Release from 04.03.2024

Marcel Mahkovec is Young Star of the Month February

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Marcel Mahkovec has won the voting for the "Young Star of the Month February" among fans and TV experts. The 20-year-old forward of the HK SZ Olimpija is thus the fifth and final player to qualify for the season poll. With thirtheen points, the Slovenian was just one point ahead of Luca Erne of the BEMER Pioneers Vorarlberg.

Finally, the big season poll will take place in March. This will determine the "Young Star of the 2023/24 season" from among all the monthly winners. In addition to Mahkovec, Senna Peeters (HCI), Lucas Thaler (RBS), Finn van Ee (KAC) and Mathias Böhm (VIC) have qualified for the season poll.

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Marcel Mahkovec played his first season with the HK SZ Olimpija and impressed right away. In 48 Regular Season appearances, the 20-year-old forward scored 19 points (8G | 11A). In six Regular Season games in February, Mahkovec was directly involved in five goals (1G | 4A). The left-handed shooter was also one of Ljubljana's defining players in the Pre-Playoffs. In the 6:2 home win against the HC Pustertal he scored two goals and prepared another goal. Mahkovec also scored in the narrow 3:4/OT defeat in game three, which also meant the end of the season. Despite the narrow season end, Mahkovec can now celebrate the title "Young Star of the Month February". With thirteen points, the Slovenian international was just one point ahead of Luca Erne of the BEMER Pioneers Vorarlberg. Third place went to Tobias Sablattnig of the EC-KAC with nine points.

Marcel Mahkovec: "I'm truly happy to have won this award. It wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering support of my teammates and coaches, who placed their trust in me throughout the year, and for that, I am sincerely grateful to each of them. A massive thank you to all the fans who took the time to vote for me. While it was a solid season for the team, falling short of making it to the playoffs was undeniably disappointing. Looking ahead, I am committed to continuously enhancing my skills to contribute to the team's progress and strive for victory in as many games as we can."

Final result of the voting Young Star of the month February:
1. Marcel Mahkovec (HKO) 13 points
2. Luca Erne (PIV) 12 points
3. Tobias Sablattnig (KAC) 9 points
4. Luca Auer (RBS) 6 points

Fan voting:
1. Tobias Sablattnig (KAC) 4 points
2. Luca Erne (PIV) 3 points
3. Marcel Mahkovec (HKO) 2 points
4. Luca Auer (RBS) 1 point

Voting PULS-24 experts:
1. Marcel Mahkovec (HKO) 4 points
2. Luca Erne (PIV) 3 points
3. Luca Auer (RBS) 2 points
4. Tobias Sablattnig (KAC) 1 point

Voting VB33 experts:
1. Luca Erne (PIV) 4 points
2. Marcel Mahkovec (HKO) 3 points
3. Luca Auer (RBS) 2 points
4. Tobias Sablattnig (KAC) 1 point

Voting Sport TV & SLO TV experts:
1. Marcel Mahkovec (HKO) 4 points
2. Tobias Sablattnig (KAC) 3 points
3. Luca Erne (PIV) 2 points
4. Luca Auer (RBS) 1 point

Voting procedure
First, five monthly winners are determined. Four players per month are nominated to take part in the voting. Due to only a few match days in September 2023, the first two months have been combined into one election. The five monthly winners will then compete for the title "Young Star of the 2023/24 season" at the start of the playoffs.

The election consists of two components: in addition to the fan voting on the league website, the TV experts from Austria, Italy and Slovenia also vote. If two or more players receive the same number of votes, they will be ranked according to the result of the fan vote.

Monthly winner Young Star election 23/24:
Senna Peeters (HCI) | September/October
Lucas Thaler (RBS) | November
Finn van Ee (KAC) | December
Mathias Böhm (VIC) | January
Marcel Mahkovec (HKO) | February