We’re a little late on this edition of the Three Stars of the Month. The trade deadline, along with some other factors, contributed to the delay.
Let’s get on with it.
Honorable Mentions: Adam Beckman and Tristen Nielsen
Adam Beckman is now the leading scorer in the WHL and has not had a game where he didn’t collect a single point since December 6th. The following night, he began a 14-game point streak that has now stretched into January. In back-to-back games, Beckman showed why he should be included among the stars of the month. On the 10th, he scored twice and added an assist to be named DUBNetwork’s third star of the night in a game with the Seattle Thunderbirds. The following game, again against Seattle, Beckman had a hat trick and added two assists to walk away with first star honours.
Tristen Nielsen had himself a couple of excellent nights in December. Three assists in a win for the Giants over the Americans earned Nielsen the third star on the 8th. He followed that up with a goal and an assist in a 4-3 win over the Kelowna Rockets on the 18th as the team was ready to head to the holiday break. Nielsen now leads the Giants in scoring with 39 points in 39 games.
3rd and 2nd Star (Tie): Brett Kemp and Ryan Chyzowski
Teammates Kemp and Chyzowski shared the first and second star on two separate occasions. The first night was December 3rd, when the Tigers rolled to an 8-3 win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Kemp and Chyzowski each scored two goals and added two assists. The edge was given to Kemp as only one of his goals came with the man advantage. Both Chyzowski goals were scored when the Tigers were on the power play.
On December 11th, the two switched places as both Chyzowski and Kemp scored three times and added an assist in an 8-4 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders.
1st Star: Luka Burzan
Twice Burzan was named the first star of the night and both times the Brandon Wheat Kings collected important points in the race to the WHL playoffs. The first came on December 13th when the Wheat Kings dominated the Warriors 11-1. Burzan had a six-point night, scoring three times and adding three assists.
The second time came on the very last night of 2019. Again the Wheat Kings were facing the Warriors and they took a 3-1 victory. Burzan had two goals, including the game winner. He now leads the Wheat Kings with 43 points in 41 games.
As we have just passed the halfway point of the season, here is a look at the season-long standings for the top-ten players based on our point system. Through December 31, 2019.
| Bryce Kindopp |
| Dustin Wolf |
| Orricn Centazzo |
| Brayden Tracey |
| Adam Beckman |
| Luka Burzan |
| Nolan Foote |
| Mark Kastelic |
| Reece Newkrik |
| Oliver Okuliar |
