February award winners announced

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Albany Devils right wing Mike Sislo, Hershey Bears right wing Riley Barber and Lake Erie Monsters goaltender Brad Thiessen have been selected as the CCM/AHL award winners for the month of February. 

Sislo, the CCM/AHL Player of the Month for February, tallied nine goals and seven assists for 16 points along with a plus-8 rating in 11 games for Albany during the month, helping the Devils to a 9-1-1-0 record. 

Sislo finished February on a 10-game scoring streak which included a stretch of eight consecutive contests in which he scored a goal – the longest such streak in the AHL this season. He tallied a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win over Hartford on Feb. 6, and scored both Devils goals in their only regulation loss of the month, a 3-2 setback vs. Providence on Feb. 9. Sislo’s shorthanded marker was the difference in a 1-0 win at Rochester on Feb. 12, and he assisted on the game-winning goal in a 3-2 overtime decision vs. Bridgeport on Feb. 14. His three-point effort in a 4-3 win over St. John’s on Feb. 24 was also his fifth multiple-point game of the month. 

Sislo leads the AHL with 26 goals and ranks fourth in the league with 50 points in 52 games with the Devils this season, while also appearing in four NHL games with New Jersey. The fifth-year pro from Superior, Wis., signed with the Devils organization after four seasons at the University of New Hampshire and has registered 91 goals and 93 assists for 184 points in 298 career AHL games with Albany; he has also recorded one assist in 28 career NHL games for New Jersey. 

In recognition of his achievement, Sislo will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Devils home game. 

Also see: Past winners, AHL Player of the Month

CCM/AHL Rookie of the MonthBarber, the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for February, registered eight goals and 10 assists for a league-high 18 points along with a plus-8 rating in 11 games last month, helping Hershey move into first place in the Atlantic Division. 

Barber began the month by recording a goal and an assist in the Bears’ 6-2 win at Binghamton on Feb. 5, and potted two goals and an assist in a 6-1 win over the Senators two days later. He had a second consecutive three-point outing with a goal and two assists vs. Bridgeport on Feb. 10, and notched a goal and an assist to lead Hershey to a 3-2 win over Providence on Feb. 20. In a 4-1 win at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Feb. 23, Barber extended his scoring streak to 10 games with a pair of points, including a penalty-shot goal, and he closed out February with a goal and an assist in the Bears’ 5-1 win over Utica on Feb. 28. 

A sixth-round selection by Washington in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Barber is tied for third among AHL rookies in goals (19) and points (43) while skating in 55 games for Hershey thus far. The 22-year-old native of Pittsburgh, Pa., starred for three seasons at Miami University and won a gold medal with the United States at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championships. 

In recognition of his achievement, Barber will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Bears home game.

Also see: Past winners, AHL Rookie of the Month

CCM/AHL Goaltender of the MonthIn nine appearances last month, Thiessen, the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for February, went 6-1-2 with a 1.75 goals-against average, a .937 save percentage and two shutouts, keeping the Monsters in the heart of a four-team battle for the top spot in the Central Division. 

Thiessen began the month with a 27-save performance in shutting out Charlotte, 1-0, on Feb. 5. He came back the next evening and stopped 22 shots in a 4-1 win over the Checkers, earning first-star honors for the second night in a row. Thiessen ran his personal winning streak to five games with a 24-save shutout of Chicago on Feb. 11, and earned another victory on Feb. 19 with a perfect relief outing in an overtime win against San Antonio. On Feb. 20, he shut out the Rampage for 59 minutes before settling for a shootout loss, stopping 34 of 36 shots and five of seven shootout attempts, and his 28 saves on Feb. 26 helped the Monsters to a crucial win over division-leading Rockford. 

Thiessen has appeared in 19 games with Lake Erie this season, showing a record of 10-3-4 with a 1.85 goals-against average, a .932 save percentage and three shutouts. The winner of the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Award as the AHL’s outstanding goaltender in 2010-11, Thiessen has played 220 career regular-season AHL contests and has gone 116-74-19 with a 2.48 GAA, a .910 save percentage and 23 shutouts. The seventh-year pro from Aldergrove, B.C., has also appeared in five career National Hockey League games, going 3-1-0 with Pittsburgh in 2011-12. 

In recognition of his achievement, Thiessen will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Monsters home game. 

Also see: Past winners, AHL Goaltender of the Month