(Summaries By Joshua Boyd)
Forwards
Livio Azevedo, Charlotte Rush
The Swiss import led the league in scoring early on in the season, and his 1.82 points per game is still formidable, as are his 31 points off a 7-24-31 line in 17 games. He is sixth in overall points and second in total assists with 24 helpers.
He’s only missed the scoresheet twice this season, and throughout most of the early portions this year he posted an 11-game point streak of four goals and 18 assists for 22 points.
Niko Schoner, Nashville Spartans
The Spartans’ 20 points this year put them at sixth in the Southeast Division, though that would be good enough for first place all alone or tied for first in five other divisions. This included an 8-0 run they carried right into the month of November.
Schoner, who missed a little time with injury, is averaging nearly two points per game when he has hit the ice with the Spartans, racking up 11 goals and five assists for 16 points in just nine games – also averaging better than a goal per game. An ‘02 from Bloomingdale, Ill., he came in with prior season NCDC experience to help lead the first-year Spartans to their current level of success.
Dawson Smith, Potomac Patriots
Smith (‘03/Steinbach, Man.) has helped the Patriots to fourth place and just seven points out of first – in the division and the league. Smith has put up eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points in just 14 games to help drive the revitalized Patriots.
His 1.64 points per game leads the Patriots, and he has a lot of company with four additional teammates averaging over 1.50. Yes, this is a team with some ridiculous offense.
Defense
Kameron Williams, Richmond Generals
Williams (‘02/Clarks Summit, Pa.) is helping to lead the Generals in his fifth USPHL season and fourth with the Generals organization. After leading the entire Elite Division in points by a defenseman in 2020-21, he was able to move up to a regular gig in the Premier. Though he didn’t start the 2021-22 campaign with the Generals, he jumped back to Richmond and has since been a staple to the Gens’ Premier blue line.
He leads Richmond blueliners with 13 points in 19 games, more than double what he registered in 19 games with the Gens last year. He also leads with 44 defensive takeaways.
Keaton Toenjes, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes
The Jr. Canes reached almost all the way across the country to Gilbert, Arizona, and the highly-esteemed Bobcats program to pick up their rookie blueliner who’s averaging a point per game. With a goal and 14 assists for 15 points in 15 games, his 1.00 points per game average is the best in the Southeast Division.
He entered November with a 1-6-7 line in his final four games of October, including three straight with multiple helpers.
Goaltender
Nick Anderson, Charlotte Rush
The USPHL Premier’s wins leader also remains undefeated in regulation with a 9-0-1-0 record entering November. Anderson (‘03/Rochester, N.Y.) already established himself as a top goalie in the league last year by going 11-4-1 with a 2.01 and a .933 save percentage, and he’s looking to improve upon those already impressive numbers, standing currently at 2.07 and .938.
He started out 8-0 on the season and didn’t suffer any kind of loss until falling in OT to the rival Hampton Roads Whalers on Oct. 29. He rebounded the next day with a 27-save shutout of the same Whalers.
Note: October Players of the Month also includes statistics from September.
