Etem, McKenzie, Darling Named CCM/AHL Monthly Award Winners
January 2, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release
NORFOLK ADMIRALS RIGHT WING EMERSON ETEM NAMED CCM/AHL PLAYER OF THE MONTH
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Norfolk Admirals right wing Emerson Etem has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Month for December.
Etem appeared in nine games for Norfolk last month and totaled seven goals and eight assists for 15 points, along with a plus-6 rating.
After a stint with the parent Anaheim Ducks, Etem returned to the Norfolk lineup on Dec. 13 and notched a goal and an assist at Charlotte on Dec. 15. He helped pace the Admirals offense with a goal and two assists vs. Adirondack on Dec. 20, and picked up the game-winning goal in Norfolk's 3-1 victory over the Phantoms on Dec. 21. Closing out the calendar year with three road games, Etem notched two assists on Dec. 27 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, two goals and an assist on Dec. 28 at Syracuse and a goal and an assist on Dec. 31 at Binghamton.
Etem has totaled eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points with Norfolk this season, good for second on the team in scoring despite appearing in just 12 games. The 21-year-old native of Long Beach, Calif., has also skated in 26 matches with Anaheim this season, registering six goals and four assists for 10 points with the Ducks. Anaheim's first-round pick (29th overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Etem has played 64 career NHL games, notching nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points. He has added 37 points (22 goals, 15 assists) in 59 AHL games with Norfolk and Syracuse.
In recognition of his achievement, Etem will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Admirals home game.
TEXAS STARS LEFT WING CURTIS MCKENZIE NAMED CCM/AHL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Texas Stars left wing Curtis McKenzie has been selected as the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for December.
With leading scorers Travis Morin and Colton Sceviour both missing action due to NHL recall during the month, McKenzie helped the Stars roll to a 9-1-0-1 record by tallying five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 11 games.
McKenzie's month featured five multiple-point games, beginning with his first career two-goal effort in a 5-4 win at Oklahoma City on Dec. 3. He scored twice more - including the game-winning goal - at San Antonio on Dec. 15, and set a personal best with three assists in a 5-2 win over the Rampage on Dec. 28. McKenzie closed out the month by assisting on the game-tying goal as Texas erased a four-goal deficit en route to a 6-5 overtime win at Oklahoma City on New Year's Eve.
A 2009 draft choice by Dallas, McKenzie ranks second among all AHL rookies in scoring with 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) in 33 games for Texas this season. His is also second among rookies with 99 shots on goal, and his 16 power-play points are tied for third among all league skaters. McKenzie, 22, is a native of Golden, B.C., and played four seasons at Miami University before making his pro debut with Texas at the end of last season.
In recognition of his achievement, McKenzie will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Stars home game.
SCOTT DARLING OF THE MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS NAMED CCM/AHL GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Scott Darling of the Milwaukee Admirals has been selected as the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for December.
In the first extended AHL stint of his career, Darling made eight appearances in December (seven starts) and went 6-1-0 with a 1.12 goals-against average, a .964 save percentage and two shutouts, allowing a total of eight goals on 223 shots.
Darling began the month with a 17-save effort in a 2-1 win at Charlotte on Dec. 1, and made his first home appearance with the Admirals on Dec. 6, stopping 28 shots in a 5-2 win over Oklahoma City. Despite allowing three first-period goals on Dec. 13 at Grand Rapids, Darling finished with a season-best 37 saves, and then shut out San Antonio (34 saves) on Dec. 20 and backstopped Milwaukee past Rockford, 3-1, on Dec. 21 (34 saves). Darling closed out the month by being named the CCM/AHL Player of the Week, a stretch that included a 33-save shutout of Iowa on Dec. 29.
Darling has made 12 AHL appearances this season for Milwaukee, posting a record of 7-1-0 with a 1.43 goals-against average, a .955 save percentage and three shutouts (tied for the league lead). A 2007 draft pick by the Phoenix Coyotes, Darling is in his fourth professional season out of the University of Maine. The native of Lemont, Ill., signed with Milwaukee on Sept. 12, 2013.
In recognition of his achievement, Darling will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Admirals home game.
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American Hockey League Stories from January 2, 2014
- Checkers Lose Lead against Texas - Charlotte Checkers
- Texas Rallies Past Charlotte 5-3 - Texas Stars
- Emerson Etem Named CCM/AHL Player of the Month - Norfolk Admirals
- Weekend Preview: Games 35 & 36 vs. Hamilton Bulldogs - Abbotsford Heat
- Comets in the Community - Utica Comets
- Two Wolves Broadcasts Shifting from U-Too to WCIU - Chicago Wolves
- Griffins Snow Globe Giveaway Featured in Three-Game Home Set - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Aaron Ness Loaned to Sound Tigers - Bridgeport Islanders
- Broadcast of Friday Night's Wolf Pack Game to Air on WUCS HD-2 and 979ESPN.com - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Eriksson Returns to Comets - Utica Comets
- Texas Stars Left Wing Curtis McKenzie Named CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month - Texas Stars
- Darling Selected CCM/AHL Goalie of the Month - Milwaukee Admirals
- Etem, McKenzie, Darling Named CCM/AHL Monthly Award Winners - AHL
- B-Sens Weekly - Binghamton Senators
- Dallas Stars Recall Colton Sceviour from Texas Stars - Texas Stars
- Marchessault, Erixon, McKenna Returned to Springfield - Springfield Falcons
- Minnesota Recalls Kuemper from Iowa - Iowa Wild
- Flames Assign Chris Breen to Abbotsford - Abbotsford Heat
- IceCaps Rock Report - St. John's IceCaps
- Lamarche to ECHL - Adirondack Phantoms
- American Hockey League Announces Suspension - AHL
- Mullane and Shalunov Back from Toledo - Rockford IceHogs
- New England Linebacker Jerod Mayo to Appear at Falcons Game - Springfield Falcons
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