Springfield, Massachusetts …National Hockey League announced today Toronto Marlies forward Alex Stevestexas star forward Justin Hekovian and Hartford Wolf Pack goalie. Dylan Garland Has been selected as the winner of the December Alliance Award.
Steves AHL Player of the MonthPlayed 10 games for Toronto in December, scoring 7 goals and 9 assists for 16 points.
After three weeks in the NHL, Steves returned to the Marlies lineup on December 6, scoring a goal and an assist in the regular season and scoring a goal in the shootout to help Toronto win. Beat Laval 3-2. He scored twice in the rematch against the Rockets on December 7, then hit a three-pointer each against Lehigh Valley on December 10 and Bakersfield on December 14 to help the Marlies. The team won consecutive comebacks. Steves ended the month on a five-game winning streak, including scoring the winning goal in a Boxing Day victory over Belleville at Scotiabank Arena.
Steves played 21 games for Mali this season and scored a total of 28 points (16 goals, 12 assists), leading the team in goals, points and plus-minus (+13). The 25-year-old St. Paul, Minn., native totaled 85 goals and 97 assists for 182 points in 209 AHL games over four seasons with the Marlies, earning a spot in the 2024 AHL All-Star Game. Opportunity for the Star Classic. Steves signed with the Maple Leafs as a free agent from Notre Dame on March 28, 2021.
Hrykovian AHL Rookie of the MonthHe made his NHL debut this month after scoring seven goals and 10 points in 10 games for Texas in December.
On December 3, Hrykovian provided two assists in the Stars’ 5-3 victory over Ontario and another assist in the Stars’ 4-2 victory over Henderson on December 8. On the same day, he scored twice against Chicago. On March 21, Hrykovian scored a goal in Texas’ 4-0 victory over Milwaukee, and then scored twice in a 3-2 victory over Grand Rapids. —He scored seven goals in six games. After the Christmas break, Hrykovian was recalled by Dallas and appeared in two games for his parent club, the Stars, including his NHL debut on December 29 in Chicago.
Hrykovian, 23, joins the Stars as a free agent on March 20, 2024, after spending three seasons at Northeastern University, where he served as captain in the 2023-24 season and was a two-time All-American. The best defensive forward in the Hockey East Conference. The Isla-Bizard, Que., native is currently tied for the AHL rookie lead with 12 goals and 26 points, and his +17 rating leads all forwards in the entire league. Hrykovian made his debut at Texas late last season, scoring three points in 12 regular season games and four points in seven games in the Calder Cup playoffs.
Garland AHL Goaltender of the MonthIn December, the Wolfpack allowed just eight goals on 192 shots in six starts, a 1.35 goals-against average and a .958 save percentage (two shutouts).
Garland made 31 saves in a 6-1 win over Bridgeport on Dec. 4, then stopped two straight games and saved 24 shots against Rockford on Dec. 6. Saved 31 shots against Hershey on December 11. Garland extended his shutout streak to 197 minutes and 2 seconds against Laval on December 14 with 34 saves in a 1-0 loss to Providence on December 20 In the game, 43 of 44 shots were saved and he was named the first star of the game.
Garland, 22, who was born in Victoria, British Columbia, has a record of 9 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses for Hartford this season, with a goals against average of 2.25, a save percentage of 0.926, and was shut down twice. Block. The third-year pro has a 38-36-10 record, a 2.89 GAA and a .901 save percentage in 88 career regular season games with seven shutouts for the Wolfpack and also helped Hartford The Dede have reached the conference finals of the Calder Cup playoffs the last two postseason games (10-7, 2.21, .927). Garland, a fourth-round pick of the New York Rangers in the 2020 NHL Draft, is the Canadian Hockey League’s 2021-22 Goaltender of the Year and won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship.
