mentioned above, Jenkins is already having his best NCDC season, beating his totals from 2020-21 (12 points) and 2022-23 (14 points). Jenkins always plays a strong two-way game, putting up a team-leading +8 rating, and his 16 blocked shots also leads the team.
Defense: Salvatore Cerrato, South Shore Kings
Cerrato (‘04/St. Louis, Mo.) leads all NCDC defensemen in points with 16 points off two goals and a similarly league-leading 14 assists. He leads the Kings with 295 minutes of total ice time as well as 137 takeaways.
He has 11 blocked shots as well on the year. Cerrato matched Ashikhmin’s 10-game point streak, putting up 2-13-15 during that scoring streak from Sept. 22 through Oct. 15 en route to his 16-point total. Cerrato’s first NCDC season in 2023-24 saw him put up 15 points, so he has recently bested that mark.
Defense: Samuel Larsson, Islanders Hockey Club
Larsson (‘04/Stockolm, Sweden) is the only rookie among this month’s New England winners, and he certainly has made a big first impression, posting three goals and nine points for 12 points in 14 games while racking up 81 takeaways, 16 blocked shots and 20 hits. His 274 minutes played so far leads all Islanders Hockey Club players.
Larsson, who is a +2 on the season, enjoyed a four-game point streak between Oct. 12 and 20, putting up a 2-5-7 line for nearly half his points. The last game of that streak, Oct. 20, marked the Islanders’ 10th win for a league-best victory run so far this year.
Goaltender: Ryan Keyes, South Shore Kings
Keyes (‘03/Fairbanks, Alaska), a third-year NCDC veteran, is the only NCDC goalie without any kind of loss to his record. He has started the season at 9-0, and his 1.88 goals against average is good for second in the league. His .934 ranks fifth in the league, as well.
Keyes first played during the 2021-22 and he joined the Kings just days before the start of the 2022 regular season in a trade with Mercer, with whom he went 10-6-0-2 last year. Currently, for his career, he has twice as many wins as losses for a 22-11-1-2 record.
