SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Texas Stars center Devin Shore, Providence Bruins center Frank Vatrano and San Antonio Rampage goaltender Calvin Pickard have been selected as the league’s award winners for October.
Shore, the CCM/AHL Player of the Month, tallied eight goals and three assists for 11 points along with a plus-7 rating in nine games for Texas during October.
Shore notched points in eight of his nine games played during October, beginning on Oct. 10 when he netted the game-winning goal in the Stars’ 5-4 overtime victory vs. San Antonio. He scored twice in a 7-3 win at Chicago on Oct. 16, and recorded his first professional hat trick – including his first shorthanded goal – to lead Texas past Rockford, 5-2, on Oct. 17. Shore tallied the game-winner as Texas defeated Iowa, 4-1, on Oct. 25, and had an assist plus a shootout goal in a 4-3 loss at Milwaukee on Oct. 27.
A 21-year-old native of Ajax, Ont., Shore leads Texas in scoring and ranks second in the AHL in goals (8) as he begins his rookie professional season with the Stars. Shore joined the organization following three years at the University of Maine, making his pro debut last spring and tallying four goals and two assists in 19 AHL games in 2014-15. Shore was selected by the Dallas Stars in the second round (61st overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, and earned his first NHL recall by Dallas on Nov. 1.
In recognition of his achievement, Shore will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Stars home game.
Also see: Past winners, AHL Player of the Month
Vatrano, the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for October, notched 10 goals and two assists for 12 points in nine games for Providence during the month.
Vatrano scored the Bruins’ only goal in their season opener vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Oct. 9, a game-tying marker with 1:49 remaining in regulation. On Oct. 11, Vatrano recorded the first four-goal game in the AHL in a year, helping Providence past Portland, 6-4. He extended his goal-scoring streak to four games with tallies on Oct. 14 at Hartford and Oct. 16 vs. Bridgeport, and assisted on the game-winning goal as part of a two-point night vs. Lehigh Valley on Oct. 23. Vatrano picked up two more goals on Oct. 30 vs. Portland, becoming the first AHL player since 2006 (Mathieu Darche) to score 10 goals in October.
A 21-year-old native of East Longmeadow, Mass., Vatrano made his professional debut last year following his sophomore season at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he tallied 18 goals and 10 assists in 36 games in 2014-15. Vatrano signed as a free agent with the Boston Bruins on Mar. 13, 2015, and tallied one goal in five games with Providence last spring.
In recognition of his achievement, Vatrano will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Bruins home game.
Also see: Past winners, AHL Rookie of the Month
Pickard, the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month, was 5-0-1 in six appearances for San Antonio in October, registering a 1.79 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage while facing an average of more than 34 shots per game.
Following an opening-night loss at Texas in which he allowed five goals on 28 shots, Pickard led the Rampage on a five-game winning streak to close out the month with the best record in the AHL, giving up just six goals on 177 shots the rest of the way. Pickard made 39 saves in a 3-2 win at Grand Rapids on Oct. 16, and came back the next night with a 35-save shutout of the Griffins. He stopped 25 shots as San Antonio defeated Stockton, 5-1, on Oct. 24, then handed Ontario its first two losses of the season with back-to-back overtime decisions on Oct. 30 (35 saves) and Oct. 31 (37 saves).
Pickard, a 23-year-old native of Winnipeg, Man., is in his fourth professional season and has a career record of 65-54-22 with a 2.60 goals-against average, a .915 save percentage and 11 shutouts in 148 AHL games with San Antonio and Lake Erie. Pickard was a second-round choice (49th overall) by Colorado in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut with the Avalanche last season, going 6-7-3 (2.35, .932) in 16 appearances.
In recognition of his achievement, Pickard will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Rampage home game.
