Forward: Liam Geyer, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes
Geyer (‘07/Raleigh, N.C.) scored four goals and added six assists for 10 points in eight January games. Geyer is a product of the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes youth program, and he has 31 points in 40 games this year.
Brady Piscitelli, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes
Piscitelli (‘06/Raleigh, N.C.) scored three goals and added seven assists for 10 points, tying his teammate Geyer with 1.25 points per game last month. A former Jr. Hurricanes youth player and product of the Okanagan Hockey Academy, Piscitelli has 25 points in 35 games this season.
Christopher Zwirblia, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes
During the Jr. Canes’ 7-0-0-1 January, Zwirblia put up three goals and six assists for nine points. A Jr. Canes 16U teammate of Liam Geyer last year, Zwirblia currently has 36 points in 39 games.
Honorable Mention: Gavin Mulcahy, Charlotte Rush
Defense:
Ben Kane, Charlotte Rush
Kane (‘05/La Plata, Md.) enjoyed a run of 4-4-8 over the Rush’s 10 games in January, during which they went 9-1-0-0. Kane, a second-year Rush, is enjoying a career year with 20 points in 34 games. He also got a call-up with the Premier Rush in December – an example of USPHL Advancement In Action.
Ashton Lesher, Charlotte Rush
Lesher (‘05/Hamburg, Pa.) rang up four goals – including a game-winner against the rival Hampton Roads Whalers – as well as three assists for seven points in 10 games in January. Like two-year teammate Kane, he also saw a USPHL Advancement call-up this past October to the Rush’s Premier team. For this season, he has 14 points, already matching his 2023-24 totals.
Honorable Mention: Nikolai Shevchenko, Potomac Patriots
Goaltender:
Cale Puzey, Charlotte Rush
Puzey (‘05/Calgary, Alb.) rang up four wins in January and three were consecutive shutouts. His best performance was a 34-save blanking of Potomac on Jan. 19. He closed the month by stopping 29 of 30 shots against the Whalers. Having come in with Premier experience, he is now 13-5-0-1 with a .945 save percentage this year.
Honorable Mention: Nicholas Grosso, Charlotte Rush
Selection Process: The division’s coaches are presented with a ballot form with statistical leaders (ranked by points per game average for skaters and save percentage for goaltenders) and vote on that form. The league takes the results of that vote and presents the coaches with the finalists, who are able to vote on further changes if desired.
Summaries by Joshua Boyd
