Leja and the Wolves went through an up and down month of October with a pair of big wins early on, a tough stretch in the middle, and then a great finish. The '99 native of Riga, Latvia finished the month with 4 goals and 11 assists in 10 games for the Wolves, and those totals include the game-winner against the Philadelphia Revolution (10/1) and the shootout winner against the Vermont Lumberjacks (10/27). For the season, Leja now has 27 points through his first 15 games, and his 21 assists puts him in a tie for the league-lead in that category.

If the playoffs started today, the Wolves would be just 2 points out of the 6th and final playoff spot in the New England Conference. To show you just how tight the race already is, while the Wolves are 2 points out of the 6th seed, they are also just 5 points out of the 4th seed. The month ahead features 7 more games on the Wolves' schedule, 4 of which will take place in the friendly home confines of Merrill Fay Arena.

After losing their first game of the month, Harding and the Avalanche then ripped through their remaining 9 contests in October. New Hampshire's 9-game winning streak is tied with the New Jersey 87's for the longest active stretch of its kind in the league. As for Harding, the '98 native of Wilmington, NC was held of the scoresheet in that first game of the month, and then went on to tally 13 points (3 goals, 10 assists) throughout the rest of October. For the season, Harding ranks tied for 3rd in the league in defensive scoring.

When the Avalanche lost on October 1st to the Boston Jr. Rangers, their record fell to 2-2-0. Since then, it has improved all the way up to 11-2-0, and their 22 total points is good for the top spot in the New England Conference standings. The month ahead features 8 more games for the Avalanche, as they look to maintain their grip on the top position in their conference.

While Harding held things down on the blue line, Pickett stood tall between the pipes for the Avalanche. The '99 native of Auburn, MA won all 4 of his October starts, improving his record up to 5-0-0 for the season. For the year, Pickett now owns a 1.57 GAA, a .952 save percentage, and 1 shutout. The Avalanche have a similar make-up and feel to their 2017-18 championship team, and with Pickett paired alongside Andrew LoRusso and Kyle Konin, New Hampshire appears to be very strong in net.

Looking forward, Pickett and the Avalanche have 15 games remaining until the holiday break in December. During that stretch, the Avalanche have some tough conference matchups lined up against the Boston Jr. Rangers, Seahawks Hockey Club, and East Coast Wizards, and they also take on the Philadelphia Little Flyers at the December Showcase. In the first meeting the Little Flyers, Pickett made 35 saves and was the better goalie in the shootout, as New Hampshire won arguably the best EHL game of the year by the final score of 4-3.