COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The first KJ Branding National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Players of the Week in 2025 put up the points and piled up the saves. Three teams are represented among the KJ Branding NCHC Week 12 honorees, which covers all NCAA games played between Dec. 29, 2024 and Jan. 5, 2025:

• Forward – Ryan Kirwan, Arizona State, Sr.
• Defenseman – Samuel Sjolund, Western Michigan, Jr.
• Goaltender – Matt Davis, Denver, Sr.
• Rookie – Zach Nehring, Western Michigan, forward

This is the first career NCHC weekly honor for Kirwan, while Sjolund secured his second career Defenseman of the Week nod, but first this season. Nehring and Davis each nabbed their second weekly honor of the season, while this is Davis’s fourth career NCHC Goaltender of the Week award.
 
FORWARD OF THE WEEK
Ryan Kirwan, Arizona State
Senior Forward
DeWitt, N.Y.
 
Kirwan started 2025 with a bang, tallying five points while leading Arizona State to its second straight Desert Hockey Classic championship. He was named Most Valuable Player of the Desert Hockey Classic after recording multiple points in both games. In Friday’s 7-3 win over Robert Morris, Kirwan tallied his second collegiate hat trick and first with ASU, scoring the game’s first two goals and ASU’s final goal to seal the victory. The next night in the championship game, Kirwan scored unassisted late in the first frame after a steal to make it a 2-0 ASU lead, then had the primary assist on the Sun Devils’ final goal in the 4-0 victory.
 
Kirwan finished the Desert Hockey Classic with four goals and an assist, while three of his four goals come within the first or final minute of a period. He fired six shots on goal in the tournament, with three each night, scoring on 66.7 percent of his shots. Kirwan now leads the Sun Devils with 11 goals this season, which ties for third in the NCHC, while his 16 points in 18 games are third on the team.

DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Samuel Sjolund, Western Michigan
Junior Defenseman
Stockholm, Sweden
 
Sjolund shined in all four of Western Michigan’s games over the last week, patrolling the Broncos blue line, while tallying five points. He helped WMU go 3-1-0 over the week, while recording points in all three wins. In the semifinals of the Great Lakes Invitational (GLI) on Dec. 29, the Swede handed out a pair of assists in a 4-3 overtime win over Michigan Tech. Sjolund was named to the GLI All-Tournament Team for his efforts in Grand Rapids, Mich. Only a few days later, he compiled three assists in a sweep of Alaska Anchorage. Sjolund set up WMU’s first and last tallies in a 4-1 win on Jan. 3, before handing out the primary helper on the game-winning, power play goal Saturday in a 5-2 victory.
 
Sjolund finished his week with five assists, leading all NCHC blueliners in points. He fired 14 shots on goal in the four games, blocked three shots and posted a +1 plus/minus between the GLI and series with the Seawolves. Sjolund now has 11 assists on the season to tie for the team lead, while his 11 points are tops among WMU defensemen.
 
GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Matt Davis, Denver
Senior Goaltender
Calgary, Alberta
 
Davis was a rock in net for the Pioneers last weekend, backstopping Denver to a split at then-No. 7 Maine. He allowed only three goals all weekend, while averaging 36.5 saves per game. In Friday’s 2-1 victory, Davis made 29 saves, including 11 in the third period. A night later he was even better, compiling a regular-season career-high 44 saves in a tough, 2-1 defeat – only two saves off his career high of 46 in a double overtime NCAA Tournament game. Of his 44 saves Saturday, 21 came in the first period, while he made 15 short-handed stops as Maine went 0-for-4 on the power play.
 
Davis finished the series with the Black Bears with 73 saves on 76 shots faced for a .961 save percentage, tops among NCHC goalies with more than one game played on the week. He also recorded a 1.52 goals-against average against Maine, while lowering his season GAA to 2.00, which ranks fourth in the NCHC. Davis improved to 14-5-0 in 19 starts this season, while upping his season save percentage to .924, which is sixth in the NCHC.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Zach Nehring, Western Michigan
Freshman Forward
Minot, N.D.
 
Nehring recorded at least a point in all four Western Michigan games last week, while leading all NCHC rookies with five points on the week. The Winnipeg Jets draft pick tallied two points at the Great Lakes Invitational. He had the lone assist on WMU’s overtime, game-winning goal on Dec. 29 against Michigan Tech, before scoring the Broncos’ only goal in a loss to No. 1 Michigan State in the GLI Championship Game a day later. The following weekend, Nehring notched three points in a sweep of Alaska Anchorage. He scored his first career game-winning goal in the opener on Jan. 3, when he also handed out a primary assist. He then doled out another assist in the series finale – a 5-2 victory.
 
Nehring completed his week with two power play goals and three assists, while stretching his point streak to a career-long five games. He blocked five shots in the four games and fired eight shots on goal last week, while averaging 1.25 points per game. Nehring leads all WMU rookies with 12 points (5g/7a) and five goals in 18 games this season.
 
OTHER NOMINEES:
 
Forward of the Week
Owen Michaels, Western Michigan
Tyler Rollwagen, Omaha

Defenseman of the Week
Cale Ashcroft, Denver
Jacob Guevin, Omaha

Goaltender of the Week
Gavin Enright, St. Cloud State
Gibson Homer, Arizona State
Cameron Rowe, Western Michigan
 
Rookie of the Week
Sam Court, Arizona State