Week of Oct. 9, 2024
Games of Oct. 1-7, 2024
New England Division
Forward: Oleg Bitus, Thunder Hockey Club
Bitus (‘05/Los Angeles, Calif.) put together a strong performance of posting a hat trick in the Thunder’s sole game of the past week. He improved to six goals through the 2024-25 season so far. He joined the Thunder this year out of the KIJHL and previously played with the prestigious Los Angeles Jr. Kings AAA program.
Defense: Travis Raisanen, Springfield Pics
Raisanen (‘05/Drumheller, Alb.) posted three assists on three straight comeback goals as the Pics rallied from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the South Shore Kings, 4-3, on Oct. 4. Raisanen is new to the Pics this year, joining from the VIJHL.
Goaltender: Matthew Barnard, Thunder Hockey Club
Barnard (‘05/Valley Cottage, N.Y.) registered his second straight shutout on Oct. 4, in the same game in which his teammate Oleg Bitus scored the Thunder’s first hat trick. Barnard stopped all 38 shots he faced from the Boston Jr. Rangers. On Sept. 29, he had also stopped all 22 shots from the Kingston Wranglers.
Canada Division
Forward: Dylan Perron, Montreal Black Vees
Perron (‘06/St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.) registered a 3-1-4 line against Kingston on Oct. 6, and also had an assist one night earlier against Hawkesbury. With a 4-4-8 line in six games, he leads the Black Vees in points per game with 1.33.
Defense: William Cotton, Hawkesbury Knights
Cotton (‘07/Marieville, Que.) has reached the top 10 in Premier defenseman scoring, thanks to a recent scoring run of 1-3-4 in two games. He improved to 4-6-10 in 11 games played, good for sixth in the league among defensemen.
Goaltender: Nathan Rutter-Richardson, Montreal Black Vees
Rutter-Richardson (‘06/Rockland, Ont.) put up 45 saves on 47 shots as the Black Vees defeated the Hawkesbury Knights on Oct. 5. At 4-0-1-1, he remains undefeated in regulation.
Atlantic Division
Forward: Brett LoGelfo, P.A.L. Jr. Islanders
LoGelfo (‘04/Center Moriches, N.Y.) has been a huge addition to the Jr. Islanders, coming in with more than 100 points already in his Premier career. After putting up a 2-2-4 line against the Brooklyn Aviators on Oct. 5, he currently has a 5-10-15 line in seven games this year (and 119 points total in 93 regular season games).
Defense; Ryunosuke Shirozu, P.A.L. Jr. Islanders
Shirozu (‘06/Japan) registered a 1-3-4 line in the same Oct. 5 game against the Aviators, and his four points put him into the top 10 of league scoring among defensemen. He has 10 points through seven games, after putting up six assists in six Premier games last year.
Goaltender: Patrick Curtatone, Jersey Hitmen
Curtatone (‘06/Somerville, Mass.) won twice over the past week to improve to 3-0 on the year. He stopped all 31 saves in his first junior shutout on Oct. 5 against the Hershey Cubs. Two days earlier, he stopped 42 of 44 shots to defeat the Connecticut Jr. Rangers, giving him 73 stops on 75 shots for a .973 save percentage the last week. His .969 cumulative save percentage is ranked seventh among Premier goaltenders with multiple appearances.
