Nathan Hillis of the Transcona Railer Express could not possibly be playing better hockey.

And make no mistake, his peers in the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League have noticed.

Hillis scored seven goals and finished with 15 points in just eight games in the month of January and was named the MMJHL Player of the Month.

The former member of the MJHL’s Winnipeg Blues was joined on the January honor roll by Goaltender of the Month Dylan Arnold, a teammate of Hillis on the Railer Express; Defenseman of the Month Caleb Resch of the Raiders Junior Hockey Club and Rookie of the Month, Nick Sharpe, also a member of the Raiders.

Arnold was brilliant in January, going 5-0-0 with a 1.00 Goals Against Average and an eye-popping .964 save percentage. He allowed just five goals in five games.

Resch had two goals and 11 points in eight games for the Raiders to win D-man of the Month while Sharpe had seven goals and 10 points in eight games and was Rookie of the Month.

The brilliant play of Hillis and Arnold helped catapult the Railer Express into third place in the MMJHL as the team went 8-0-0 in the month of January and is now 23-11-1 on the season, just nine points back of the first-place Pembina Valley Twisters, the league’s defending champions.

Transcona plays at home again on Sunday against the St. Boniface Riels.

Scott Taylor

Covered his first junior hockey game for the Sarnia Observer in 1968. Covered his first Jets game for the Winnipeg Free Press in 1980. Still thinks hockey is the bees knees.