Congratulations to Windigo defenseman Daniil Dolzhenko for being named Bauer North American Hockey League Hockey Defenseman of the Month for December, 2022. Per the NAHL announcement: While Wisconsin Windigo defenseman Daniil Dolzhenko, 18, only played in six games during the month of December, he made the most of it picking up five points (2 goals, 3 assists) and a +8 rating. The 6’0/185 lbs. native of Omsk, Russia, recorded at least one point in four of his six games and had one multi-point game. For the season, the UMass-Lowell recruit currently has seven points in 12 games played so far during the 2022-23 campaign. “Daniil’s presence in both ends of the ice was a big part of our success this month. He works tirelessly at his game and is being rewarded for that with this award. It’s great to see hard work pay off and I look forward to watching his growth continue as we push into the second half,” said Windigo head coach Blake Hietala. “I wouldn’t be able to accomplish this without my teammates that helped me all the time on and off the ice. We’ve been practicing hard and finally found the way to get some points and climb in the standings. I think the coaches did really good job of making us better individually and together as a team,” said Dolzhenko. “The short-term goal for us would be to get to first place in our division and then win the Robertson Cup. The long-term for me personally would be to go to college and have a strong start and try to go pro after college.”
