AHL names award winners for January

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Iowa Wild forward Gerald Mayhew, Springfield Thunderbirds forward Owen Tippett and Belleville Senators goaltender Filip Gustavsson have been selected as the league’s award winners for January.

Mayhew, the CCM/AHL Player of the Month, scored 12 goals and totaled 19 points in 11 games for Iowa last month.

Mayhew began the month with a four-point night, scoring two goals and assisting on two others in a 5-1 win over Rockford on Jan. 3. He recorded two more goals in a 5-1 win at Chicago on Jan. 4, and extended his scoring streak to 10 games with a goal and an assist at San Diego on Jan. 10. Mayhew notched two goals and an assist as the Wild downed Bakersfield, 5-2, on Jan. 14, and his fourth multiple-goal effort of the month helped Iowa earn a point in a 4-3 shootout loss at Grand Rapids on Jan. 22. After representing the Wild at the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic, Mayhew recorded his fourth game-winning goal of the month as Iowa beat Grand Rapids, 4-1, on Jan. 31.

A third-year pro from Wyandotte, Mich., Mayhew leads the AHL with 31 goals and ranks third in the league with 48 points in 39 games played for Iowa in 2019-20. He also has two goals in seven contests with Minnesota after making his NHL debut on Oct. 15, 2019. In 199 career AHL games with Iowa, Mayhew has totaled 80 goals and 67 assists for 147 points.

Tippett, the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month, registered seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 10 games for Springfield during January.

Tippett notched the game-winning goal in a 3-2 decision at Utica on Jan. 3 before establishing personal bests with three assists and four points in the Thunderbirds’ 6-3 win at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Jan. 4. He had a goal in a 4-1 win at Syracuse on Jan. 17, and registered a goal and an assist in the final minute of regulation as Springfield rallied for a 6-5 overtime win at Providence on Jan. 19. Tippett tallied a goal and two assists and earned first-star honors in a 6-2 win over Bridgeport on Jan. 25, and closed the month by traveling to Ontario, Calif., to represent the Thunderbirds at the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic.

Tippett, Florida’s first-round pick (10th overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft, ranks second among all AHL rookies in scoring with 40 points (19 goals, 21 assists) in 46 games for Springfield this season. The 20-year-old native of Peterborough, Ont., currently leads the Thunderbirds in goals, assists, points, plus/minus rating (plus-12, tied), power-play goals (seven) and game-winners (four).

Gustavsson, the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month, posted a 1.78 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage last month, allowing only nine goals on 155 shots in five starts (4-0-1) while helping Belleville climb into first place in the North Division.

Gustavsson stopped 28 shots in a 5-3 win over Lehigh Valley on Jan. 4, his only home appearance of the month. He came back with 35 saves in a 5-1 victory at Rochester on Jan. 10, and turned aside 34 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss at Manitoba on Jan. 15. Gustavsson earned his first career AHL shutout on Jan. 20, making 23 saves in a 3-0 win at Rockford, and registered 26 stops in the Senators’ 5-2 win at Utica on Jan. 24.

Gustavsson is 12-5-2 in 19 appearances for Belleville this season, with a 3.24 GAA, an .891 save percentage and one shutout. A second-round choice by Pittsburgh in the 2016 NHL Draft, Gustavsson was acquired in a trade by Ottawa on Feb. 23, 2018, and has played 57 AHL games with Belleville, posting a record of 26-25-4. The 21-year-old native of Skelleftea, Sweden, won a silver medal with Sweden and was named the tournament’s top goaltender at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Each monthly award winner will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming home game in recognition of his achievement.