NA3HL announces monthly player awards for November

The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) has announced its monthly player awards for the month of November.  The Combat Hockey NA3HL Forward of the Month is Drew Otto from the Granite City Lumberjacks.  The Combat Hockey NA3HL Defenseman of the Month is Kyle Meeh from the St. Louis Jr. Blues.  The Brian’s Custom Sports NA3HL Goaltender of the Month is Alex Nedeljkovic from the Metro Jets.  Only players who are nominated by their respective teams are considered for the NA3HL monthly awards.

Combat Hockey NA3HL Forward of the Month: Drew Otto, Granite City Lumberjacks
No player in the NA3HL had more points during the month of November than Granite City forward Drew Otto.  The 18-year-old from Menomonie, Wisconsin, racked up an NA3HL-high 17 points (7 goals, 10 assists) in just nine games played during the month as the Lumberjacks put together a 6-2-1 record in November and stayed in 1st place in the West Division.  Otto (5’11/180) had five multi-point games during the month and was a +7.  He also went the entire month without a penalty.  Otto was named the NA3HL’s #1 star of the week back on November 13th for his six point weekend in a pair of road games.  His 38 points to date leads the team in scoring and ranks 2nd in scoring in the NA3HL.  “Drew comes to the rink every day ready to work hard,” said Granite City head coach Brad Willner.  “He is consistently is one of the hardest workers we have and his success is a product of some of that.  He also has a knack of finding the open man and when his line is playing well, they are hard to keep off the scoreboard.”

Runner-Up: Cody Guidorzi, St. Louis Jr. Blues
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): John Arms, Michigan Mountain Cats – Ian Ecklund, Alexandria Blizzard – Easton Halbert, Quad City Jr. Flames – Jacob Howie, Flint Jr. Generals – Andrew Palushaj, Metro Jets – Patrick Sivets, North Iowa Bulls – Henry Smith, Queen City Steam.
Previous Winners: September 2012, Matt Stirling, Metro Jets – October 2012, Cameron Dimmitt, Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks.

Combat Hockey NA3HL Defenseman of the Month: Kyle Meeh, St. Louis Jr. Blues
The St. Louis Jr. Blues enjoyed a perfect month of November, thanks in large part to players like defenseman Kyle Meeh.  The 17-year-old from St. Louis, Missouri, was stellar in the month of November as he registered eight points (2 goals, 6 assists) in seven games played as the Jr. Blues posted a 7-0-0 record in November.  Meeh (6’1/175) had two multi-point games during the month and was also a +5 in November.  Meeh currently leads all NA3HL defensemen in scoring this season with 23 points (9 goals, 14 assists) in 25 games played.  He also ranks 2nd in the entire NA3HL with a +29 plus/minus rating.   “Kyle has been great in all phases of the game this season,” said Jr. Blues head coach JP Beilsten.  “He is such an offensive threat as a defenseman and that is something that is rare, especially for someone as young as Kyle is.  He played at the Tier I 16U level last season and to come in and produce and be the leader he has, really says something about the type of player he is and his skill level.”

Runner-Up: Connor Langfield, North Iowa Bulls
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Derek Britton, Metro Jets – Devin Fracassi, Queen City Steam – Nick Goettel, Flint Jr. Generals – Clayton Janecke, Quad City Jr. Flames – Cody Lichtenvoort, Peoria Mustangs – Spencer Peratalo, Alexandria Blizzard – Mattheu Raiola, Granite City Lumberjacks – Kenny Simmons, Michigan Mountain Cats.
Previous Winners: September 2012, Tyler Opilka, St. Louis Jr. Blues – October 2012, Matt Petersen, Granite City Lumberjacks.

Brian’s Custom Sports NA3HL Goaltender of the Month: Alex Nedeljkovic, Metro Jets
Although Metro Jets goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, 16, only spent a month playing in the league, he made it count for him and his team.  The native of Parma, Ohio, was in goal for all four of the Jets wins in November as he posted a perfect 4-0 record along with a 94.2% save percentage and a 2.00 goals against average.  During the month of November, he stopped 129 of a possible 137 shots on goal.  At just 16-years-old, Nedeljkovic (6’0/186) is a very special and young talent.  After his four games with Metro, he was sent back to the Plymouth Whalers in the OHL, where he started the season.  Jets head coach Jason Cirone said that it is all part of the learning and growth process for the young Nedeljkovic.  “He was in our league to get some experience and he faced quite a few shots in the four games he played,” said Cirone.  In the games that Nedeljkovic didn’t play in during the month of November, Metro was 0-3, but they were 4-0 when Nedeljkovic played.  “I think our team fed off his confidence while he was here and everyone played a little more inspired.  I think he brought a certain level of exposure to the team.”

Runner-Up: Michael Parda, Peoria Mustangs
Honorable Mention (alphabetical):  Matt Bartels, North Iowa Bulls - Mikael Broliden, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Spencer Craig, Michigan Mountain Cats – Jake Leon, Quad City Jr. Flames – Matt McLaughlin, Queen City Steam – Austin Wilson, Granite City Lumberjacks – Chase Wilson, Alexandria Blizzard.
Previous Winners: September 2012, Mikael Broliden, St. Louis Jr. Blues – October 2012, Michael Parda, Peoria Mustangs.

About Combat Hockey
The Official Equipment Supplier of the NAHL, Combat Sports has been extremely successful the past 10 years as the fastest-growing North American baseball/softball bat, hockey stick and lacrosse shaft manufacturing company.  Visit Combat online here.

About Brian's Custom Sports
The Official Goaltending Equipment Supplier of the NAHL, Brian's has been a leading Canadian supplier of custom built goal equipment since 1984. The factory is located in Kingsville, Ontario near the Southern tip of Canada with ready access to supplying the North American market. As one of the original and remaining custom goal equipment manufacturers Brian's remains committed to continuing to lead the industry with exceptional design and quality.  Visit Brian’s online here.