SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Milwaukee Admirals right wing Viktor Arvidsson, San Diego Gulls defenseman Brandon Montour and Toronto Marlies goaltender Garret Sparks have been selected as the league’s award winners for November..
Arvidsson, the CCM/AHL Player of the Month, tallied six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 11 games for Milwaukee during the month, helping the Admirals move to the top of the Central Division standings.
Milwaukee put together a 10-game winning streak to open the month, with Arvidsson finding the scoresheet in each contest. He had an assist in a 3-0 win at Iowa on Nov. 5 and scored a goal in a 3-1 victory over Lake Erie on Nov. 6 before assisting on the game-winning goal in a 3-2 overtime decision at Rockford on Nov. 7. Arvidsson tallied the game-winner again in a 3-1 triumph at Charlotte on Nov. 14, then notched his first multi-point game of the season with a goal and two assists vs. Chicago on Nov. 18. He had two assists in a 3-1 win over San Diego on Nov. 21, then extended his scoring streak to 13 games – the longest in the AHL this season – with a pair of goals in Milwaukee’s 6-3 victory over San Antonio on Nov. 24. Arvidsson finished the month in the NHL, skating for Nashville on Nov. 28 vs. Buffalo.
A fourth-round selection by the Nashville Predators in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, the 22-year-old Arvidsson has totaled seven goals and 10 assists for a team-leading 17 points in 14 games for Milwaukee, while adding one goal in five NHL games for Nashville. He is tied for second in the AHL with six power-play goals this season. The 22-year-old native of Skelleftea, Sweden, earned a spot on the AHL All-Rookie Team in 2014-15, recording 22 goals and 33 assists in 70 games for Milwaukee.
In recognition of his achievement, Arvidsson will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Admirals home game.
Also see: Past winners, AHL Player of the Month
Montour, the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month, notched four goals and 11 assists for 15 points in 12 games for San Diego during the month.
Montour began November with an assist in the Gulls’ 3-2 overtime victory vs. San Antonio on Nov. 3. He had another assist in a 3-2 win at San Jose on Nov. 7, then broke out with a four-point night (two goals and two assists) to help San Diego past Bakersfield, 6-1, on Nov. 11. He tallied two more assists in a 4-3 shootout loss to San Jose on Nov. 13, and his one-goal, one-assist effort at Grand Rapids on Nov. 20 kicked off a five-game scoring streak to end the month. Montour closed out November by assisting on the game-winning goals in back-to-back victories over Ontario, Nov. 27 and 28.
Montour, a second-round pick (55th overall) by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, leads all AHL defensemen in scoring and is tied for fifth overall with 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) in 19 games for San Diego this season. A 21-year-old native of Brantford, Ont., Montour made his professional debut with Norfolk last spring, tallying one goal and nine assists in 14 AHL games after completing his freshman season at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
In recognition of his achievement, Montour will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Gulls home game.
Also see: Past winners, AHL Rookie of the Month
Sparks, the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month, posted a record of 6-0-1 in seven AHL appearances on the month, allowing just nine goals on 188 shots while registering a 1.39 goals-against average and a .952 save percentage with two shutouts.
Sparks began the month with a 30-save shutout in Toronto’s 5-0 win at Hartford on Nov. 4. He made 32 stops as the Marlies earned a 5-4 shootout win at Utica on Nov. 6, and turned aside 34 of 35 shots in a 6-1 victory at Binghamton on Nov. 7. His perfect relief appearance on Nov. 14 helped the Marlies rally for a 9-8 overtime victory at St. John’s, and he earned a 1-0 OT shutout victory behind 23 saves at Rochester on Nov. 18. Sparks extended his shutout streak to 138 minutes, 6 seconds before allowing a goal late in a 5-1 win over Rochester on Nov. 21, the only blemish in a 31-save performance.
The month ended with Sparks making his National Hockey League debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 30 and stopping all 24 shots in a 3-0 win over Edmonton.
Sparks is 8-2-1 in 11 appearances for the Marlies this season, ranking fourth in the AHL with a 1.90 goals-against average and second with a .938 save percentage. Sparks, 22, was a seventh-round draft choice by the Maple Leafs in 2011, and has a record of 22-8-3 with a 2.30 GAA, a .924 save percentage and three shutouts in 37 career AHL games. The third-year pro from Elmhurst, Ill., was a member of the United States’ gold-medal team at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championships.
In recognition of his achievement, Sparks will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Marlies home game.
