SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Hamilton Bulldogs goaltender Jaroslav Halak has been named the Rbk/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending January 6, 2008. Halak was 3-1-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .966 save percentage, stopping 113 of 117 shots in four appearances.
Halak made 22 saves in a 1-0 shutout win at Grand Rapids on New Year’s Eve, then stopped 35 of 36 shots as Hamilton earned a 2-1 win at Rockford on Jan. 2. He made 24 saves as the Bulldogs defeated Grand Rapids again on Jan. 4, and finished the week with a 32-save effort in a 2-1 loss at Toronto on Jan. 5. Halak was named one of the three stars of the game in each of his four starts.
In recognition of his achievement, Halak will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Bulldogs home game.
A 2003 draft pick by the Montreal Canadiens, Halak is 9-7-2 with a 2.26 GAA, a .922 save percentage and two shutouts in 19 games for Hamilton this season. The 22-year-old native of Bratislava, Slovakia, has appeared in 60 career AHL games with the Bulldogs, going 32-24-2 with a franchise-record 11 shutouts. Halak is also 10-6-0 in 17 career NHL outings with Montreal, including one appearance this season, and was an AHL All-Star in 2007 and a member of the AHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2006-07.
Other nominees for Rbk/AHL Player of the Week include Albany left wing Yannick Tifu, Binghamton right wing Niko Dimitrakos, Bridgeport left wing Jeff Tambellini, Chicago center Jason Krog, Grand Rapids center Darren Helm, Hershey left wing Grant Potulny, Houston center Serge Payer, Iowa right wing Konstantin Pushkarev, Lowell right wing Trevor Kell, Manchester center Brian Boyle, Manitoba left wing Michael Grabner, Milwaukee center Rich Peverley, Peoria goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu, Philadelphia center Ryan Potulny, Portland center Geoff Platt, Providence center Vladimir Sobotka, Quad City center Krys Kolanos, Rochester left wing Stefan Meyer, Rockford center Colin Fraser, Springfield center Marc Pouliot, Syracuse right wing Adam Pineault, Toronto goaltender Justin Pogge, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton center Chris Minard and Worcester right wing Graham Mink.
