The NCDC and USPHL have announced their monthly awards for February, with several California natives earning the honors.

Pueblo Bulls forward Hunter Hayes is the NCDC Mountain Division Forward of the Month, Seattle Totems forward Seth Morris is the Northwest Premier Forward of the Month, Fresno Monsters’ Steven Blengino is the Pacific Premier Defenseman of the Month, Las Vegas Thunderbirds goalie Sam Peterson is the Pacific Premier Division Goaltender of the Month, Northern Cyclones forward Josh Bruno is the New England Elite Division Forward of the Month, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights defenseman Page Jones is the Atlantic Elite Division Defenseman of the Month.

Hayes, an ‘04 from Lodi, just never stops getting the job done for his team as they push hard to win a playoff spot in an ongoing duel with the Idaho Falls Spud Kings as we get into the low single digits in games remaining. Hayes has a current scoring streak of 8-8-16 in his last eight games, including his first couple in March.

During February, the scope of this award, he put up 7-6-13 in eight games for a 1.63 points per game average. He started his current scoring streak on Feb. 9. He is also dynamite in the circle for the Bulls, winning 106 of 172 draws last month for a 62 percent success rate.

Back home, Hayes played for the Golden State Elite Eagles and St. Mary’s High School.

Morris, a 2006 birth year out of Rancho Cucamonga, was all over Totems opponents during February, ringing up 10 goals and adding 14 assists for 24 points, good for a division-leading 2.4 points per game average. His February success ended up being just a portion of a 13-game point streak that included 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points that started on Jan. 19 and which he carried into the postseason, scoring three points in two games in March.

He was also plus-18 to rank second on the Totems in February, and he was the faceoff ace for Seattle, winning 128 of 203 for a 63 percent success rate. He finished his rookie junior season with 64 points in 41 games.

Back home, Morris skated for the California Wave, Empire Hockey Club and Damien High School.

Blengino, an ‘03 from Martinez, racked up three goals and added 12 assists for a 15-point month in his 11 February games, giving him ultimately 84 points in 44 games this season, good for fourth in the USPHL Premier among defensemen.

His two-year total amounts to 100 assists and 141 points in 84 games.

The Vacaville Jets alum led the Monsters in ice time per game at 25:37 during February.

Peterson, an ‘03 Arizona native and Jr. Reign grad, was unbeaten during the month of February, going 4-0 with 200 saves on 207 shots for the month, giving him a .966 save percentage. The second-year T-Bird went 15-5-0-0 with a .924 save percentage. The four-game winning streak was his second of at least that length, as he also went 5-0 between Dec. 9 and Jan. 12.

Bruno, an ‘04 out of Glendora, was on a goal-per-game tear to end the regular season for the USPHL Nationals-bound Cyclones. He put up nine goals in nine games and added 12 assists for 21 points, good for a 2.33 points per game average.

After putting up 68 points in 42 games last year, he came back with 63 points in just 33 games this year, and he also skated up in five Premier games early in the season. Bruno finished the regular season with a 13-game point streak of 15-15-30.

During his youth hockey career, Bruno skated for Empire, Orange County Hockey Club and Los Angeles Jr. Kings.

Jones, a 2004-born native of Los Angeles, played 22 games with the Elite Knights this year, while also getting eight games up with the Premier Knights, with six of those coming in January and February.

During the month of February, the Jr. Kings product put up a 2-3-5 line in six games for the Knights, which helped them ride a 10-game winning streak to the end of the season and seal up that No. 1 seed in the division. In his 22 games, Jones put up 11 points and he added a 1-1-2 line in his eight Premier outings.

(March 10, 2024)