SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Ontario Reign forward Martin Frk, Tucson Roadrunners forward Matias Maccelli and Colorado Eagles goaltender Justus Annunen have been selected as the league’s award winners for November.
Frk, the AHL Player of the Month, totaled five goals and nine assists for 14 points in eight games for Ontario in November.
Frk’s offensive output came within the first five games of the month, posting back-to-back four-point games followed by a run of three consecutive two-point efforts. On Nov. 3, he notched two goals and two assists to lead the Reign to a 5-2 win at Henderson. He came back with another two-goal, two-assist night on Nov. 6 as Ontario defeated Bakersfield, 6-3. Frk tallied two assists in a 4-3 win over Colorado on Nov. 7, recorded a goal and an assist at Tucson on Nov. 12, and dished out two more assists against the Roadrunners on Nov. 13.
Frk ranks third in the AHL with 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 15 games this season for Ontario. The ninth-year pro from Pelhrimov, Czech Republic, has totaled 106 goals and 94 assists for 200 points in 293 career AHL games with Ontario and Grand Rapids, and has added 25 points in 30 postseason outings, winning a Calder Cup championship with the Griffins in 2017. Frk represented the Reign at the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic in Ontario, where he shattered an AHL Skills Competition record with a shot clocked at 109.2 miles per hour.
Originally a second-round choice by Detroit in the 2012 NHL Draft, Frk has played 118 games in the National Hockey League with Carolina, Detroit and Los Angeles, recording 18 goals and 21 assists for 39 points.
Maccelli, the AHL Rookie of the Month, tallied six goals and eight assists for 14 points in eight games for Tucson during November.
After notching an assist at Henderson on Nov. 6, Maccelli scored the first three goals of his AHL career on Nov. 12, part of a five-point night in an 8-4 win over Ontario. He picked up another assist on Nov. 13 against Ontario, and finished the month with goals in three straight games, beginning with the Roadrunners’ 2-1 win at Iowa on Nov. 21. Maccelli tallied a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over Abbotsford on Nov. 26, and notched a goal and three assists as Tucson rallied for a 5-4 victory over the Canucks on Nov. 27.
A fourth-round choice by Arizona in the 2019 NHL Draft, the 21-year-old Maccelli played the last two seasons with Ilves Tampere in Finland’s SM-liiga, and represented Finland at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Annunen, the AHL Goaltender of the Month, was 5-1-2 in eight starts during November, posting a 1.83 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage.
Each of Annunen’s first seven appearances last month were one-goal games, beginning with his 29-save effort in a 2-1 win over Texas on Nov. 2. He stopped 21 shots in a 3-2 victory at San Diego on Nov. 6, and made 30 saves as the Eagles defeated Texas, 2-1, in a shootout on Nov. 12. Annunen made 23 saves as Colorado edged Henderson, 2-1, on Nov. 20, and stopped a season-high 36 shots in a 5-1 win over Stockton on Nov. 27.
Annunen, 21, was a third-round choice by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2018 NHL Draft and made his North American debut last season with the Eagles, appearing in two regular-season games and one playoff contest. Annunen played two seasons for Karpat in the Finnish SM-liiga and was a member of Finland’s team at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship.