COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Closing out the first half of the season strong, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Players of the Week presented by KJ Branding for the week of Dec. 8-14, 2025 hail from four different teams and include a trio of underclassmen. Earning KJ Branding NCHC Week 11 honors are:

• Forward – Bennett Schimek, Arizona State, Sr.
• Defenseman – Philippe Blais-Savoie, Colorado College, So.
• Goaltender – Quentin Miller, Denver, Fr.
• Rookie – Jan Špunar, North Dakota, G

Miller gloved his second straight Goaltender of the Week award and third in five weeks, while he’s also earned Rookie of the Week once this year. Schimek secured his first NCHC Forward of the Week nod this season and second of his career. These are the first career NCHC honors for both Blais-Savoie and Špunar.
 
The next KJ Branding NCHC Players of the Week will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 31, covering NCAA games played from Dec. 19 through Dec. 29.

FORWARD OF THE WEEK
Bennett Schimek, Arizona State
Senior Forward
Mendota Heights, Minn.
 
Schimek led the NCHC with five points on the weekend to power Arizona State to a split at then-No. 5 Minnesota Duluth. The ASU co-captain tallied all five of his points in Saturday’s 6-3 victory, becoming the first NCHC player with a five-point game this season, while the five points marked a career high. Schimek recorded a hat trick in the win, the second of his college career, while adding two assists. He scored ASU’s first goal, which tied the game, added another late in the second stanza to make it a 3-1 contest, and sealed the victory with an empty-netter. Schimek also set up the Sun Devils’ second and fifth goals, with the lone helper on the fifth tally. He was named First Star of the Game on Saturday.
 
Schimek’s five-point night moved him into the Century Club, as he reached 100 career collegiate points on Saturday. His three goals tied for the NCHC lead on the weekend, while finishing with two assists. Schimek also posted a career-best +5 plus/minus in Saturday’s win and ended the weekend +5 after being even in Friday’s 3-1 loss. He fired six shots on goal on Saturday, as well.
 
On the season, Schimek is now second in the NCHC with 27 points in 18 games. His 18 assists are tied for the NCHC lead, while he’s also chipped in nine goals. Arizona State improved to 3-0-1 when Schimek records three or more points in a game this season.

DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Philippe Blais-Savoie, Colorado College
Sophomore Defenseman
San Jose, Calif.
 
Blais-Savoie was strong in the back end to help Colorado College pick up a pair of ties and three conference points at Miami last weekend. In Friday’s 4-4 draw, the sophomore was held off the scoresheet, but fired two shots on goal and posted a +1 plus/minus. The next night, Blais-Savoie potted a pair of power play goals to lead the Tigers to a 3-3 tie. Saturday marked his first career multi-goal game, with his first goal putting CC ahead, 2-1, in the first frame, before tallying the game-tying goal 7:08 into the third period. Blais-Savoie was tabbed First Star of the Game on Saturday.
 
Blais-Savoie was the only NCHC defenseman to tally two goals on the weekend, while his two points tied for the conference lead among blueliners. He fired six shots on goal in the series and finished with an even plus/minus, while averaging 20:06 time on ice per game against Miami. Blais-Savoie was big on special teams as well, helping CC go 3-for-7 on the power play and 10-for-12 on the penalty kill in the series. He doubled his point total on the season at Miami, as he now has three goals and four points in 10 games this season.

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Quentin Miller, Denver
Freshman Goaltender
Montreal, Quebec
 
Miller continued his stellar play of late to earn his second straight Goaltender of the Week award, backstopping No. 6 Denver to a split at St. Cloud State. The Montreal Canadiens draft pick started the weekend strong, stopping 37 of 38 shots in a 5-1 win on Friday. He made 16 of those saves in the second period and was tabbed Second Star of the Game in the opener. The next night, Miller totaled 28 saves in a 4-3 loss, including 11 short-handed stops as DU went 5-for-6 on the penalty kill Saturday.
 
Miller finished the weekend with an NCHC-high 65 saves at SCSU. He posted a .929 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average, both of which led all NCHC goalies who played two games last weekend and ranked fourth among all NCHC goalies. Friday’s win marked his ninth game this season allowing one goal or less. On the year, Miller improved to 11-5-1 in net, with his .931 save percentage and 1.92 GAA both ranking second in the NCHC this season.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Jan Špunar, North Dakota
Freshman Goaltender
Olomouc, Czechia
 
Špunar continued his spectacular start to his college career, backstopping No. 4 North Dakota to a 4-1 win in Friday’s series opener against Omaha in his only appearance of the weekend. He turned aside 30 of the 31 shots he faced, including 12 saves in the opening period. Špunar was also excellent on the penalty kill, making 10 short-handed saves as UND went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill on Friday. He was named Second Star of the Game in the series opener.
 
Špunar improved to 9-0-0 with the win, becoming the first goalie in North Dakota history to start his career with nine straight wins. The nine-game win streak also ties for the fourth-longest unbeaten streak by a UND goalie to start a career. He posted a .968 save percentage in Friday’s win, which led the NCHC on the weekend, and a 1.01 goals-against average. With the 30 stops Friday, Špunar has made at least 30 saves in three of his last four starts. He now leads the NCHC on the season with both a 1.67 GAA and a .934 save percentage, with the latter fourth nationally.
 
OTHER NOMINEES:
 
Forward of the Week
Wilson Björck, Colorado College
Doug Grimes, Miami
Tyson Gross, St. Cloud State
Ellis Rickwood, North Dakota

Defenseman of the Week
Max Smolinski, St. Cloud State

Goaltender of the Week
Gibson Homer, North Dakota
 
Rookie of the Week
Wilson Björck, Colorado College
David Deputy, Miami