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Schultz, Granlund, McElhinney Named AHL Award Winners for October

Published on November 1, 2012 under American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


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.

In recognition of his achievement, Schultz will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Barons home game.

HOUSTON AEROS CENTER MIKAEL GRANLUND NAMED CCM/AHL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH

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.

In recognition of his achievement, Granlund will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Aeros home game.

SPRINGFIELD FALCONS' CURTIS McELHINNEY NAMED CCM/AHL GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH

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.

In recognition of his achievement, McElhinney will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Falcons home game.

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