Forwards
Bryson Walz, Bold City Battalion
Walz (’06) has been a key forward for the Bold City Battalion. Last month, he scored 21 points over seven games, averaging three points per game. With 47 points so far this season, he quickly approaches a milestone of 100 points, currently at 92. He has played 70 games over two seasons with the Battalion.
Austin Osborn, Tampa Bay Juniors
Osborn (‘04/Haywards Heath, Great Britain) scored seven goals and eight assists in December, averaging 1.88 points per game. He has 34 points over 27 games in his third Premier season and a career 80 points over 92 games.
Jason Johnson, Tampa Bay Juniors
Johnson (‘06/Minnetonka, Minn.) added 16 points to his scorecard last month, averaging 1.78 points per game with nine goals and seven assists. The rookie has 35 points over 27 games played so far, becoming the Tampa Bay Juniors second-highest points leader and top 10 highest-scoring rookie in the Premier League.
Forward honorable mention: Sebastian Elrod, Bold City Battalion
Defense
Emil Grinsvall, Bold City Battalion
Grinsvall (‘04/Göteborg, Sweden) posted 10 points over six games, adding three goals and seven assists to his season tally of 24 total points. With two seasons with the Bold City Battalion under his belt, he has 65 career points over 66 games. This season, he is the fourth-highest-scoring player with his team.
Jacob Ronnqvist, Tampa Bay Juniors
Ronnqvist (‘06/Kvevlax, Finland) was a standout rookie blueliner in December, adding 11 points to his scorecard and averaging 1.38 points per game. He has 21 points in his first Premier season, with four goals and 17 assists. He’s the second-highest-scoring defenseman for the Tampa Bay Juniors.
Defense honorable mention: Mitchell Berens, Bold City Battalion
Goaltender
Russ Decoste, Florida Eels
Decoste (‘04/Enfield, Canada) went 3-0-0-0 in December, with 88 saves on 93 shots for a .946 save percentage. He performed a 33-save shutout against the Charlotte Rush on Dec. 20, boosting his season save percentage to .938. He has two shutouts to his name in his first season with the Florida Eels, and is 10-2-0-1.
Goaltender honorable mention: Gage Cercone, Florida Jr. Blades
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 Taylor Dean
