The National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) are pleased to announce the winners of September’s Player of the Month in each of our five competition divisions. A panel of independent media experts have deliberated and the winners can be revealed.
The Players of the Month for September are:
NIHL National – Tomasz Malasinski (Swindon Wildcats)
Malasinski has been the go-to player for the Wildcats and although he has been scoring an average of 2.5ppg, this is against a background of very strong line and team mates which has made standing out far harder than it would have been were he on another team.
Also shortlisted – Matty Davies (Hull Pirates), Nathan Salem (Sheffield Steeldogs), Radek Meidl (Leeds Chiefs)
NIHL North 1 – David Longstaff (Whitley Warriors)Six goals and six assists for the evergreen forward, scoring a goal in 30 consecutive seasons. Has spearheaded the Warriors’ offence in their early games including a hat-trick against Solway Sharks. Still possesses uncanny passing ability around the net.
Also shortlisted – Jaakko Heiskanen (Solway Sharks), Thomas Soar (Solihull Barons)
NIHL South 1 – Sean Norris (Slough Jets)Highly rated Slough Jets forward Sean Norris has lived up to his billing, leading the scoring charts in the Britton Conference. The youngster’s eight goals and eight assists have helped his side top the table losing just once in their opening six games.
Also shortlisted – Vanya Antonov (Streatham), Adam Carr (Streatham), Sam Talbot (Slough Jets)
NIHL North 2 – Thomas Humphries (Sheffield Senators)In the ultra-competitive Laidler divison, Humphries has led the Sens to third place in the league with 2-1-1 record. Humphries has potted eight goals and added four assists which included a hat-trick at Telford, scoring the OT winner for good measure.
Also shortlisted – Mark Florence (Hull Jets), Joshua Stockton (Bradford Bulldogs)
NIHL South 2 – Stephen Woodford (Haringey Huskies)Huskies captain Stephen Woodford impressed in the month of September, leading from the front as he scored seven goals and assisted on a further five to help the North London club to an unbeaten start to the league campaign.
Also shortlisted – Kamil Kinkor (Streatham 2), James Pentecost (Haringey Huskies)
An NIHL spokesman said: “Congratulations to all of the winners, even early in this season the teams are playing some great hockey and it was not an easy decision for our panels to pick their shortlist let alone the eventual winner.
“The October contest begins today and we’re looking forward to another fantastic month of NIHL hockey right across all divisions and here’s to another closely fought Player of the Month award.”
Photo credits: Tomasz Malasinski by Steve Brodie. David Longstaff by IceHockeyMedia. Sean Norris by Slough Jets. Thomas Humphries by Steve Brodie. Stephen Woodford by Phil3 Productions
