AHL American Hockey League

Olofsson, Borgstrom, Bibeau Named CCM/AHL Monthly Award Winners for October

Published on November 1, 2018 under American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Rochester Americans forward Victor Olofsson, Springfield Thunderbirds forward Henrik Borgstrom and San Jose Barracuda goaltender Antoine Bibeau have been selected as the league's award winners for October.

Olofsson, the CCM/AHL Player of the Month, tallied five goals and 10 assists for a league-leading 15 points in 10 games during October.

Olofsson made his AHL debut on Oct. 5 and earned an assist while taking a team-high five shots on goal in a 6-2 loss to Charlotte. He then put together a seven-game scoring streak, beginning with a three-point effort in a 6-3 win over Syracuse on Oct. 10. Olofsson had back-to-back two-point games at Bridgeport on Oct. 13 and 14, and then notched two goals and two assists in a 6-1 win at Utica on Oct. 17. Olofsson recorded an assist and a shootout goal in a 5-4 win over Toronto on Oct. 19 before notching single assists on Oct. 20 at Belleville and Oct. 26 vs. Utica.

In his first season of play in North America, the 23-year-old Olofsson leads all AHL skaters in scoring through the month of October and is one off the league lead with his 10 assists. In addition, nine of his points have come on the power play, helping the Amerks to a 29.5 percent efficiency through 10 games. Olofsson was a seventh-round selection by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2014 NHL Draft and played 200 games in the Swedish Hockey League, where he scored a league-best 27 goals for Frolunda in 2017-18.

Borgstrom, the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month, registered four goals and seven assists for 11 points in seven games played for Springfield as the Thunderbirds finished October as the last remaining AHL team without a regulation loss (6-0-0-2).

In his season debut on Oct. 12, Borgstrom recorded a goal and three assists - including a spin-o-rama pass that landed on national highlight shows across the country the next day - as Springfield defeated Lehigh Valley, 7-0. Borgstrom notched a goal and an assist in a 6-3 win over Providence on Oct. 14, and picked up another assist in a 4-2 decision at Laval on Oct. 20. He closed out the month with another four-point night, this time tallying two goals and two assists as the Thunderbirds defeated Hartford, 6-2, on Oct. 28.

A first-round pick (23rd overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft, Borgstrom played two seasons at the University of Denver and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in 2017-18 after winning a national championship in 2016-17. The 21-year-old native of Helsinki, Finland, made his pro debut at the end of last season, notching one goal in four NHL games with the Florida Panthers.

Bibeau, the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month, allowed only nine goals on 149 shots in five starts (3-1-1) during October, helping San Jose to the best record in the Western Conference.

Bibeau began the season with a 30-save effort on opening night, backstopping the Barracuda to a 4-1 victory over Ontario. He turned aside 33 shots in a 3-2 shootout loss to Bakersfield on Oct. 10, and made 31 saves before denying all six shootout attempts in a 3-2 win over Tucson on Oct. 15. Bibeau finished the month with 20 stops in a 6-1 road win over Texas on Oct. 27.

An AHL All-Star in 2018, Bibeau is in his fifth professional season and has a record of 82-48-16 with a 2.64 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage and 15 shutouts in 152 career AHL appearances with San Jose and Toronto. Among goaltenders with more than two games played this season, the 24-year-old native of Victoriaville, Que., leads the league with his 1.75 GAA and .940 save percentage for the Barracuda. Bibeau was originally selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the sixth round of the 2013 NHL Draft and has appeared in two career NHL games (1-1-0, 1.99, .927).

Each monthly award winner will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming home game in recognition of his achievement.

Check out the American Hockey League Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from November 1, 2018


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.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central