2012-13 CHL Players of the Month

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GLENDALE, AZ – The Central Hockey League announced today that Bloomington forward Jon Booras has been named the Easton Central Hockey League Player of the Month for October/2012.

In his eighth professional season, seventh in the city of Bloomington, Booras had a strong opening month of the season leading the CHL with 10 points including three goals and seven assists. The Blaze have won three of their first four games of the season.

The Billings, Montana native had multiple point games in three of the Blaze’s four games including a five point game (2G, 3A) in his team’s 6-4 win on October 26 against Wichita. The game also marked Booras’ 400th in Bloomington.

Booras led the Blaze in goals (27) and points (53) last season and has 112 points (50-62=112) in 114 career CHL games.



GLENDALE, AZ – The Central Hockey League announced today that Allen’s Steve Silverthorn has been named the Warrior Central Hockey League Goaltender of the Month for October/2012. Silverthorn will receive a special gift courtesy of Warrior and the Central Hockey League to recognize his accomplishment.

In his first year with the Americans, the Owen Sound, Ontario native won all four of his starts in October pushing his team to first place in the Berry Conference with eight points. Silverthorn is third in the CHL with a 2.40 goals against average.

Silverthorn started the season with fireworks shutting out the Arizona Sundogs behind 30 saves on October 20. He followed that up with back-to-back shootout wins (against Arizona and Fort Worth) and then finished the month off with a win over Tulsa.



GLENDALE, AZ – The Central Hockey League announced today that Missouri goaltender Mike Clemente has been named the recipient of the 50/50 Central/CHL Rookie of the Month (October/2012).

Clemente went 2-0-1 during the season’s opening month posting a .910 save percentage while allowing eight goals on 89 shots.

The Great Falls, Virginia native started the season with a 34-save performance in an overtime loss in Denver but then rebounded stopping 13 of 14 shots in a win at Denver and then won in Arizona with a 34-save effort.

The former Brown University star was assigned to the Mavericks by the Springfield Falcons of the AHL and on November 1 was recalled to the Falcons.

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GLENDALE, AZ – The Central Hockey League announced today that Allen Americans defenseman Brett Skinner has been named the Easton Central Hockey League Player of the Month for November/2012.

Skinner, 29, leads all CHL defensemen with 21 points on the season (five goals, six assists) and during the month of November collected 14 of those points (4-10=14). The Brandon, Manitoba native registered points in nine of the Americans 11 games in November, including four multiple point games.

The highlight of the 6-1, 195-pound defenseman’s month came on November 9th in Quad City when the defenseman netted a hat trick including the shootout game winning goal in the 4-3 victory. The veteran helped the Americans go 8-2-1 in the month as they currently sit atop the CHL with 27 points (13-4-1).

Skinner, a third round draft selection of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2002 NHL Draft, is in his eighth professional season seeing most of his action in the American Hockey League. A participant in 11 career NHL games (all with the New York Islanders), Skinner has dressed in 329 career AHL games posting 24 goals and 135 assists.



GLENDALE, AZ – The Central Hockey League announced today that Bloomington forward Tyler Gron has been named the recipient of the 50/50 Central/CHL Rookie of the Month (November/2012).

Gron had an outstanding November, scoring nine goals and contributing nine assists in 14 games played. He is the current CHL rookie leader in goals (10), points (20), game-winners (2), and shot percentage (.213).

The Spruce Grove, Alberta native played college hockey for Northern Michigan University, scoring 44 goals in his four years there. After a brief stint in the AHL and the ECHL, the 5-11, 195-pound forward was picked up by the Blaze where he has helped them reach #3 in the CHL standings, going 11-7-1 (23 points).



GLENDALE, AZ – The Central Hockey League announced today that Allen’s Aaron Dell has been named the Warrior Central Hockey League Goaltender of the Month for November/2012.

It is back-to-back months for Americans goaltenders winning the monthly award as Steve Silverthorn was the top goalie in the month of October.

In his rookie season, Dell went 5-1 allowing just 10 goals in his six games in November. The 23-year-old finished with a 1.69 goals against average and a .944 save percentage.

The former University of North Dakota star has allowed no more than three goals during any game this season and leads the CHL with his 2.01 goals against average and his .931 save percentage. His overall record is 6-3 for the first place Americans.

