The North American Hockey League announced today its monthly player awards for the month of January. Three Aston Rebels received recognition for their respective position: forward Michael Merulla, defenseman Brennan Kapcheck and goalie Darion Hanson.
Merulla was named honorable mention for the forward position. He had five goals and 10 assists in eleven games for the Rebels. He had a hat trick against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights on January 30. This is the third time Merulla received league recognition during the month: honorable mention for week ending January 3 and Player of the Week for week ending January 31. Merulla also received honorable mentioned as forward of the month in December.
Kapcheck was recognized as runner up defenseman for the month. During the 10 games he played, he had three goals and five assists. He had a +5 +/- ratio. This is the first time “Kappy” has received any type of league recognition.
It was a banner month for goalie Darion Hanson. He received honorable mention for goalie of the month. He was the second star of the week for weeks ending January 3 and 24, and he was the player of the week for week ending January 10. Plus, he was named to the NAHL’s Top Prospect East Division team. He had a 4-3 record with a 1.85 goals against average and .94 save percentage.
Kapcheck’s runner up award makes him the 14th Rebel to received some type of recognition from the league this season.
