NCDC Performance Player of the Week: Rakhymbek Rakhymzhan – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights
Goaltender Rakhymzhan’s Three-Win Weekend Earns $1,000 NCDC Performance Player of the Week Award
WBS Knights goaltender Rakhymbek Rakhymzhan (3 GP, 3-0-0, .942 SV%, 1.33 GAA) has been named the NCDC Performance Player of the Week for Sept. 25–27, earning $1,000 through the USPHL’s Performance Pays initiative.
Selected by the league’s media voting panel, Rakhymzhan recorded three victories during opening weekend, stopping 65 of 69 shots as the Knights defeated the Connecticut Jr. Rangers, West Chester Wolves and Utica Jr. Comets.
For Knights head coach Andy Scott, the performance also answered an important question following a late-summer change in the team’s goaltending plans.
“With the loss of our projected starter Jimmy Mologousis to UNLV late in the summer, our goaltending was a bit of an unknown quantity,” Scott said. “We traded for ‘Rocky’ mid-way through training camp. He showed a lot of poise in relief against CJR, which allowed us the opportunity to mount a comeback. He carried that momentum into the next two games, playing particularly well in both first periods when the opposition dominated us. This recognition was well-earned.”
Rakhymzhan’s weekend began with a relief appearance in Friday’s 7–6 overtime victory against Connecticut. He stopped seven of eight shots in the third period, helping the Knights complete a comeback before Carter Morrison scored the overtime winner.
On Saturday, Rakhymzhan turned aside 27 of 29 shots in a 4–2 victory over West Chester. After allowing two first-period goals, he stopped all 18 shots he faced over the final two periods, giving WBS the opportunity to rally for its second consecutive win.
He finished the weekend with his strongest statistical performance, making 31 saves on 32 shots in Sunday’s 3–1 victory against Utica. Rakhymzhan stopped all 12 first-period shots and all seven in the third, allowing only a second-period power-play goal as the Knights completed their three-win weekend.
Across his two starts against West Chester and Utica, Rakhymzhan stopped 58 of 61 shots. Combined with his winning relief appearance Friday, those performances earned him the league-wide weekly honor.
The Performance Player of the Week award recognizes one NCDC player each week, regardless of position or conference, through a vote by the league’s media panel. It is separate from the League Office’s Stars of the Week selections, which recognize a forward, defenseman and goaltender from each conference and do not include a cash award.
Performance Pays continues in 2026–27, with the NCDC program providing $1,000 weekly awards over 25 weeks. The initiative also rewards championship success, season award recipients and standout postseason performers.
Learn more about Performance Pays.