2012-13 AHL Players of the Month

[chilly666]

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Oklahoma City Barons defenseman Justin Schultz has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Month for October.

Making his professional debut, Schultz found the scoresheet in each of his seven games played during October, totaling six goals and six assists for a league-leading 12 points for the Barons.

After notching an assist in his first game on Oct. 12 at Lake Erie, Schultz scored the game-winning goal in Oklahoma City’s 3-2 victory over the Monsters the next day. In his next outing, a 5-2 win over San Antonio on Oct. 19, Schultz scored two shorthanded goals, assisted on the game-winner and notched a plus-5 rating, earning first-star honors for the game. Schultz finished the month with three consecutive two-point performances, dishing out two assists each on Oct. 23 vs. Lake Erie and Oct. 26 vs. Houston and then scoring a pair of power-play goals in a 4-2 win over Texas on Oct. 28.

Schultz, 22, signed as a free agent with the Edmonton Oilers on July 1, 2012, after three seasons at the University of Wisconsin. The native of West Kelowna, B.C., was twice named the WCHA’s Defensive Player of the Year and was one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award in both 2010-11 and 2011-12.



SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Houston Aeros center Mikael Granlund has been selected as the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for October.

Granlund tallied three goals and seven assists for 10 points, along with a plus-5 rating, in seven games for Houston last month.

After being held scoreless in his AHL debut on Oct. 13, Granlund strung together a six-game scoring streak, beginning with an assist on Oct. 14 at San Antonio for his first career point. He recorded another assist on Oct. 19 vs. Texas, then erupted for a four-point night with two goals and two assists in a 5-3 win at Texas on Oct. 20. Granlund scored a power-play goal and registered a game-high six shots in a 6-4 win at Oklahoma City on Oct. 26, and finished the month with two assists in the Aeros’ 4-0 win over Milwaukee on Oct. 27.

A first-round draft pick (ninth overall) by the Minnesota Wild in 2010, the 20-year-old Granlund spent the last three seasons with HIFK Helsinki in Finland’s SM-liiga and helped the club win the league championship in 2011. Granlund also won a gold medal with Finland at the 2011 World Championships, and earned a spot on the tournament all-star team at the 2012 World Junior Championships.



SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Curtis McElhinney of the Springfield Falcons has been selected as the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for October.

In six appearances during the month, McElhinney went 5-1-0 with a 1.51 goals-against average, a .949 save percentage and two shutouts, helping the Falcons to the best record in the Eastern Conference.

McElhinney made his Falcons debut on Oct. 13 and stopped 23 shots in a 4-2 win over St. John’s, then made 31 saves to shut out Adirondack, 4-0, on Oct. 14. Behind McElhinney’s 29-save effort on Oct. 19 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Springfield began a season with three straight wins for the first time in club history, and the netminder avenged an earlier loss to Providence by stopping all 33 Bruins shots in a 3-0 victory on Oct. 26. McElhinney finished off the month with 26 saves in a 3-2 win over Portland on Oct. 28.

Allowing two goals or fewer in five of his six starts, McElhinney stopped 169 of 178 shots in October.

Now in his eighth professional season, McElhinney was acquired by Columbus from Phoenix on Feb. 22, 2012. He has a record of 79-63-5 with 15 shutouts in 162 career AHL games, and he was a Second Team AHL All-Star in 2006-07. The native of London, Ont., has appeared in 69 NHL games with Calgary, Anaheim, Ottawa and Phoenix.

[chilly666]

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Oklahoma City Barons right wing Jordan Eberle has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Month for November.

Eberle led all AHL skaters during the month with 10 goals, 21 points and a plus-13 rating in 13 contests, including seven multiple-point games. The Barons were 6-1-1-1 during November when Eberle found the scoresheet.

Eberle scored twice, including the game-winner, in Oklahoma City’s 4-3 victory over Houston on Nov. 2, and followed that up with two goals and an assist in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Aeros on Nov. 3. He tied a Barons franchise record with four assists, including three in the final 3:16 of regulation, as Oklahoma City rallied for a point in a 6-5 overtime loss to Toronto on Nov. 13. Eberle then had 10 points in a four-game span beginning Nov. 17, including back-to-back two-goal efforts at Charlotte on Nov. 24-25.

