As is tradition, Hockey-News is once again looking for the player of the season. Before that, however, it is important to choose the respective players of the month, which will be determined by fan voting. In the fifth monthly voting we are looking for the player of the month for January.
Six players are nominated monthly by the Hockey News editorial team, who then compete for Player of the Month. The winner will be determined through a fan vote lasting several weeks and will qualify directly for the election for Player of the 2025/26 season, which will take place after the last monthly vote.
In addition to the six monthly winners, the editorial team nominated six other deserving players, giving a total of twelve players to choose from. The result of the final Player of the Year election is the sum of two votes. 50% from the fan voting as in the Player of the Month elections and 50% from an editorial vote in which the Hockey News editorial team votes.
Voting runs until Thursday, January 26th/midnight and here are the nominations for Player of the Month for December:
Nick Bailen (Graz99ers)
8 games – 4 goals – 8 assists
For the second time in a row, Nick Bailen qualified for the monthly voting. Will he win the title this time?
Lukas Haudum (Graz99ers)
11 games – 4 goals – 14 assists
Lukas Haudum was the second 99ers crack to make it into the voting. He is not only the top assist provider in January, but also the top scorer of the month.
Shane Gersich (HC Bozen)
12 games – 8 goals – 7 assists
The American can be seen as an absolute top signing. Gersich was not only the top scorer in January, but also provided a number of assists.
TJ Brennan (Olimpija Ljubljana)
8 games – 6 goals – 4 assists
If it weren’t for Nick Bailen, Brennan would be by far the best offensive defender in the league. With a total of 20 goals, he is one of the top 5 goalscorers in the league!
Travis St. Denis (EC Red Bull Salzburg)
12 games – 8 goals – 5 assists
Travis St. Denis, who is finding his way around Salzburg better and better, also scored eight goals, the same number as Shane Gersich.
Joe Cannata (EC VSV)
9 games – 5 wins – 22 goals conceded – 92.6% catch rate – 0 shut-outs
Joe Cannata acts absolutely consistently in the VSV goal. Villach’s difficult situation is definitely not the fault of the goalie. He regularly delivers top performances.
www.hockey-news.info, Image: Black Wings Linz/Eisenbauer
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