NAHL league awards announced: Clarke named defenseman of the year, Goodsir top rookie

By @MichaelCaples –

The North American Hockey League announced its players of the year awards today, and a few Michigan natives were recognized.

Tecumseh native Cameron Clarke was named NAHL defenseman of the year, while Okemos native Adam Goodsir was honored as top rookie.

Clarke, a Ferris State commit, led all NAHL defensemen in scoring with 50 points in 59 games played in 2015-16 for the Lone Star Brahmas. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound defenseman was named league defenseman of the month twice, and he was a selection for the NAHL Selects Team at the 2016 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament. He is a West Michigan Hounds alum.

Goodsir, a Denver commit, helped his Wichita Falls Wildcats to their first-ever NAHL South Division title during the regular season. He racked up 45 points, including a team-high 28 goals, in 59 games played. Goodsir is a Lansing Capitals and Oakland Jr. Grizzlies alum.

Russell honored for academics

Traverse City native Jon Russell was named the 2015 Apex Learning Virtual School Academic Achievement Award winner. The 18-year-old Odessa Jackalopes forward posted a perfect 4.0 GPA in his fall and spring semesters while taking a full class load of AP Statistics, AP Anatomy and AP Physiology and playing in 41 NAHL contests.

He is – fittingly – committed to play for Harvard.

Smith presented with Leadership Award

Brownstown native Alex Smith, captain of the Janesville Jets, was given the 2015-16 Leadership Award by the NAHL.

The comments from the press release paint an impressive picture of the leadership qualities displayed by Smith during his three years of NAHL play:

The Janesville Jets’ success this season, including the late season push to 2nd place in the Midwest Division, would not have happened without the leadership of third-year player and captain Alex Smith. Smith’s position as a leader on this team didn’t come to him overnight. When he arrived in the NAHL in 2013-14, he landed onto a team with solid leadership. He matured quickly and soon became a reason for the locker room’s maturity, not just a benefactor of it. On the ice, Smith, 21, pushes his teammates to give everything they can, no matter their age. He expects professionalism and complete commitment from his veterans as much as his rookies. Smith cuts absolutely zero corners in his life, whether he’s playing a game, in practice, doing schoolwork or performing community service. He is truly a man of routine who believes in complete dedication, and through his leadership, his demand from his teammates for their perseverance has been met. Without a doubt, Alex Smith is a textbook example as a leader and a significant reason the Jets have enjoyed the success they have. Ask anyone for their unbiased opinion of Alex Smith and they’ll tell you the same thing, again and again. His coaches will tell you he’s a vocal leader who demands excellence. His billet family will tell you he steps up and washes dishes every night, even as a veteran in a house with two rookies. Jets front office staff will tell you he’s the first to arrive at every single appearance, and the last to leave. Janesville Youth Hockey coaches will tell you he pours his work ethic into the squirts and pee-wees he works with, and that reason alone is perhaps the single best example of why Smith should be recognized for his leadership. He has passion for the game and believes every player can give 100%.