SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Brad Thiessen of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins has been named the Reebok/AHL Goaltender of the Month for February. Thiessen allowed 12 goals in 10 appearances during the month, posting an 8-2-0 record, a 1.28 goals-against average, a .943 save percentage and three shutouts.
After missing six games – plus the AHL All-Star Classic – due to injury, Thiessen returned to the Penguins crease on Feb. 7 with a 21-save shutout of Albany. He was named the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week after stopping 99 of 102 shots in five games from Feb. 7-13, and led Wilkes-Barre to a big two-game sweep in Norfolk with 35 saves in a 3-0 win on Jan. 18 and 26 stops in a 2-1 shootout victory on Jan. 19. All told, Thiessen made 199 saves on 211 shots during February.
In recognition of his achievement, Thiessen will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Penguins home game.
Thiessen (26-6-0), who shared the Reebok/AHL Goaltender of the Month award with teammate John Curry in October 2010, leads the American Hockey League with 26 wins, a 1.90 goals-against average and six shutouts (tied) in 34 games, and his .924 save percentage is good for ninth in the league. The second-year pro from Aldergrove, B.C., was 14-14-1 (2.45, .914) with four shutouts in 30 AHL games as a rookie with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2009-10.
Other nominees for Reebok/AHL Goaltender of the Month include Adirondack’s Michael Leighton, Binghamton’s Barry Brust, Charlotte’s Mike Murphy, Chicago’s Peter Mannino, Connecticut’s Dov Grumet-Morris, Grand Rapids’ Jordan Pearce, Hamilton’s Curtis Sanford, Lake Erie’s Jason Bacashihua, Manchester’s Martin Jones, Manitoba’s Eddie Lack, Milwaukee’s Jeremy Smith, Norfolk’s Dustin Tokarski, Peoria’s Ben Bishop, Portland’s Jhonas Enroth, Rochester’s Tyler Plante, Rockford’s Alec Richards, San Antonio’s Matt Climie, Syracuse’s Jean-Philippe Levasseur and Toronto’s Jonas Gustavsson.
