Grand Rapids Griffins’ Calvin Pickard named CCM/AHL Player of the Week

The American Hockey League announced Monday that Grand Rapids Griffins goaltender Calvin Pickard was selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Jan. 12.

Pickard saved 82 of the 86 shots he faced in his three victories last week, helping the Griffins catapult from last place into a tie for fourth in the Central Division.

On Wednesday night, Pickard made 29 saves as Grand Rapids went into Milwaukee and beat the division-leading Admirals 3-2. On Friday, Pickard stopped all 23 shots he faced in the Griffins’ 1-0 home win over Manitoba. And on Saturday, he finished with 30 saves in Grand Rapids’ 6-2 victory over the Moose. Pickard was recalled by Detroit on Sunday and was on the bench for the Red Wings’ game vs. Buffalo that evening.

Pickard is the first Griffins player to garner Player of the Week accolades since netminder Jared Coreau on Feb. 18, 2018.

Pickard has made 24 appearances for Grand Rapids this season, ranking fifth in the AHL in minutes played (1,446) while posting a record of 13-8-3 with a 2.90 goals against average, a 0.902 save percentage and two shutouts. The eighth-year pro from Moncton, New Brunswick, has also seen action in two NHL games with Detroit in 2019-20, becoming the 181st Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his Detroit debut on Nov. 29 at Philadelphia. A Calder Cup champion with Toronto in 2018, Pickard has played in 224 regular season games in the AHL and has a record of 106-79-30 with a 2.64 GAA, a 0.913 save percentage and 14 shutouts. He was originally selected by Colorado in the second round of the 2010 NHL draft and has made 106 career appearances in the NHL with Detroit, Arizona, Philadelphia, Toronto and Colorado.

In recognition of being named the CCM/AHL Player of the Week, Pickard will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Griffins home game.