Eberle, 22, ranks second in the AHL in scoring with 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 20 games for the Barons this season. A first-round draft choice (22nd overall) by Edmonton in 2008, Eberle recorded 34 goals and 42 assists for 76 points in 78 games for the Oilers in 2011-12, and has totaled 119 points (52 goals, 67 assists) in 147 career NHL games. The native of Regina, Sask., made his professional debut with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons in 2009 and shows 21 goals and 29 assists for 50 points in 40 career AHL games with Springfield and Oklahoma City.



SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Oklahoma City Barons defenseman Justin Schultz has been selected as the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for November.

Schultz tallied five goals and 14 assists for 19 points along with a plus-10 rating in 13 games last month, keeping his spot atop the AHL’s scoring leaderboard.

Schultz began the month with three assists in two games vs. Houston on Nov. 2-3, extending his scoring streak to nine games. After being held without a point in back-to-back games, Schultz began another streak with the game-winning goal at Abbotsford on Nov. 10. He recorded two assists in the Barons’ 2-1 overtime win vs. Milwaukee on Nov. 16, and matched a season high with three points (one goal, two assists) in a 7-2 victory at Charlotte on Nov. 25. Schultz finished the month with his second nine-game scoring streak of the season intact.

The 22-year-old Schultz signed as a free agent with Edmonton on July 1, 2012, after three seasons at the University of Wisconsin. He leads the entire AHL in assists (20) and points (31) and is tied for second in the league in plus/minus rating (+14) in 20 games for Oklahoma City so far this season. The native of West Kelowna, B.C., was twice named the WCHA’s Defensive Player of the Year and was one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award in both 2010-11 and 2011-12.



SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Jeff Zatkoff of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins has been selected as the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for November.

In nine appearances during the month, Zatkoff went 8-1-0 with a 1.21 goals-against average, a .955 save percentage and three shutouts to help the Penguins climb back into the thick of the race in the Eastern Conference.

Zatkoff allowed a total of 11 goals on 244 shots over the month, which began on Nov. 2 with a 33-save shutout in his return to Manchester, where he had played the previous three seasons. Zatkoff then made 37 saves, his personal season high, as the Penguins defeated Bridgeport, 5-3, on Nov. 4, and came back with a 1-0 shootout win vs. Binghamton on Nov. 7, stopping all 32 shots in regulation and overtime plus six of eight shootout attempts. After stopping 18 of 20 shots in his only loss of the month, Nov. 9 vs. Hershey, Zatkoff won his final five starts in November, including a shutout in Hershey on Nov. 21 and a 31-save effort vs. Toronto on Nov. 24.

A fifth-year pro out of Miami University (Ohio), Zatkoff ranks second in the AHL in wins (10-5-0), fourth in goals-against average (1.81) and sixth in save percentage (.930) in 15 appearances for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season. The 25-year-old Zatkoff was a third-round draft by Los Angeles in 2006 and has a record of 62-50-6 with 11 shutouts in 129 career AHL games. Zatkoff, who participated in the 2012 AHL All-Star Classic last season, signed as a free agent with Pittsburgh on July 1, 2012.

[chilly666]

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Oklahoma City Barons right wing Jordan Eberle has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Month for December.

Eberle, who also won the award in November, led all AHL skaters in scoring for the second consecutive month, posting 11 goals and nine assists for 20 points in 11 games, including two hat tricks and six multiple-point games.

Eberle opened the month with five points in his first four games, then matched that total on one night when he recorded four goals and an assist in Oklahoma City’s 5-3 decision over San Antonio on Dec. 15. He had a goal and an assist to help the Barons to a 5-4 win at Texas on Dec. 27, and then assisted on the game-tying goal before scoring the decisive shootout tally in a 3-2 victory over San Antonio on Dec. 28. Eberle finished the month with another hat trick – scoring two goals in nine seconds and three in 2:43 – as part of a four-point night in a 5-2 win over Texas on Dec. 31.

After extending his scoring streak to five games with another two-point effort on New Year’s Day, the 22-year-old Eberle leads the AHL with 24 goals and 49 points in 32 games for the Barons this season. A first-round draft choice (22nd overall) by Edmonton in 2008, Eberle recorded 34 goals and 42 assists for 76 points in 78 games for the Oilers in 2011-12, and has totaled 119 points (52 goals, 67 assists) in 147 career NHL games. The native of Regina, Sask., made his professional debut with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons as an 18-year-old in 2009 and now has 33 goals and 39 assists for 72 points in 52 career AHL games with Springfield and Oklahoma City.



SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Texas Stars left wing Reilly Smith has been selected as the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for December.

