Forwards
Gabriel Leduc, Islanders Hockey Club
Leduc was lights-out for the Islanders during the month of January, one of four players in the division to hit the 20-point mark over the course the month (including his teammate Owen Brea). Leduc was powered by a six-game, 14-point scoring streak through the middle of the month and he also had his first hat trick (and added two assists) in a win against Springfield. For January, he had a line of 8-12-20 in 12 games. Leduc is the IHC’s leading scorer and finished January with 37 points in 26 games.
Josh Bruno, Northern Cyclones
Bruno led the way for the Cyclones – and the North Division – with the division’s best points per game average of 2.00 with 20 points in just 10 games, and he also led the way for the division last month in goals with 10. He put on a show of scoring 14 points in his last five games of the month and he now stands sixth in Elite league scoring with 56 points in 35 games. He is also sixth in goals with 26.
Makar Korotchenko, Northern Cyclones
Korotchenko was huge for the Elite’s No. 1 team, posting a line of 7-13-20 over the course of 11 games, and among his seven goals in January were three of his current six game-winning goals. That puts him in a tie for second with the WBS Knights’ Jason DiMatteo, both behind the league leader and fellow Player of the Month Josh Bruno (with eight). Overall, Korotchenko has a line of 21-19-40 in 27 games, ranking fourth on the team with the league’s most points (67) and best winning percentage (.931).
Defense
Brady Bomal, Northern Cyclones
The Cyclones have the second best defense in the league and they’re No. 1 in the Northeast region of the league, allowing just 2.00 per game. Brady Bomal has been a huge part of this success from Day 1 of the season, and he helped out on both ends in January. Bomal put up a 2-8-10 line in 11 games, over which the Cyclones went 10-1 last month. Bomal, who has 26 points in 36 games.
Connor Cognac, Springfield Pics
Cognac (‘02/Belchertown, Mass.) returned to the Pics lineup in January after being a major player for the 2021-22 Elite team. He picked up right where he left off, leading all defensemen in the North with 11 points (3-8-11) during seven games played in the month of January. After a few additional games in February, he has 16 points in 10 contests.
Goaltender
Anthony LaCroix, Islanders Hockey Club
LaCroix’s .949 save percentage was the third best in the league among goaltenders with at least 180 minutes played. He went 5-1-0-1 while racking up three shutouts during the month, making 205 saves on 216 shots. LaCroix put up a 31-save blanking of the league-leading Northern Cyclones on Jan. 13, and he wrapped the month with 51 saves on 52 shots in 65 minutes also against the Cyclones. He also had shutouts of 24 saves against the Springfield Pics and 25 saves against the Rockets Hockey Club at the Northern Cyclones Showcase.
