Sports stats



AHL Cleveland Monsters

Blue Jackets Recall Hannikainen, Assign Forsberg to Monsters

January 12, 2017 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Cleveland Monsters News Release


CLEVELAND - The AHL's defending Calder Cup Champions, the Cleveland Monsters, proudly powered by Constellation, announced Thursday that second-year left wing Markus Hannikainen was recalled by the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets for the sixth time this season, while fourth-year goaltender Anton Forsberg was assigned to Cleveland.

A 6'1" 189 lb. left-handed native of Helsinki, Finland, Hannikainen, 23, currently ranks second on the Monsters' roster with nine goals this season, and has to his credit a total of 14 points, eight penalty minutes and a +4 rating in 24 appearances. In five appearances for the Blue Jackets this season, Hannikainen posted 0-0-0 with a -1 rating.

An undrafted player signed by Columbus as a free agent on April 20, 2015, Hannikainen has a -3 rating to his credit in nine career NHL games played for the Blue Jackets spanning the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons and in 74 career AHL appearances, all for the Monsters, spanning the last two seasons, Hannikainen supplied 16-18-34 with 28 penalty minutes and a +10 rating. Named one of Cleveland's four assistant captains prior to the 2016-17 campaign, Hannikainen contributed 3-7-10 with two penalty minutes and a +12 rating in 16 Calder Cup Playoff appearances for the Monsters last year, en route to the AHL title.

A 6'2" 191 lb. native of Härnösand, Sweden, Forsberg, 24, posted a 12-6-1 record in a team-high 21 appearances for the Monsters this season with one shutout, a 2.16 goals-against average (GAA) and a .930 save percentage (S%) to his credit. In one appearance for the Blue Jackets this season, Forsberg posted a 0-1-0 record with a 4.07 GAA and .852 S%, with those numbers stemming from a 23-save showing in a 5-3 road loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. In ten career NHL appearances for the Blue Jackets spanning each of the past three seasons, Forsberg supplied a 1-8-0 record with a 4.02 GAA and a .879 S%.

In 96 career AHL games played for the Monsters and Springfield Falcons spanning each of the past four seasons, Forsberg contributed a 58-24-7 record with six shutouts, a 2.17 GAA and a .923 S% and was named to the 2014-15 AHL All-Star Team. A seventh-round selection by Columbus (188th overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Forsberg delivered a 9-0 record in ten appearances for the then 'Lake Erie' Monsters in the 2016 AHL postseason, notching two shutouts, a 1.34 GAA and a .949 S%, helping the Monsters claim their first Calder Cup Championship in franchise history.

Tickets for every Monsters home game start at just $10 and are on sale now! Full and partial season ticket memberships are also available and provide you with the best seat locations, custom member benefits and the lowest ticket prices. Group outing and birthday bash packages for 10 or more people are also on sale now. All tickets can be purchased by visiting ClevelandMonsters.com, calling (216) 420-0000, visiting The Q Box Office or any Northern Ohio Discount Drug Mart. Be sure to follow the Monsters on Twitter @monstershockey, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/clevelandmonsters, and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/monstershockey .

Check out the Cleveland Monsters Statistics

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from January 12, 2017


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central