Walleye Weekly No. 10: December 22, 2025
ECHL Toledo Walleye

Walleye Weekly No. 10: December 22, 2025

Published on December 22, 2025 under ECHL (ECHL)
Toledo Walleye News Release


Toledo Walleye goaltender Matt Jurusik
Toledo Walleye goaltender Matt Jurusik
(Toledo Walleye)

Overall Record: 15-5-2-2, 2nd Central Division, Current Streak: 6 Wins

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

Friday, December 19 vs. Iowa (5-2 W)

Saturday, December 20 vs. Iowa (8-2 W)

THIS WEEK'S GAMES (All Times Eastern)

Friday, December 26 vs. Wheeling (7:15 p.m., Fox Sports Radio 1230, BCSN, FloSports)

Saturday, December 27 at Fort Wayne (7:35 p.m., Fox Sports Radio 1230, FloSports)

Sunday, December 28 at Indy (4 p.m., Fox Sports Radio 1230, FloSports)

Walleye Notes

Playing With Heart: The Toledo Walleye took both games from the Iowa Heartlanders this weekend, extending the team's win streak to six games and an unbeaten streak to seven games. Both streaks are the league's longest active win and points streaks respectively. Toledo won Friday's game by a score of 5-2, as five different Walleye players scored; Mitch Lewandowski recorded two assists, and Nolan Lalonde stopped 29 of 31 shots he faced. The Walleye followed it up with an 8-2 victory over Iowa on Saturday, as Brandon Hawkins lit the lamp four times, and Matt Jurusik stopped 34 of the 36 shots he faced in his Walleye debut. Fort Wayne took two overtime losses over the weekend to reach 36 points, maintaining the lead in the Central Division over the Walleye (34 points).

Tip the Cap, Mr. Mayor: Brandon Hawkins added to his case for a third consecutive MVP campaign with his second 4-goal game of his career (3/31/2021 with FW), the 6th such game in Walleye history. Dane Walters (4/8/2017) and Evan Rankin (4/2/2016, 2/18/2010) each had five-goal games, and Tyson Spink (10/22/2016) and Bryan Rufenach (11/9/2011) account for the other two four-goal games. Throughout the ECHL, Hawkins had the second 4-goal game of the season (Iowa's Jack O'Brien had one on 11/8/2025; Orlando's Spencer Kersten had the third on 12/21/2025). Additionally, this was Hawkins's 11th career hat trick (7th with Toledo) and his second of the season. Playoffs included; Hawkins has only had three hat tricks in a season one time (2020-21 w/Fort Wayne). Between Friday and Saturday's games, Hawkins combined for 7 points (5 goals, 2 assists), extending his ECHL scoring lead to 38 points. Hawkins also has points in 10 straight games (20 points) at the Huntington Center, tied for the longest active such streak in the league (Ben Zioty, Norfolk). He only trails Bloomington's Kyle Jackson (11 games) for the longest overall home point streak of the season.

Unstoppable in December: Since the calendar turned to December, the Walleye have posted a 6-0-1-0 record and collected at least a point in every game, outscoring opponents 44-20 (+24). Brandon Hawkins' point total in December is up to 16 with 9 goals and 7 assists, including 7 points this past weekend. Riley McCourt has 9 points since the turn of the calendar, including a goal and eight assists. Mitch Lewandowski (1 goal, 7 assists), Tanner Kelly (5 goals, 3 assists), and Denis Smirnov (2 goals, 6 assists) each have eight points on the month. Nolan Lalonde has a 2.57 GAA in 187 minutes of playing time in December, posting a .918 save percentage. Carter Gylander posted a .912 save percentage in his two games in December. Walleye goaltenders have only allowed more than two goals twice in the team's seven games this month.

Our Specialty: Toledo's power play continues to operate effectively, maintaining the best PP% in the league at 31.1% (23-for-74, Cincinnati is next closest at 24.4%). Riley McCourt leads the league with 12 power-play assists, closely followed by Brandon Hawkins with 10 (T-3rd in league). Hawkins leads the league in overall power-play points (14) as McCourt leads active defensemen in that category (13). Toledo averages the least amount of penalty minutes per game (8.75), but their PK unit at the Huntington Center has killed off 39 of 43 penalties, good for the 2nd best mark in the league. The Walleye remains one of four teams in the ECHL to not allow a short-handed goal (with Wheeling, Kansas City, and Reading).

