The NCDC has announced its players of the month for January, with a pair from Colorado earning Mountain Division honors.

Anderson Sandquist from the Rock Springs Miners is Defenseman of the Month, while Utah Outliers rookie forward Zachary Palik is Rookie of the Month.

Sandquist delivered a strong two-way month from the blue line, recording three goals and five assists for eight points across 11 January games. He opened the month with a one-goal, two-assist performance on Jan. 2 and added another multi-point effort on Jan. 16. Sandquist also contributed a key goal on Jan. 23 and logged steady minutes throughout a busy schedule.

Back home in Colorado, the Evergreen native played for the Colorado Thunderbirds and Rocky Mountain RoughRiders.

Palik turned in an impressive January, posting eight goals and three assists for 11 points in 10 games. The Arvada native broke out early with a hat trick on Jan. 9 and added another multi-goal game on Jan. 17, finishing the month with points in six contests. Palik consistently generated offense and emerged as one of his team’s most reliable scoring options throughout January.

During his youth hockey days, Palik played for the Arvada Hockey Club, Littleton Hawks, Ralston Valley High School and the RoughRiders.

— NCDC Staff

(February 5, 2026)