SUDBURY, Ont. – The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League announced Sunday its respective player, defenceman, goaltender and rookie of the month for November.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH – CALEB SERRE, (F) BLIND RIVER BEAVERS: Yet another productive month for the 20-year-old Blind River captain as he etched his name on the score sheet in 11 of the 12 games the Beavers played in November.
This included Serre scoring 10 times, including a trio of game-winning goals, while also dishing out 13 assists during the frame helping his hometown side post a record of 7-3-0-2 and hold down top spot in the West Division standings.
Among his accomplishments was a personal single-game-high seven points in a triumph over league-leading Powassan.
Serre, who has only been held pointless on three occasions so far this campaign, enters December with a 20-point lead in the quest for the NOJHL’s scoring title with 66 in 31 outings. He presently tops all league skaters in goals (31), assists (35), points (66), power play tallies (14) and game-winning goals (6).
In 186 career NOJHL contests, Serre has produced 222 points on 101 markers and 121 helpers.
Honourable Mention: Gregory Trudeau-Paquet, (F) Powassan Voodoos; Max Griffioen, (F) Hearst Lumberjacks
Monthly recipients
September: Caleb Serre, (F) Blind River Beavers
October: Caleb Serre, (F) Blind River Beavers
November: Caleb Serre, (F) Blind River Beavers
DEFENCEMAN OF THE MONTH – BRICE FRENCH, (D) SOO EAGLES: The 19-year-old from Fairbanks, Alaska suited up in all 13 match-ups the Eagles played in November and produced at nearly a point-per-game pace with a dozen to his credit.
In the time frame bolstering the Michigan Soo blueline, French notched four markers and helped set-up eight others while playing solid on both ends of the ice in seeing his side go 9-3-0-1 during the month.
In his first year in the league, French has 18 points to his credit in 24 games on six goals and a dozen assists.
Honourable Mention: Phil Caron, (D) Timmins Rock; Warner Young, (D) Soo Thunderbirds
Monthly recipients
September: Nathan Balkwill, (D) Blind River Beavers
October: Josh Anderson, (D) Timmins Rock
November: Brice French, (D) Soo Eagles
GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH – JACKSON HJELLE, (G) BLIND RIVER BEAVERS: The busiest of all NOJHL netminders in November, Hjelle appeared in all 12 games Blind River played, including starting 11 of them, seeing nearly 530 minutes of action.
In all the 20-year-old from Delano, Minn., produced six wins and posted a pair of shutouts while his combined efforts between the pipes helped the Beavers collect 16 points in the standings and see his squad stay in first place in the NOJHL West.
Hjelle enters December with a 9-5-0-2 overall record while sporting a 2.18 goals-against average and a solid .936 save percentage along with three shutouts.
Honourable Mention: Chase Johnson, (G) French River Rapids; Dakota Meyer, (G) Soo Thunderbirds
Monthly recipients
September: Owen Say, (G) Powassan Voodoos
October: Owen Say, (G) Powassan Voodoos
November: Jackson Hjelle, (G) Blind River Beavers
ROOKIE OF THE MONTH – JACOB KOVACS, (F) SOO THUNDERBIRDS: Kovacs produced at over a point-per-game clip for his hometown Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., side last month.
The 16-year-old forward tallied seven times, that featured two game-winners, and also dished out three assists for the Thunderbirds during that span.
As one of the youngest players in the league this season, Kovacs leads all NOJHL rookies in goals with 17 and sits fifth in offensive production with 23 points.
His three game-winning markers also lead all first-year performers.
Honourable Mention: David Gobeil, (F) Hearst Lumberjacks; Mitchell Martin, (F) Rayside-Balfour Canadians
Monthly recipients
September: Matthew Minichiello, (F) Cochrane Crunch
October: Nicholas DeGrazia, (F) Rayside-Balfour Canadians
November: Jacob Kovacs, (F) Soo Thunderbirds