Smith tallied eight goals and six assists for 14 points in 14 games for the Stars last month.

After a slow start to his rookie season, Smith averaged a point per game during December. On Dec. 2, Smith had a goal and an assist in a 4-3 shootout win at Peoria, the first of his five multiple-point efforts on the month. He came back with his first career two-goal game in a 4-1 win over Peoria on Dec. 8, and had a goal and an assist to help Texas to a 3-1 victory at Abbotsford on Dec. 14. Smith put together a six-game scoring streak from Dec. 19-29 that included consecutive game-winning goals on Dec. 19 vs. San Antonio and Dec. 21 at Oklahoma City, and scoring the Stars’ only two goals in a loss to the Barons on Dec. 22.

The 21-year-old Smith was a third-round draft choice by Dallas in 2009, and made his professional debut appearing in three National Hockey League games with the parent Stars at the end of the 2011-12 season. In 32 games with Texas this year, Smith has 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points, including 10-7-17 in his last 17 outings. The Toronto native played three seasons at Miami University (Ohio) and was a Hobey Baker Award finalist last season.



SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Braden Holtby of the Hershey Bears has been selected as the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for December.

In 10 appearances during the month, Holtby posted a 1.69 goals-against average, a .943 save percentage and three shutouts for the Bears.

Holtby allowed one goal or fewer in six of his 10 starts in December (5-4-1), including a 26-save effort in Hershey’s 2-1 win over Norfolk at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 6. He led the Bears to a sweep of their visit to St. John’s on Dec. 11-12, stopping 62 of 63 shots combined in the back-to-back wins. Holtby shut out Norfolk on Dec. 19, making 35 saves in a 4-0 victory, and after turning aside 29 shots in a 1-0 loss to Springfield on Dec. 22, he posted his third shutout in a five-game span by registering 33 saves in a 2-0 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Dec. 26.

Holtby (12-10-1) ranks sixth in the AHL with a 2.15 GAA, third with a .932 save percentage and tied for second with four shutouts in 23 games for Hershey in 2012-13. The 23-year-old native of Lloydminster, Sask., has appeared in 130 career AHL games and owns a record of 73-43-7 with 14 shutouts, and was a member of the Bears’ Calder Cup championship team in 2010. A fourth-round draft choice by Washington in 2008, Holtby is also 14-4-3 in 21 career regular-season games in the National Hockey League, and helped the Capitals to within one win of the conference finals in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

[chilly666]

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Oklahoma City Barons right wing Jordan Eberle has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Month for December.

Eberle, who also won the award in November, led all AHL skaters in scoring for the second consecutive month, posting 11 goals and nine assists for 20 points in 11 games, including two hat tricks and six multiple-point games.

Eberle opened the month with five points in his first four games, then matched that total on one night when he recorded four goals and an assist in Oklahoma City’s 5-3 decision over San Antonio on Dec. 15. He had a goal and an assist to help the Barons to a 5-4 win at Texas on Dec. 27, and then assisted on the game-tying goal before scoring the decisive shootout tally in a 3-2 victory over San Antonio on Dec. 28. Eberle finished the month with another hat trick – scoring two goals in nine seconds and three in 2:43 – as part of a four-point night in a 5-2 win over Texas on Dec. 31.

After extending his scoring streak to five games with another two-point effort on New Year’s Day, the 22-year-old Eberle leads the AHL with 24 goals and 49 points in 32 games for the Barons this season. A first-round draft choice (22nd overall) by Edmonton in 2008, Eberle recorded 34 goals and 42 assists for 76 points in 78 games for the Oilers in 2011-12, and has totaled 119 points (52 goals, 67 assists) in 147 career NHL games. The native of Regina, Sask., made his professional debut with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons as an 18-year-old in 2009 and now has 33 goals and 39 assists for 72 points in 52 career AHL games with Springfield and Oklahoma City.



SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Texas Stars left wing Reilly Smith has been selected as the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for December.

Smith tallied eight goals and six assists for 14 points in 14 games for the Stars last month.

After a slow start to his rookie season, Smith averaged a point per game during December. On Dec. 2, Smith had a goal and an assist in a 4-3 shootout win at Peoria, the first of his five multiple-point efforts on the month. He came back with his first career two-goal game in a 4-1 win over Peoria on Dec. 8, and had a goal and an assist to help Texas to a 3-1 victory at Abbotsford on Dec. 14. Smith put together a six-game scoring streak from Dec. 19-29 that included consecutive game-winning goals on Dec. 19 vs. San Antonio and Dec. 21 at Oklahoma City, and scoring the Stars’ only two goals in a loss to the Barons on Dec. 22.

