McCollum Becomes 465th ECHL Player to Reach NHL

March 31, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release

PRINCETON, N.J. ‚¬" Toledo Walleye goaltender Thomas McCollum became the 465th player to play in the National Hockey League after the ECHL when he made his debut with the Detroit Red Wings in a 10-3 loss to St. Louis on Wednesday.

The 21 year old made five saves on eight shots in 14:37 of playing time for the Red Wings. Former ECHL goaltender Joey MacDonald started the game for the Red Wings.

The Walleye are the ECHL affiliate of the Red Wings and the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League.

A first-round selection of the Red Wings (30th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, McCollum appeared in four games with Toledo last season going 2-1-0 with a 4.48 goals-against average and a save percentage of .864. He appeared in 23 games with the Walleye this season posting an 11-9-2 record with three shutouts, a 2.76 goals-against average and a save percentage of .909. The Amherst, N.Y. native has seen action in 52 games with Grand Rapids over the last two seasons with an overall mark of 16-27-4 with one shutout, a 3.37 goals-against average and a save percentage of .881.

McCollum is the fourth player to play in both the ECHL and NHL in 2010-11, joining Mike Brodeur (Elmira and Ottawa), Timo Pielmeier (Elmira and Anaheim) and Yann Sauve (Victoria and Vancouver).

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