Players of the Month- Jan, 2017

Players of the Month- Jan,2017

The Greater Metro Junior 'A' Hockey League has announced the 'Players of the Month' for January of the 2016-2017 hockey season.

The 'Players of the Month' honors is a distinction awarded to the player who is adjudged the best at his position & rookie through each month of the season.

(All stats listed as of February 3rd, 2017)

Forward - Carl Lyden, South Muskoka Shield

The Captain of the South Muskoka Shield and Karlstad Sweden native just recently became the first player in franchise history to have both consecutive 50 goal season and consecutive 100 point seasons with the Shield. Lyden is scoring at an unbelievable pace this season, proving to be an elite weapon offensively with 113 points (50G, 63A) through 38 games this year. Prior to joining the Shield last season Lyden had a lengthy career playing elite level junior hockey in Sweden and had a stint with the Long beach Bombers in the Western States Hockey League(WSHL).

Honorable mention to teammate Tomas Nemeth who is a former GMHL rookie of the year in 2011-2012 during his time with Elliot Lake Bobcats. Nemeth much like his teammate Lyden is having a big year for the Shield this year as he has helped his team win countless games with his clutch performances to the tune of 68 Points (31G, 37A) this year for the 3rd place Shield. Nemeth also played in the WSHL and was there for four years in between his first and current stint in the GMHL and even led the league in assists with 77 in 2013-2014. With Lyden and Nemeth together the Shield are poised to do some damage in a few weeks come playoff time.

Defenceman -Zach Wright, Oshawa Riverkings

Zachary Wright is in his 4th season in the GMHL spent between the South Muskoka Shield, Toronto Blue Ice Jets, and now Oshawa Riverkings franchises and has adapted to any role the team has needed him to play. Whether it be an energy guy providing a break for the top pairings or someone who can shut down the teams top weapon Wright has done it. This current season has seen him take on a new role, Captain and has Wright ever embraced it since being given the C after the Christmas break. This season Wright is more than a point per game player as a defencemen with 41 Points (1G, 40A) in 37 games and has helped the Riverkings remain competitive in a strong South Division.

Goaltender -Veli Makinen, Temiscaming Titans

Veli-Matti Makinen has been playing junior hockey since he was 14 years old and the 1995 born Finland native has proved to be consistently elite over the course of his lengthy career. This season Makinen spent with two teams as he played for the Toronto Attack for the first part of the season before being acquired by the Temiscaming Titans, through the change of scenery one thing remained consistent, his play. Makinen has posted numbers that find him near the top of every goaltending stat, 1st in terms of Star Points for goaltenders(38) ,2nd in the league in Wins (15), 2nd in the league in Save percentage (.930) and 11th in Goals Against Average (3.23). It's no wonder Makinen played in the third highest Finnish league, the Sumoi-sarja. With Makinen providing steady play between the pipes the Titans are another team to watch out for in the upcoming Russell Cup Playoffs

Rookie - Zakhar Gorokhov, Northumberland Stars

Zakhar Gorokhov has been a bright spot for a Northumberland team that has gone through some growing pains in its first year as a franchise. Despite the team sitting near the bottom of the South division the 2000 born Gorokhov has managed to score 22 Points (8G,14A) in 32 games so far this season and is well on his way to establishing himself as a consistent producer. Prior to his joining the Stars the past offseason the Barnaul, Russia native played U16 locally in Russia.