The Rangers have agreed to terms with goaltender Matt Zaba.
Zaba, 25, appeared in 41 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL), posting a record of 25-10-0, along with a 2.33 goals against average, a .920 save percentage and two shutouts. The AHL rookie ranked among the league leaders in several categories, including seventh in goals against average, tied for eighth in save percentage and tied for 12th in wins.
He made his AHL debut on October 18 at Toronto, and earned his first career AHL win on November 1 vs. Albany. On January 9, he recorded his first AHL shutout with a 40-save effort at Springfield. Named the AHL Goaltender of the Month for February, Zaba registered a season-high, seven-game winning streak from February 20 at Lowell to March 4 vs. Worcester, posting a 1.53 goals against average and a .952 save percentage during the stretch.
He closed out the regular season with a 14-2-0 mark, along with a 1.84 goals against average, a .937 save percentage and one shutout in 16 contests. In addition, Zaba appeared in six playoff games with Hartford, posting a 2-4-0 record with a 3.17 goals against average, a .908 save percentage and one shutout.
With Steve Valiquette signing a one year deal last month, Zaba is going to have another year in Hartford to prove his worth. It's possible that if he continues to put up strong numbers, he will be given serious consideration for the back up job next season. The Rangers are lacking organizational depth when it comes to goaltending. Especially since they have decided to not to offer Antoine Lafleur (2007 2nd rd.) a contract. They now only have two goaltenders in their system, Miika Wiikman and Zaba. There is little doubt that at some point in the upcoming draft the Rangers will select a goalie.
Original Story:
http://coblueshirts.blogspot.com/2009...
Zaba, 25, appeared in 41 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL), posting a record of 25-10-0, along with a 2.33 goals against average, a .920 save percentage and two shutouts. The AHL rookie ranked among the league leaders in several categories, including seventh in goals against average, tied for eighth in save percentage and tied for 12th in wins.
He made his AHL debut on October 18 at Toronto, and earned his first career AHL win on November 1 vs. Albany. On January 9, he recorded his first AHL shutout with a 40-save effort at Springfield. Named the AHL Goaltender of the Month for February, Zaba registered a season-high, seven-game winning streak from February 20 at Lowell to March 4 vs. Worcester, posting a 1.53 goals against average and a .952 save percentage during the stretch.
He closed out the regular season with a 14-2-0 mark, along with a 1.84 goals against average, a .937 save percentage and one shutout in 16 contests. In addition, Zaba appeared in six playoff games with Hartford, posting a 2-4-0 record with a 3.17 goals against average, a .908 save percentage and one shutout.
With Steve Valiquette signing a one year deal last month, Zaba is going to have another year in Hartford to prove his worth. It's possible that if he continues to put up strong numbers, he will be given serious consideration for the back up job next season. The Rangers are lacking organizational depth when it comes to goaltending. Especially since they have decided to not to offer Antoine Lafleur (2007 2nd rd.) a contract. They now only have two goaltenders in their system, Miika Wiikman and Zaba. There is little doubt that at some point in the upcoming draft the Rangers will select a goalie.
Original Story:
http://coblueshirts.blogspot.com/2009...
