Thunderbirds’ Bitten named AHL Player of the Week

Photo: Lucas Armstrong

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Springfield Thunderbirds forward Will Bitten has been selected as the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending January 1, 2023.

Bitten recorded six points (two goals, four assists) and a plus-6 rating in three games for Springfield last week.

On Wednesday evening, Bitten scored one goal and assisted on two others to help the Thunderbirds to a 7-4 win over Hartford. He notched two more assists on Friday as Springfield defeated Bridgeport, 6-3, and scored the T-Birds’ only regulation goal in a 2-1 victory at Hartford on New Year’s Eve.

A fifth-year pro from Ottawa, Ont., Bitten has tallied 10 goals and nine assists for 19 points in 25 games for Springfield in 2022-23. He also made his NHL debut with the St. Louis Blues earlier this season, recording one assist in four games. The 24-year-old Bitten has totaled 51 goals and 70 assists for 121 points in 238 regular-season AHL games with Springfield and Iowa as well as eight goals and 18 assists in 29 postseason contests, reaching the Calder Cup Finals with the Thunderbirds in 2022.

Bitten was originally a third-round selection by Montreal in the 2016 NHL Draft.