SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Toronto Marlies forward Andreas Johnsson, Charlotte Checkers forward Janne Kuokkanen and Grand Rapids Griffins goaltender Jared Coreau have been selected as the league’s award winners for February.
Johnsson, the CCM/AHL Player of the Month, tallied three goals and 16 assists for a league-leading 19 points in 11 games for Toronto during February.
Johnsson registered six multiple-point games last month, beginning with a goal and two assists in a 4-2 win at Rochester on Feb. 2. He recorded three assists in a 7-4 win at Belleville on Feb. 9, set up the winning goal in a 3-1 victory over Binghamton on Feb. 10, and extended his personal scoring streak to eight games with a goal and two assists to lead Toronto to a 4-2 win in Laval on Feb. 17. Johnsson finished the month with a pair of assists in a 4-3 overtime loss to Syracuse on Feb. 28, moving into a tie for second place in the AHL scoring race after having begun February tied for 34th.
A 23-year-old native of Gavle, Sweden, Johnsson has notched 23 goals and 28 assists for 51 points to go with a plus-19 rating in 50 games for the Marlies this season, and represented the club at the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic. He was the Toronto Maple Leafs’ seventh-round selection in the 2013 NHL Draft, and has now recorded 43 goals and 55 assists for 98 points in 125 games over his two AHL seasons since coming to North America following three years with Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League.
Kuokkanen, the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month, registered three goals and nine assists for 12 points in 13 games for Charlotte in February.
Kuokkanen picked up two assists on Feb. 3 as the Checkers erased a three-goal deficit and earned a point in a 6-5 shootout loss at Hershey, and scored a goal to help Charlotte to a 5-2 win over Springfield on Feb. 9. He tallied two goals and an assist in a 6-0 win over Hartford on Feb. 13 before adding another assist in a 3-2 win over the Wolf Pack a night later. Kuokkanen later assisted on both Charlotte goals in a 2-1 win at Bridgeport on Feb. 24, his fourth multiple-point game of the month.
A second-round pick (43rd overall) by Carolina in the 2016 NHL Draft, the 19-year-old Kuokkanen has recorded six goals and 22 assists for 28 points along with a plus-13 rating in 41 games for Charlotte in 2017-18. He also made his NHL debut earlier this season, appearing in four games with the Hurricanes, and skated for his native Finland at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship. Kuokkanen spent last season with London (OHL), tallying 62 points in 60 games.
Coreau, the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month, was 4-0-2 in six starts for Grand Rapids during February, allowing just nine goals on 185 shots for a 1.46 goals-against average, a .951 save percentage and two shutouts before earning a recall to the parent Detroit Red Wings.
Coreau began the month with 31 saves in a 3-2 shootout loss at Cleveland on Feb. 1, but rebounded with 25 saves in defeating the Monsters in a rematch on Feb. 4. He stopped 25 shots in a 4-2 win over Manitoba on Feb. 7, and later earned back-to-back shutouts of the conference-leading Moose in Winnipeg, making 28 saves in a 1-0 victory on Feb. 15 and 38 stops in a 5-0 win on Feb. 17. Coreau was recalled by Detroit on Feb. 20, having not allowed a goal in his last 126:47 of AHL action.
Coming off a Calder Cup championship with the Griffins in 2016-17, Coreau has made 36 appearances for Grand Rapids this season and ranks fourth in the AHL in wins (20-10-4), minutes played (2,092) and saves (934) while posting a 2.47 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage and two shutouts. The fifth-year pro from Perth, Ont., owns a career mark of 84-48-10 with a 2.42 GAA, a .919 save percentage and 13 shutouts in 146 AHL games, all with Grand Rapids. Coreau made his NHL debut with the Red Wings last season, playing 14 games.
Each monthly award winner will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming home game in recognition of his achievement.
