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Former ECHL All-Star Smith Named AHL Goaltender Of The Month

Published on April 18, 2006 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The American Hockey League announced that former ECHL All-Star and current Iowa Stars goaltender Mike Smith has been named the Koho/AHL Goaltender of the Month for April.

Smith was 5-1-0 with a goals-against average of 2.11 and a save percentage of .937 in April to help Iowa secure its berth in the 2006 Calder Cup Playoffs. After making 26 saves in a 3-2 overtime win at Omaha on Apr. 7 to put the Stars in sole possession of fourth place, he helped Iowa knock Chicago out of the postseason race by making 35 saves in back-to-back games, a 4-1 win at Chicago on Apr. 8 and a 5-4 overtime victory against the Wolves on Apr. 11. He closed out the regular season by stopping 40 shots in regulation and overtime and not allowing a goal in the shootout as Iowa won 4-3 at Peoria on Apr. 14.

Smith tied the AHL record for most assists in a game by a goaltender when he recorded three assists in a 6-1 win at Peoria on Mar. 3. He tied the record that was last achieved by New Jersey Devils netminder Martin Brodeur while playing for the Utica Devils in 1993. Only four goaltenders have had three assists in a game over the 70-year history of the AHL.

In his first professional season in 2002-03, Smith was named to the ECHL All-Star Game and was 11-10-4 with a goals-against average of 2.55 and a save percentage of .910 in 27 games with Lexington and was 5-5-0 with a goals-against average of 3.23 and a save percentage of .906 in 11 games with Utah of the AHL.

In his third professional start on Oct. 22, 2002, Smith picked up not only his first win and his first shutout, but also scored his first-ever goal in a 2-0 win over Dayton. With Lexington leading 1-0 late in the third period, Dayton dumped the puck behind the net where Smith gained control and flipped it out of the zone. The puck hit in the center face off circle and then slid untouched into the empty net at 19:04. The then 20-year-old became the youngest goaltender to score a goal in a professional game. Smith became the sixth goaltender in ECHL history to score a goal. Brian Eklund of Pensacola became the seventh ECHL goaltender to accomplish the feat when he scored at Mississippi on Dec. 5, 2003 and Trevor Koenig of Atlantic City became the eighth when he scored at Wheeling on Mar. 2, 2005.

Other nominees for the weekly AHL award included former Johnstown and current Cleveland goaltender Dimitri Patzold, former Augusta and current Houston goaltender Seamus Kotyk, former Florida and current Lowell goaltender Craig Kowalski, former Gwinnett and Atlantic City and current Norfolk goaltender Adam Munro, former Jackson and Louisiana and current Providence goaltender Derek Gustafson, former Atlantic City, Peoria and Trenton and current San Antonio goaltender Scott Stirling, and former Dayton and current Syracuse goaltender Andrew Penner.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goaltender Dany Sabourin, who has played in the ECHL with Johnstown, Las Vegas and Wheeling, became the eighth former ECHL goaltender to win the AHL Goaltender of the Year award in 2005-06, joining Jason LaBarbera (2004), Marc Lamothe (2003), Martin Brochu (2000), Martin Biron (1999), Scott Langkow (1998), Manny Legace (1996) and Frederic Chabot (1994).

Former Greensboro and current Manitoba goaltender Wade Flaherty, former Charlotte and current Hartford defenseman Thomas Pock, and former Florida and current Lowell center Keith Aucoin were all selected Second Team All-AHL.

Former Greenville and current Norfolk center Martin St. Pierre and former Charlotte and current Hartford defenseman Daniel Girardi were both selected to the AHL All-Rookie Team.

Former ECHL players have won the CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week award nine times in 2005-06 with Aucoin (Florida and Lowell), Mike Ayers (Dayton and Syracuse), Zdenek Blatny (Greenville and Springfield), Brian Finley (Toledo and Milwaukee), Jamie Holden (Fresno and Cleveland), Jani Hurme (Columbia and Portland), Brent Krahn (Las Vegas and Omaha), Lawrence Nycholat (Jackson and Hershey) and Nathan Robinson (Toledo and Providence).

There are eight head coaches, 12 assistant coaches and countless other personnel on the 27 teams in the AHL, including Mike Haviland, who won the Kelly Cup with Atlantic City in 2002-03 and Trenton in 2004-05 and moved up to the AHL as head coach of Norfolk. Other former ECHL coaches who are now head coaches in the AHL are Claude Noel of Milwaukee, Roy Sommer of Cleveland, Greg Ireland of Grand Rapids, Dave Allison of Iowa, Scott Gordon of Providence, Bruce Boudreau of Hershey and David Baseggio of Bridgeport.

For the each of the past three seasons, the ECHL has had more players called up to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined, including 2004-05 when over 200 players were involved in 355 call ups, accounting for almost 80 percent of the AHL roster additions. The ECHL had 425 call ups involving 234 players in 2003-04 and 450 call ups in 2002-03.

The AHL Most Valuable Player Award has been won four times by former ECHL players, most recently by former Charlotte goaltender Jason LaBarbera in 2003-04. Other former ECHL players who were named as MVP of the AHL are Eric Boguniecki in 2001-02, Martin Brochu in 1999-2000 and Brad Smyth in 1995-96.

The AHL Coach of the Year award was won by ECHL coaches four years in a row from 2001-04 with Noel (2004), Geoff Ward (2003), Bruce Cassidy (2002) and Don Granato (2001) while current Carolina Hurricanes and former Wheeling coach Peter Laviolette was the first ECHL coach to capture the award in 1999.

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