Former Long Beach Ice Dog Halak Named MeiGray Group Alumnus Of The Month

April 18, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release

PRINCETON, N.J. - Former Long Beach Ice Dogs and current Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak is the MeiGray Group ECHL Alumnus of the Month for March.

Leading all rookie goaltenders with six wins, the Bratislava, Slovakia native was 6-3-0 with a shutout, a 2.96 goals-against average and a save percentage of .909 as the Canadiens went 8-5-0 in March.

The 21-year-old began a season-high five-game winning streak with a season-high 37 saves in a 3-2 overtime win against Toronto on Mar. 17, and registered his first NHL shutout when he stopped all 30 shots he faced in a 1-0 win against Boston on Mar. 18.

The 5-foot-11 and 174-pound Halak became the 320th player to play in the National Hockey League after playing in the ECHL when he made his debut in Montreal's 3-2 win at Columbus on Feb. 18.

He played 20 games for Long Beach as a rookie in 2005-06 and led the ECHL with a save percentage of .932 before being called up to Hamilton of the American Hockey League where he had three shutouts and a goals-against average of 2.29 in 13 games.

Selected in the ninth round (271st overall) by Montreal in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Halak was 16-11-0 with six shutouts, a 2.00 goals-against average and a save percentage of .932 in 28 games with Hamilton before being called up by the Canadiens. He was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team and was selected as the Rbk X-Pulse/AHL Goaltender of the Month for November.

The ECHL is the top developmental league for both the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League. It has affiliations with 25 of the 30 teams in the NHL, marking the 10th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL, and with 24 of the 27 teams in the AHL. There have been 329 former ECHL players who have played in the NHL after playing in the ECHL, including 184 since 2000-01.

There have been 106 former ECHL players who have played in the NHL this season and more than 100 players under contract to an NHL team have played in the ECHL this year. There were a record 47 former ECHL players who made their NHL debut in 2005-06, including five goaltenders who played a game in both leagues. In 2005-06 there were 112 former ECHL players who played in the NHL and all 30 teams had a former ECHL player take the ice.

The leading distributor of game-worn hockey jerseys and "Official Game-Worn Jersey Source of the ECHL," MeiGray Group has sold nearly 3,500 game-worn ECHL jerseys since the program began in 2002-03, including almost 1,000 each of the past three seasons.

ECHL Stories from April 18, 2007

• Galbraith, Nesbitt and Lammers Bury Two Goals Apiece As Steelheads Rout Thunder 6-1 To Win Series - Idaho Steelheads
• Wildcatters Win in OT 5-4, Take 2-1 Series Lead - Texas Wildcatters
• Idaho advances, Thunder season ends on Idaho's six-goal rally - Stockton Thunder
• Gladiators Fall to Wildcatters 5-4 in OT - Atlanta Gladiators
• Pandolfo And Magnan Come Back To Trenton - Trenton Devils
• ECHL Transactions - ECHL
• Kelly Cup Playoffs Broadcast On B2 Networks For Fourth Straight Year - ECHL
• Trenton's Leblond Suspended One Game, Fined - ECHL
• Former Long Beach Ice Dog Halak Named MeiGray Group Alumnus Of The Month - ECHL
• Fitzsimmons Steps Down as Head Coach - South Carolina Stingrays
• Magowan Returns to Toledo - Toledo Walleye
• Gwinnett's Bennefield Suspended One Game, Fined - ECHL
• Texas' David Suspended One Game, Fined - ECHL
• ECHL Today - ECHL
• Wildcatters Set for First Home Playoff Game in Team History Tonight - Texas Wildcatters
• Cyclones-Toledo Preview - Cincinnati Cyclones

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.