Mahbod, Riopel and Kulikov earn QMJHL player of the month awards

By admin October 1, 2008

BOUCHERVILLE, Wednesday, October 1, 2008 The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League today announced the winners of the offensive, defensive and rookie player of the month awards for September. The players were chosen by a committee mandated by the League.

The offensive player of the month award goes to Samson Mahbod of the Drummondville Voltigeurs. In six games, the 19-year-old winger registered six goals, including two game-winners, and seven assists to go along with a +5 rating. He is currently tied for second place with two other players in the scoring standings with 13 points. The Voltigeurs have been red-hot so far this season, winning five of their first six contests.

Dave Labrecque (Shawinigan), Félix Petit (Baie-Comeau) and Nicholas Petersen (Shawinigan) were also considered.

Defensively, Moncton Wildcats backstop Nicola Riopel gets the nod. The Wildcats goaltender has been nothing short of spectacular so far this season. Riopel has won all six of his starts to help Moncton remain the only undefeated team in the QMJHL thanks to a 1.48 goals-against-average and .942 save percentage. Moreover, he has allowed a league-low nine goals in 365 minutes of play and registered a shutout.

Gabriel Lemieux (Shawinigan), Jan Piskacek (Cap-Breton) and Gabriel Girard (Shawinigan) were also in the running.

Among the rookies, defenseman Dmitry Kulikov of the Drummondville Voltigeurs is the undisputed winner. Over the past two weeks, the 18-year-old impressed many observers by collecting two goals and six helpers while registering a +3 rating in his first five games. Kulikov leads the rookie scoring race with eight points and has thrown his body around, collecting twelve bodychecks. Without a doubt, the young defenseman is one of the keys to the Voltigeurs’ early season success.

Andrej Nestrasil (Victoriaville), Sasha Famin (Moncton) and Sean Coulton (Chicoutimi) were also in the mix.