Midwest Division Top 10

One month into the Western States Hockey League season, the Midwest Division has some familiar names atop the scoring leaderboard, and a few newcomers as well. Today we’ll take a look at the Top 10 in the division.

Ivan Bondarenko – Oklahoma City (10-12-22)
Leading the way is a very familiar player to the leaderboard in Ivan Bondarenko. Bondarenko led the Oklahoma City Jr. Blazers in scoring last season, and is right back on top. In six games played, Bondarenko has scored 3-plus points in five of them as he jumps out to a commanding lead.

Alex Hladonik – Dallas (8-11-19)
In his first season in the WSHL, Hladonik rocketed up the leaderboard behind a 7-point game against Wichita. The Slovakian-native has five multi-point games on the season, giving a Dallas team that has struggled with scoring in the past a much-needed boost.

Sterling Cooper – Dallas (8-10-18)
A tenured player with Dallas, Cooper is just one point away from matching his point total in his rookie season. With a career total of 53 WSHL points, Cooper is well on pace to exceed that this season.

Josh Chamberlain – Oklahoma City (9-8-17)
Chamberlain returns to the WSHL this season, having spent 14 games with the Missoula Maulers in the 2015-16 season. In 14 games that year, Chamberlain scored 13 points, a mark which he has already passed. Last season in the NA3HL, Chamberlain was second in scoring with 63 points and has continued his scoring prowess so far.

Kyle Cagnoni – Springfield (7-8-15)
Cagnoni leads the way for the Express as he makes his return to the Midwest Division. Traded last season from Oklahoma City to Superior, Cagnoni’s point totals this season have nearly matched his previous season’s totals.

Chaseton Sare – El Paso (6-9-15)
Sare returns to El Paso this season after leading the way for the Rhinos last season, and is right back on top for El Paso. One of just five players to reach the century mark in points in 2016-17, Sare looks to reach that point for a second year.

Griffin Wiencek – Oklahoma City (4-10-14)
Joining Oklahoma City late last season, Wiencek has already exceeded his 10 points from last season a third of the amount of games. OKC’s top line of Wiencek, Chamberlain, and Bondarenko have established a huge presence in the WSHL.

Stephane Doering – Springfield (6-7-13)
Doering marks the second newcomer to the list, making his way to North America from Germany. Scoring at a half-point a game pace in Germany’s junior league, Doering has made a strong impression so far, this season.

Vegard Faret – Springfield (5-7-12)
Following head coach John Ambrefe from Casper to Springfield, Faret is on a strong pace to match his 35 points from last season in Casper.

Akos Szigeti – Springfield (4-8-12)
Rounding out the top-10 is WSHL rookie Akos Szigeti. A 1999 player, Szigeti is already playing as part of Hungary’s national U-20 team. With a strong start this season, Szigeti will be a name to watch this season.

Story by Eric Rodgers, WSHL Midwest Division correspondent. You can find Eric on Twit