SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Hershey Bears center Ryan Potulny has been selected as the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Apr. 1, 2012.
Potulny scored five goals and added two assists for seven points in three games as Hershey clinched a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.
Potulny began the week with a two-point showing, notching a goal and an assist in the Bears’ 5-2 road win over Binghamton on Wednesday night. He added a goal in a 3-2 loss to St. John’s on Saturday, and his third career AHL hat trick was part of a four-point night and included two third-period goals as Hershey rallied from three goals down to earn a point in a 6-5 shootout loss to Binghamton on Sunday. Potulny now owns an eight-game scoring streak (8-6-14), including goals in six consecutive games.
A former third-round draft choice by the Philadelphia Flyers, Potulny is tied for fourth in the AHL with 31 goals (including a league-best 17 power-play markers) and is tied for seventh with 62 points, skating in 56 games for the Bears this season. The sixth-year pro has totaled 126 goals and 128 assists for 254 points in 299 career AHL games, as well as 22 goals and 27 assists for 49 points in 126 career contests in the National Hockey League. Potulny, a native of Grand Forks, N.D., led the AHL in playoff scoring in 2011, helping Binghamton win the Calder Cup.
In recognition of his achievement, Potulny will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Bears home game.
Also see: Past winners, AHL Player of the Week
