FRISCO, TEXAS – The North American Hockey League (NAHL) has announced its monthly player awards for the month of December. The Easton Hockey NAHL Forward of the Month is Tayler Munson from the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. The Easton Hockey NAHL Defenseman of the Month is Brandon Parker from the Brookings Blizzard. The Brian’s Custom Sports NAHL Goaltender of the Month is Logan Halladay from the Janesville Jets. Only players who are nominated by their respective teams are considered for the NAHL monthly awards.
Brian’s Custom Sports NAHL Goaltender of the Month: Logan Halladay, Janesville Jets
The NAHL has a rich history of producing players that make it all the way to the NHL and although he is just 17-years-old, Janesville Jets goaltender Logan Halladay may be an early candidate of one day joining that long list of names, particularly at the goaltending position. The native of Cary, North Carolina enjoyed a perfect month of December, as the Jets got right back in the playoff race in the North Division. The Jets went 5-1 with Halladay (6’2/180) picking up all five wins and no losses. It capped off a streak of eight consecutive starts that Halladay didn’t lose a game. Halladay allowed just seven goals in six appearances giving him a goals against average of just 1.32 during the month. He stopped 192 of 199 shots that came his way, which was good for a 96.5% save percentage during December. He recorded a career-high 51 saves in a 2-1 win over Springfield back on December 13th. Halladay has a 10-4-1 record to date with a 2.55 goals against average and a 92.7% save percentage, which ranks 9th in the NAHL. He is also an NAPHL graduate, having played for the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes 16U team during the 2011-12 season. “Logan was giving our team confidence and giving us a chance to win every night, which is why we continued to try and ride that momentum. Although he is young, he is a pro when it comes to taking care of himself and making sure he is physically and mentally prepared to handles the rigors of the position,” said Jets head coach Joe Dibble. “We know there are a lot of eyes on him right now, but it is all about the team success with Logan. He puts the Jets first and he knows that his performance is 100% about the team. He is mature beyond his years and has a very bright future ahead of him at the next levels of hockey.”
As for Halladay, he echoed Dibble’s sentiment about team success being first and foremost in his mind, especially with the success in December. “I think we got back to having fun and really tried to take in each moment. Playing at this level is something not a lot of guys get to do, so we tried to focus on just playing in a team concept. I wanted to slow things down and not put so much pressure on myself. I was happy to be out there and doing well and not let the stats dictate my attitude towards it,” said Halladay. “I would love to play college and pro hockey someday and that is definitely something I think about, but I don’t allow myself to think about it a whole lot. Our coaches have kept us focused on getting better one day at a time and just preparing for the next practice and game. I just want to become a better and more experienced goalie each time I step on the ice.”