Backbones of Success: The Walleye signed goaltender Matt Jurusik to a contract earlier this week as he made his debut with the team on Saturday against Iowa. The newcomer stopped 34 of 36 shots he saw (.944 SV%), continuing the dominance he had in the KHL for the past three years. Nolan Lalonde also had a solid performance in Friday's game, recording 29 saves on 31 shots (.935 SV%). In five contests against Iowa this season, the Walleye have held them to two goals or less (outscoring them 22-9 in five contests). Lalonde has won each of his last three starts and has recorded 25+ saves in each of his last five starts. Walleye goaltenders have held Iowa to two goals or less in each of the five games the teams have seen each other, including only 7 goals against in the four games the last two weekends.

Saturday Night Scorers: The Walleye have collected points in every Saturday game this season, posting an 8-0-0-2 record (including a 5-0-0-1 record at home), outscoring opponents 44-20 and including notable wins (a 6-2 over Indy in the team's home opener, a 6-2 win in Bloomington, and the 8-2 over Iowa on Saturday). Brandon Hawkins has 8 goals and 9 assists (17 total points), Riley McCourt has 11 assists, Denis Smirnov has 10 points (3 G, 7 A), Perrysburg native Tanner Dickinson has 9 points (4 G, 5 A), and 5 different skaters have 6 points in 10 Saturday games. Nolan Lalonde has a 2.21 GAA and a .921 SV% in 6 games played on Saturday while posting a 4-0-0-2 record in those games.

Standouts: Tanner Kelly has been on a tear lately, recording points in his last six consecutive games (5 G, 3 A), which ties for the second longest active point streak in the ECHL. Kelly has four power-play goals on the year, which ties for third place in the league among rookies. Dylan Moulton leads all ECHL rookie defensemen in plus-minus at +11, tying for third among all skaters. Riley McCourt ranks third among all ECHL defensemen with 19 assists, and 4th in that category in points (22) He also has points in five of his last six games, and tied Simon Denis' franchise defenseman scoring record (100 pts) with two assists in Saturday's game. Jacob Truscott had a +5 night in Saturday's game, one of three players to do so in the league this season after Brandon Hawkins (10/25/2025) and Wheeling's Daniel Lasatch (10/18/2025). Nolan Lalonde ranks 14th in the ECHL (min. 480 mins) in GAA at the end of Saturday's games with a 2.37 GAA in 12 games.

Sellouts on Sellouts: Walleye fans have packed the Huntington Center night-in and night-out as the team approaches 100 consecutive sellouts, bringing the team's franchise-record sellout streak to 93 games with last weekend's games against Iowa. Toledo's average attendance ranks second in the ECHL, drawing around 8,030 fans per game (Jacksonville is the only team averaging higher, at 8,775 fans per game). The Walleye also currently hold the highest average attendance figure relative to arena capacity among affiliated minor league hockey teams (AHL and ECHL) at 108.8%. The all-time ECHL record for consecutive sellouts currently stands at 140 games, reached by Colorado from 2011 to 2015.

Nails and Rocks and Race Cars: The Walleye will come back from the holiday break to play three games in as many days. They're set to play Wheeling for the second time this season at the Huntington Center, looking to bounce back from a 5-2 loss they took on November 28th. The team heads out to Indiana for the rest of the weekend, facing the Fort Wayne Komets on Saturday and the Indy Fuel on Sunday. Brandon Hawkins has five points against both Indy (4 games) and Fort Wayne (3 games) this season, racking up 1 goal and 9 assists between both division foes.

Walleye Player of the Week:

Brandon Hawkins (5 G, 2 A, 7 Pts, Hat Trick, +5)

Walleye Goaltender of the Week:

Matt Jurusik (W, 2 GA, 34 SV, .944 SV%)

Check out the Toledo Walleye Statistics

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Toledo Walleye goaltender Matt Jurusik
Toledo Walleye goaltender Matt Jurusik
   



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