SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Adirondack Phantoms goaltender Brian Stewart has been named the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Jan. 2, 2011. Stewart made four appearances and went 3-0-0 for the Phantoms, stopping 93 of 98 shots for a 1.34 goals-against average and a .949 save percentage.
Stewart began his week with a perfect relief outing on Wednesday, stopping all 16 shots in 33 minutes of work vs. Manchester. He then got the call in all three of Adirondack’s weekend games, beginning Friday when he made 27 saves through regulation and overtime before stopping all four shootout attempts to preserve a 3-2 victory over Springfield, his first AHL win of the season. Stewart stopped 18 of 19 shots on Saturday in a 2-1 decision over Albany, and he made 32 saves in Sunday’s 3-2 shootout win at Rochester as the Phantoms put together their first three-game winning streak since January 2010.
In recognition of his achievement, Stewart will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Phantoms home game.
Stewart, a rookie from Burnaby, B.C., is now 3-5-0 (3.22, .886) in nine games for Adirondack in 2010-11. Stewart signed with the Philadelphia Flyers as a free agent on Apr. 19, 2010, after four seasons at Northern Michigan University, where he went 18-11-7 as a senior last year.
Other nominees for Reebok/AHL Player of the Week include Abbotsford goaltender Leland Irving, Albany center Michael Swift, Bridgeport left wing Micheal Haley, Charlotte goaltender Justin Pogge, Chicago defenseman Paul Postma, Connecticut defenseman Wade Redden, Hamilton center Dustin Boyd, Hershey goaltender Braden Holtby, Houston center Cody Almond, Lake Erie right wing Matthew Ford, Manchester goaltender Martin Jones, Manitoba defenseman Mark Flood, Milwaukee left wing Ryan Thang, Peoria goaltender Jake Allen, Portland center Paul Byron, Rochester defenseman Clay Wilson, Rockford goaltender Hannu Toivonen, San Antonio right wing Matt Watkins, Syracuse center Trevor Smith, Texas left wing Fabian Brunnstrom, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton right wing Nick Johnson and Worcester defenseman Matt Irwin.
Also see: Past winners, AHL Player of the Week