The 21-year-old Smith was a third-round draft choice by Dallas in 2009, and made his professional debut appearing in three National Hockey League games with the parent Stars at the end of the 2011-12 season. In 32 games with Texas this year, Smith has 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points, including 10-7-17 in his last 17 outings. The Toronto native played three seasons at Miami University (Ohio) and was a Hobey Baker Award finalist last season.



SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Braden Holtby of the Hershey Bears has been selected as the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for December.

In 10 appearances during the month, Holtby posted a 1.69 goals-against average, a .943 save percentage and three shutouts for the Bears.

Holtby allowed one goal or fewer in six of his 10 starts in December (5-4-1), including a 26-save effort in Hershey’s 2-1 win over Norfolk at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 6. He led the Bears to a sweep of their visit to St. John’s on Dec. 11-12, stopping 62 of 63 shots combined in the back-to-back wins. Holtby shut out Norfolk on Dec. 19, making 35 saves in a 4-0 victory, and after turning aside 29 shots in a 1-0 loss to Springfield on Dec. 22, he posted his third shutout in a five-game span by registering 33 saves in a 2-0 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Dec. 26.

Holtby (12-10-1) ranks sixth in the AHL with a 2.15 GAA, third with a .932 save percentage and tied for second with four shutouts in 23 games for Hershey in 2012-13. The 23-year-old native of Lloydminster, Sask., has appeared in 130 career AHL games and owns a record of 73-43-7 with 14 shutouts, and was a member of the Bears’ Calder Cup championship team in 2010. A fourth-round draft choice by Washington in 2008, Holtby is also 14-4-3 in 21 career regular-season games in the National Hockey League, and helped the Capitals to within one win of the conference finals in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

[chilly666]

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Springfield Falcons left wing Jonathan Audy-Marchessault has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Month for January.

In 12 games, Audy-Marchessault tallied eight goals and nine assists for 17 points as the Falcons opened up a 12-point lead atop the Northeast Division.

Audy-Marchessault began the month by notching a goal and an assist in a 5-4 win over Bridgeport on Jan. 4. He then scored twice and added an assist to match a career high with three points in a 4-1 win at Providence on Jan. 6. That effort began a seven-game scoring streak for Audy-Marchessault, totaling 14 points during the run that included another three-point outing (2g, 1a) vs. Providence on Jan. 12 and his first career hat trick in a 7-5 win at Manchester on Jan. 15.

A second-year pro from Quebec City, Que., Audy-Marchessault capped the month by appearing in his second consecutive AHL All-Star Classic and then making his National Hockey League debut with Columbus on Jan. 31.

The 22-year-old Audy-Marchessault ranks third in the AHL in scoring with 45 points (16 goals, 29 assists) and is tied for the team lead with a plus-15 rating in 42 games for Springfield this season after signing with the Blue Jackets on July 1, 2012. Last season, Audy-Marchessault finished third among all AHL rookies with 64 points (24 goals, 40 assists) while appearing in all 76 games for Connecticut.



SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Texas Stars defenseman Jamie Oleksiak has been selected as the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for January.

Oleksiak tallied one goal and nine assists for 10 points along with a plus-11 rating in 11 games last month to help the Stars rise to the top of the Western Conference standings.

Oleksiak scored a goal in a 5-2 win vs. Peoria on Jan. 5, and then tallied an assist each in consecutive victories over Houston on Jan. 6 and Jan. 11. After drawing an assist on the winning goal at Oklahoma City on Jan. 13, Oleksiak set a personal best with three helpers in the Stars’ 6-4 win at Chicago on Jan. 18, and assisted on the game-winner again as part of a two-point day at Rockford on Jan. 21.

Oleksiak represented Texas at the 2013 Dunkin’ Donuts AHL All-Star Classic in Providence on Jan. 27-28, and earned his first career recall to the National Hockey League on Jan. 30.

A first-round choice (14th overall) by Dallas in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Oleksiak has recorded three goals and a team-leading 20 assists for 23 points, along with a plus-12 rating, in 43 games for Texas this season. The 20-year-old Toronto native split last season between Saginaw and Niagara of the Ontario Hockey League, totaling 12 goals and 20 assists in 59 games.



SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Brad Thiessen of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins has been selected as the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for January.

In seven appearances during the month, Thiessen was 5-2-0 with a 1.36 goals-against average, a .940 save percentage and three shutouts for the Penguins.

Coming off a winless December (0-4-1), Thiessen allowed two goals or fewer in six of his seven starts in January, beginning the month with a 30-save blanking of Worcester on Jan. 5, his first shutout since Nov. 4, 2011. Following a 2-0 loss to Connecticut on Jan. 6, Thiessen earned another shutout, this time with 23 saves in a 1-0 decision over Hershey on Jan. 11. He was on the winning end of a 2-1 decision vs. Adirondack on Jan. 12 and a 4-2 win at Norfolk on Jan. 15, and he posted his third shutout of the month with 26 saves in a 3-0 triumph over St. John’s on Jan. 23.

A 26-year-old native of Aldergrove, B.C., Thiessen has made 18 appearances for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, going 8-8-1 with a 2.62 goals-against average, a .903 save percentage and three shutouts. A fourth-year pro out of Northeastern University, Thiessen has a career record of 80-45-5 with 16 shutouts in 135 games with the Penguins, and was the winner of the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding goaltender in 2010-11. Thiessen made his National Hockey League debut with Pittsburgh last season, going 3-1-0 in five appearances.

[chilly666]

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Syracuse Crunch right wing Brett Connolly has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Month for February.

Connolly played 13 games for the Crunch last month and found the scoresheet in 12 of them, totaling seven goals, eight assists, 15 points and a plus-6 rating to help Syracuse reclaim first place in the East Division.

Connolly began the month with a nine-game scoring streak, including a two-goal effort in the Crunch’s 4-2 win over Adirondack on Feb. 8. He recorded a goal and an assist in a 7-1 win at Binghamton on Feb. 15 and again in a 5-3 decision at Albany on Feb. 18, and assisted on the game-winning goals in each of Syracuse’s last three games – Feb. 23 vs. Springfield, Feb. 24 vs. Connecticut and Feb. 26 at Rochester – as the Crunch finished the month on an eight-game winning streak.

Connolly, a 20-year-old native of Campbell River, B.C., was a first-round draft pick (sixth overall) by Tampa Bay in 2010. He is currently tied for fourth in the AHL in scoring with 49 points (22 goals, 27 assists) in 53 games for Syracuse this season, his second professional campaign. As a rookie in 2011-12, Connolly skated in 68 NHL games with the Lightning, registering four goals and 11 assists. The Canadian Hockey League’s rookie of the year in 2008-09, Connolly won medals with Canada at the World Junior Championships in 2011 (silver) and 2012 (bronze).



SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Providence Bruins defenseman Torey Krug has been selected as the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for February.

Krug tallied four goals and eight assists for 12 points in 11 games to help the Bruins remain in the hunt for the Atlantic Division title.

Krug began the month by scoring the game-winning goal and adding an assist in a 5-1 victory over Albany on Feb. 1. He set up the game-winner in a 2-0 win at Worcester the next night, and scored the decisive goal again as part of a two-point effort in a 3-2 decision vs. Manchester on Feb. 10. Krug notched two assists on Feb. 12 at Manchester before converting in the eighth shootout round to give the Bruins a 5-4 win, and scored a goal on Feb. 16 at Bridgeport to extend his scoring streak to 10 games, tied for the longest by an AHL rookie this season.

Krug now has 26 points in 44 games with Providence this season and ranks second among all AHL rookie defensemen with nine goals. The 21-year-old native of Livonia, Mich., played three seasons at Michigan State University and was the Central Collegiate Hockey Association’s player of the year in 2011-12. He signed as a free agent with Boston on Mar. 25, 2012, and made his NHL debut with the Bruins late last season, registering one assist in two games.



SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Magnus Hellberg of the Milwaukee Admirals has been selected as the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for February.

In eight appearances during the month, Hellberg was 6-1-0 with a 1.36 goals-against average, a .950 save percentage and two shutouts for the Admirals.

Entering February on a personal six-game losing streak, Hellberg was perfect (six saves) in one period of relief work vs. Chicago on Feb. 1, and then got back in the win column on Feb. 10 with a 30-save effort in a 1-0 shutout win over Peoria. He made 29 stops and was named the game’s first star in a 2-1 win over Abbotsford on Feb. 12, and later picked up his sixth consecutive victory with 25 saves in a 2-0 win at Hamilton on Feb. 24.

Hellberg, 21, was a second-round choice (38th overall) by the Nashville Predators in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. The native of Uppsala, Sweden, is in his first season of play in North America and owns a record of 10-7-0 with a 2.40 goals-against average, a .919 save percentage and two shutouts in 20 games with the Admirals.

[chilly666]

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that St. John’s IceCaps center Aaron Gagnon has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Month for March.

Gagnon, who returned to the St. John’s lineup on Feb. 10 after missing six weeks due to injury, hit his stride in March, recording a point in all 11 games he played for the IceCaps – totaling nine goals and nine assists.

After recording single points in each of his first three games on the month, Gagnon recorded his first two-goal game of the season in a 4-2 loss to Syracuse on Mar. 9. He had a goal and an assist in a 5-0 win over Hamilton on Mar. 15, and tied a career high with three assists in a 4-3 victory at Manchester on Mar. 24. Gagnon scored twice, including his third game-winning goal of the month, to help the IceCaps past Albany, 4-2, on Mar. 27, and finished the month with a goal and an assist in a come-from-behind 5-4 overtime win at Worcester on Mar. 30.

Gagnon has compiled 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points in 43 games for St. John’s this season, including 23 points in 18 contests since returning from injury on Feb. 10. His current 12-game scoring streak (10-9-19) is tied for the longest in the AHL this year. Originally drafted by Phoenix in 2004, the 26-year-old native of Quesnel, B.C., has tallied 74 goals and 98 assists for 172 points in 328 career AHL games during his six professional seasons, and reached the Calder Cup Finals with Texas in 2010. He also has two assists in 28 career NHL outings with Dallas and Winnipeg.



SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Providence Bruins goaltender Niklas Svedberg has been selected as the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for March.

Svedberg went 7-1-0 in eight starts during March, recording a 1.95 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage to bring the Bruins to the brink of a Calder Cup Playoff berth.

Svedberg began the month by stopping 18 of 19 shots in a 3-1 victory over Worcester on Mar. 1. He made 29 saves to backstop a 7-1 win over Portland on Mar. 3, and set a personal season-best with 45 stops before stopping six of seven shootout attempts to help the Bruins past the Sharks, 4-3, on Mar. 9. Svedberg helped Providence to a home-and-home sweep of Springfield, winning 3-2 in a shootout on Mar. 15 and 5-2 in regulation on Mar. 16, and earned his seventh win in a row with 26 saves (plus a 7-for-8 shootout showing) at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Mar. 29, improving to 20-1-1 in his previous 22 decisions.

For the month, Svedberg allowed 16 goals on 239 shots in regulation and overtime play, and denied 18 of 20 chances over three shootouts.

In 43 appearances for Providence this season, Svedberg has a record of 32-8-2 and ranks second in the league in wins, eighth in goals-against average (2.26) and seventh in save percentage (.922). The 23-year-old native of Sollentuna, Sweden, who represented the host Bruins at the 2013 Dunkin’ Donuts AHL All-Star Classic in Providence, signed as a free agent with Boston on May 29, 2012, after winning the Swedish Elitserien championship with Brynas IF in 2011-12.



SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that David Leggio of the Rochester Americans has been selected as the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for March.

Leggio went 9-4-0 with a 1.86 goals-against average, a .946 save percentage and two shutouts, allowing two goals or fewer in 11 of his 13 appearances during the month.

Leggio began March by snapping a personal four-game losing streak with a 35-save outing in a 2-1 overtime win at Syracuse on Mar. 2. He made 38 stops in defeating Lake Erie, 4-2, on Mar. 3, and his 44 saves in a 5-0 win over Abbotsford on Mar. 8 were the most in a shutout by any AHL goaltender this season. Leggio won his fifth straight game in a 3-1 decision over Binghamton on Mar. 13, and made at least 36 saves in four consecutive starts from Mar. 22-29, including a 38-save shutout of Syracuse on Mar. 27.

Leggio, who has appeared in 36 of Rochester’s 40 games since Christmas, leads the AHL in wins (35), minutes played (3,433), shots faced (1,910) and saves (1,765) while posting a record of 35-21-1 with a 2.53 GAA, a .924 save percentage (fifth in the AHL) and four shutouts. The fifth-year pro from Buffalo, N.Y., is 85-59-3 with nine shutouts in 149 career AHL appearances. He signed as a free agent with his hometown Sabres on Nov. 12, 2010.