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GLENDALE, AZ – The Central Hockey League announced today that Missouri Mavericks forward Sebastien Thinel has been named the Easton Central Hockey League Player of the Month for December/2012.

The veteran led all skaters with 29 points in the month of December recording nine goals with 20 assists. He also finished with a +9 plus/minus rating and recorded points in 13 of his team’s 15 games during the month. The St. Jerome, Quebec native had eight multiple-point games in December which included five games of three points or more.

The effort by Thinel helped his team to a 10-3-2 record in December and on the season, the forward leads the CHL with 50 points (15-35=50). In 2009 and 2011, Thinel won the Joe Burton Scoring Championship recognizing him as the league’s top scorer for those seasons.

In his 10th CHL season, second in Missouri after eight in Odessa, Thinel is climbing the ranks on the league’s all-time lists with 598 games played (ninth), 779 points (sixth), 273 goals (13th) and 506 assists (sixth).



GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Central Hockey League announced today that Denver’s Kent Patterson has been named the Warrior Central Hockey League Goaltender of the Month and the 50/50 Central/CHL Rookie of the Month for December 2012.

The rookie went 6-1-1 during the month with a sparkling 1.85 goals against average and stopped 250 of 265 shots faced (.943 save percentage). His efforts helped his team go 9-3-2 in the month and move up to third place in the Berry Conference. The Plymouth, Minnesota native allowed two goals or fewer in five of his eight December appearances and earned his first professional shutout on December 1 against Wichita (29 saves).

On the season, the former fourth round draft selection of the Colorado Avalanche (2007 NHL Entry Draft) is 10-5-1 with a 2.80 goals against average (tied for sixth in the league) and a .914 save percentage (third in the league).

Patterson was assigned to the expansion Cutthroats at the start of the season from their AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters. The 23-year-old turned professional after an outstanding college career at the University of Minnesota where he went 28-14-1 during his senior year.

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GLENDALE, AZ – The Central Hockey League announced today that Quad City Mallards forward Mickey Lang has been named the Easton Central Hockey League Player of the Month for January/2013.

Lang, 26, had points in all nine of the games he played in the month of January totaling eight goals and eight assists with a +5 plus/minus rating and a pair of game winning goals. The highlight of the month came on January19 when the Hillsdale, New Jersey native recorded a league-high for the season six points (three goals, three assists) in a 7-1 win over Denver.

The 5-10, 174-pound forward’s strong play earned him his first call-up to the American Hockey League (Rockford) where he played in one game. On the season, Lang is tied for fourth in the CHL with 49 points (23-26=49) and leads the league with four shorthanded goals.



GLENDALE, AZ – The Central Hockey League announced today that Fort Worth goaltender Kristofer Westblom has been named the recipient of the 50/50 Central/CHL Rookie of the Month (January/2013).

Westblom won seven of his eight decisions in the month allowing just 21 goals on 207 shots (.899 save percentage) while carrying a 2.58 goals against average. The former third round draft selection of the Minnesota Wild (2005) started the month with a 1-0 shutout win over Rapid City and then finished the month on a six-game win streak.

On the season, the Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan native is 14-5-2 with a 2.35 goals against average (second in the CHL) and a .906 save percentage. His three shutouts lead the league and he has been outstanding at home all season long carrying a 10-2-2 mark with a 1.96 goals against average.

Coming into this season, Westblom had played in eight previous professional games (four in Idaho-ECHL and four in Dayton-CHL) which allows him to maintain his rookie status.



GLENDALE, AZ – The Central Hockey League announced today that Wichita’s Torrie Jung has been named the Warrior Central Hockey League Goaltender of the Month for January/2013.

The third year goaltender, first with the Thunder, won six of his seven starts during the month of January allowing a total of 13 goals in his seven starts (1.86 GAA). Jung turned away 152 of 165 shots (.921 save percentage) and earned a shutout thanks to a 21 save performance against Denver on January 26.

The Nanaimo, British Columbia native allowed two goals or fewer in five of his seven appearances in January and he is currently riding a five-game personal win streak. The Thunder are in second place in the Berry Conference with a 26-14-3 record but are just one point behind the conference leading Allen Americans.

Jung played with the Laredo Bucks during his first two CHL seasons posting a 31-39-5 record with five shutouts between 2010 and 2012.

