SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Toronto Marlies left wing Jiri Tlusty has been named the CCM/AHL Player of the Month for February. In 11 games last month, Tlusty notched 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points while recording a plus-11 rating.
Tlusty began the month by scoring Toronto’s only goal in a 4-1 loss to Syracuse on Feb. 7, and then he matched a franchise record with four assists in a 10-5 victory over Grand Rapids on Feb. 8. Tlusty recorded a goal and an assist on Feb. 11 vs. Syracuse and three more points (1-2-3) on Feb. 14 vs. Grand Rapids before scoring the winning goal in a 3-1 victory over Springfield on Feb. 15. Tlusty had the biggest game of his young career on Feb. 18, scoring five goals on five shots and posting a plus-6 rating to help the Marlies to an 8-5 win over Syracuse. After extending his scoring streak to nine games, Tlusty finished the month with two more three-point efforts, Feb. 22 at Rochester (2-1-3) and Feb. 28 at Hamilton (1-2-3).
In recognition of his achievement, Tlusty will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Marlies home game.
Tlusty leads the Marlies in goals (21) and ranks second on the club in assists (29) and points (50) in 49 games played this season. The 20-year-old native of Slany, Czech Republic, also has four assists in 14 NHL games with the parent Maple Leafs in 2008-09, and 10 goals and 10 assists in 74 career NHL contests. Tlusty was a first-round pick (13th overall) by Toronto in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
Other nominees for CCM/AHL Player of the Month include Albany right wing Jerome Samson, Binghamton center Peter Regin, Bridgeport center Ben Walter, Chicago right wing Jeff Hamilton, Grand Rapids right wing Darren Haydar, Hamilton goaltender Marc Denis, Hartford center Artem Anisimov, Houston right wing Jesse Schultz, Iowa center Petteri Wirtanen, Lowell right wing Matt Halischuk, Manchester right wing Teddy Purcell, Manitoba left wing Jason Jaffray, Norfolk right wing Brandon Segal, Peoria goaltender Manny Legace, Philadelphia center Jonathan Matsumoto, Portland left wing Tim Kennedy, Providence right wing Brad Marchand, Rochester right wing Michal Repik, Rockford center Tim Brent, San Antonio left wing David Spina, Syracuse center Derek MacKenzie, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton center Mark Letestu and Worcester right wing Ryan Vesce.
