Levasseur named Player of the Week

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Syracuse Crunch goaltender Jean-Philippe Levasseur has been named the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Dec. 19, 2010. Levasseur stopped 96 of 100 shots in three appearances, going 2-0-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .960 save percentage for the Crunch.

Levasseur began the week on the bench but came on to stop 22 of 25 shots in two periods of relief work on Friday night at Binghamton. He earned the start against the league-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday and made the most of it, registering 42 saves against the Penguins for the second time this season and backstopping the Crunch to a 3-1 victory. On Sunday, Connecticut came to town without a regulation loss in its previous 10 games, and Levasseur turned aside all 32 shots he faced in a 5-0 win over the Whale.

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

A 23-year-old native of Victoriaville, Que., Levasseur improved his record to 5-6-2 with a 2.81 GAA and a .918 save percentage with two shutouts in 17 games for Syracuse this season. The fourth-year pro out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has made 93 career AHL appearances and was originally drafted by Anaheim in 2005.

Other nominees for Reebok/AHL Player of the Week include Adirondack goaltender Nic Riopel, Bridgeport left wing Micheal Haley, Charlotte right wing Jerome Samson, Chicago left wing Nigel Dawes, Connecticut center Kris Newbury, Grand Rapids right wing Francis Pare, Hamilton center Dustin Boyd, Hershey center Keith Aucoin, Houston center Cody Almond, Manchester goaltender Martin Jones, Manitoba goaltender Eddie Lack, Milwaukee goaltender Jeremy Smith, Norfolk center James Wright, Peoria right wing Derek Nesbitt, Portland defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani, Providence center Maxime Sauve, Rochester left wing Michael Duco, Rockford center Peter LeBlanc, San Antonio center Andrew Ebbett, Texas goaltender Richard Bachman and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton center Ryan Craig.

Also see: Past winners, AHL Player of the Week