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St. John’s IceCaps’ Three Stars of January

Posted on by Andrew Zadarnowski

January was a very difficult month for the St. John’s IceCaps.

In 11 games, eight of which were on home ice, they managed to grab only three victories, for a mere 0.409 points percentage. The poor homestand was of particular concern, only winning two games.

So far this season, goals for and goals against have managed to keep pace with one another. However, in January the offence dried up completely, dropping from 3.00 in December to 1.91 goals for per game.

It can be reasoned that the IceCaps were missing most of their top scorers for parts of January, but that’s the reality of every AHL team. The IceCaps needed to be better prepared to overcome the issues.

Three Stars

Chris Terry

Terry played in only half the games in January after being recalled by the Montreal Canadiens. In those six games he managed to put up six points, the most of any IceCaps player, including the five forwards who played in at least 10 out of the 11 games that month.

His presence continues to be a massive boon for the team, injecting immediate talent to the first line. His contribution was recognized when he was selected to replace Mark Barberio, who is currently still with the Canadiens, at the 2017 AHL All-Star game.

Yann Danis

In his five starts in January, Danis only won two games. With a .926 save percentage and a 2.34 goals against average, his numbers demonstrate that he did his absolute best to keep the IceCaps in the games he backstopped.

He faced 30 shots or more on three out of his five starts, including a 44-shot shelling against the Toronto Marlies to close out the month.

Max Friberg

In a month where the offence was not winning games for the IceCaps, it was the captain who was at least trying to keep the opponents from scoring.

Friberg doesn’t show up on the scoresheet too often, so he doesn’t always get the credit for his tireless work ethic. In addition to killing penalties, Friberg is quite at home on the third line where he defends against the opponent’s top lines.

He is, in one sense, the IceCaps’ equivalent of Tomas Plekanec.

Goal of the Month

Notable Cheers

  • After returning from his stint with the Canadiens, Michael McCarron picked up where he left off, providing dominant play with the puck, and causing chaos in front of the net. He scored one of only three game-winning goals.
  • Since signing a PTO, forward Anthony Camara has impressed by scoring a goal and two assists in five games. /

  • The defence is starting to chip in on the offence. All eight defenceman who played at least one game registered a point. Leading the pack were Joel Hanley (four assists), Tom Parisi (three assists), and Julien Brouillette (three assists).
  • Charles Hudon, who’s back from injury, looks to be rounding back into form./

Notable Jeers

  • Charlie Lindgren had a very difficult month, registering one win in six starts. His stats speak to his struggles, with an .880 save percentage and a 3.58 goals-against average.
  • Nikita Scherbak and Daniel Audette, two of the team’s top young prospects, completely ran dry in January. Each notched just one goal despite playing the majority of games.
  • The team’s penalty kill is almost a league worst at 76.9%, and they are the second most penalized team in the league. Definitely a terrible combination./

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