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GLENDALE, AZ – The Central Hockey League announced today that Wichita Thunder forward Chad Painchaud has been named the Easton Central Hockey League Player of the Month for February/2013.

Painchaud scored points in eight of his team’s 10 games in February helping his club to a 4-2-4 record. The Mississauga, Ontario native finished the month with seven goals and 10 assists and was tied with Allen’s Jamie Schaafsma for the highest plus/minus in the month (+9).

The 6-1, 185-pound forward had six multiple point games in the month including five of his last six contests. The highlight of his month came in a 5-1 win over Allen on February 19th when he had two goals, one assist and a +4.

On the season, Painchaud has scored 15 goals with 32 assists and a +17 plus/minus rating in 39 games.



GLENDALE, AZ – The Central Hockey League announced today that Missouri Mavericks forward Kellan Tochkin has been named the recipient of the 50/50 Central/CHL Rookie of the Month (February/2013).

The Abbortsford, British Columbia native scored points in eight of the 12 games the Mavs played in the month helping his club to a 7-5-0 record. Tochkin finished with six goals and 11 assists and was a +5 in the month of February.

Assigned to Missouri by Vancouver (NHL) prior to the start of the season, the 5-10, 175-pound rookie had five multiple point games highlighted by back-to-back four-point nights. On February 9th, Tochkin had a goal and three assists with a +4 plus/minus rating and the next night he scored two goals with two assists with a second straight +4 plus/minus rating.

On the season, the forward has 12 goals and 20 assists in 44 games ranking him fourth on his team. Prior to the month of February, Tochkin had registered just two assists in his previous 16 games.



GLENDALE, AZ – The Central Hockey League announced today that Tulsa’s Shane Madolora has been named the Warrior Central Hockey League Goaltender of the Month for February/2013.

The rookie goaltender may have ended the month of February without a win in his last three starts, but the beginning and middle of the month saw Madolora catch stride and help the Oilers to their best play and success during the 2012-13 season.

For February, the 5-10,175-pound goalie had a 6-3-1 record with a 2.54 goals against average and a sparkling .933 save percentage. Madolora turned away 35 plus shots in seven of his 10 appearances in the month. The highlight of the month was his first professional shutout on February 15th against Arizona (39 saves). Other top performances include a 46-save effort in a win against Wichita on February 2nd and a 44-save effort in a 2-1 win over Allen on February 12th.

On the season, the Salinas, California native is 12-14-2 with a .911 save percentage and a 3.16 goals against average.

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GLENDALE, AZ – The Central Hockey League announced today that Denver Cutthroats forward A.J. Gale has been named the Easton Central Hockey League Player of the Month for March/2013.

Gale scored a remarkable 15 goals in the month’s 12 games notching at least one goal in nine contests. He finishes the month with 18 points (15-3=18) and came on big at the end of the month scoring seven goals in the season’s final four games.

The Nanaimo, British Columbia native finished the season as the CHL’s top goal scorer with 46 goals to go with his 84 points.



GLENDALE, AZ – The Central Hockey League announced today that Missouri Mavericks forward Kenton Miller has been named the recipient of the 50/50 Central/CHL Rookie of the Month (March/2013).

The Redvers, Saskatchewan native finished the month with 11 goals in 15 games and totaled 16 points. The first-year player had three multiple-goal games and finished the month strong with half of his points in his finale four games. His five goals and three assists in the final week of the season earned him recognition as the Oakley CHL Player of the Week (Mar. 18-24).

Miller joined the Mavericks this season as an assigned player from the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves and earlier in the season played six games with the Wolves.

The 6-0, 190-pound forward finished the season tied for second among rookie in scoring with 51 points (31-20=51).



GLENDALE, AZ – The Central Hockey League announced today that Rapid City’s Tim Boron has been named the Warrior Central Hockey League Goaltender of the Month for March/2013. Boron will receive a special gift courtesy of Warrior and the Central Hockey League to recognize his accomplishment.

The Winnipeg native won five of his seven decisions allowing just 13 goals and in his two losses allowed just five scores. Boron allowed two goals or fewer in six of his eight appearances and earned his second shutout of the season in his first start in the month on March 1 (26 saves).

On the season, Boron is 20-12-3 with a 2.42 goals against average and a .923 save percentage.