WCHA RELEASE

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – On Wednesday, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced that Alaska Nanooks hockey freshman forward Steven Jandric was named the Rookie of the Month for October.

Earlier this month, Jandric was named the Oct. 23 WCHA Rookie of the Week for his offensive efforts versus in-state rival Alaska Anchorage. The honor is the first Player of the Month recognition for the Prince George, British Columbia native and the first for the Alaska Nanooks hockey team since former Nanook Andy Taranto earned the honor from the Hockey Commissioner's Association on Mar. 3, 2010.

"Steven has had a great start to his collegiate career," head coach Lance West said of his rookie forward. "He clearly did the work over the summer and came in ready to compete. He plays the game the right way, competes hard and plays a smart game with a really quick pace. We look forward to seeing what level he can take his game to and know that he will be a big part of our success in the future."

In the season's opening month of play, Jandric tied the WCHA rookie scoring lead with seven points and leads all league freshmen with six assists and 0.75 helpers per game. Jandric leads all league skaters with a plus-seven rating and, out of all WCHA players, only teammate Kylar Hope has been on the ice for as many goals-scored with 10.  

Out of the Nanooks' eight games throughout October, Jandric scored at least one point in six contests and has four points in his last six appearances including a two-assist effort on Oct. 13 versus the now-ranked No. 2 St. Cloud State University Huskies.

Jandric's best weekend of play was Oct. 20-21 where he helped the Nanooks earn their first win of 2017-18 and sweep of the season over UAA. A series that saw Jandric post a career-high three points (1G, 2A) in the opener before tallying the game-winning assist in the series finale.

Among his NCAA freshmen peers, Jandric ranks second for plus/minus, is tied for second in assists and is tied for sixth in points.

The Alaska Nanooks hockey team return to the Carlson Center this week to host the Bemidji State Beavers in a two-game WCHA series this Friday, Nov. 3 and Saturday, Nov. 4. Puck-drop is set for 7:07pm AKT on both nights.

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks hockey team, follow @NanooksHockey on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Hockey team page on Facebook.