New York Rangers top goalie prospect Igor Shesterkin has been named the AHL Goaltender of the Month for October.
New York Rangers prospect Igor Shesterkin has finally made the move to North America after dominating the KHL. The young Russian, who has been marketed as the heir apparent to team legend Henrik Lundqvist for years, has started the season with the Hartford Wolf Pack as he adjusts to the smaller ice in North America.
Shesterkin has gotten off to a great start in his first month in his new home. In fact, he’s been so good that he was named the AHL’s goalie of the month, a fact that the league announced on their Twitter account.
.@UticaComets forward Reid Boucher, @Chicago_Wolves rookie Lucas Elvenes and @WolfPackAHL netminder Igor Shesterkin are the @CCMHockey award winners for October.
Details: https://t.co/lgtpc1zNR0 pic.twitter.com/mZO0aSDtZZ
— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) November 1, 2019
Shesterkin made six appearances in his first month recording an amazing .942 save percentage with a 1.49 goals against average as he went 5-1-0. He’s hit the ground running. So much so that he might push the team to make their pending decision on Alexandar Georgiev sooner than expected.
Shesterkin is certainly no stranger to success as he dominated the KHL before signing with the Rangers. The 23-year-old recorded a .935 save percentage and a 1.68 GAA in 117 KHL games, including .953 and 1.11 numbers in his final year.
He’s also had success in international hockey representing his native Russia. He led the team to a silver medal in the World Junior Championships in 2015, putting up a .938 save percentage in five games.
He played excellent hockey in the 2018 World Championships, recording a .942 save percentage against senior-level players. He also won a gold medal with the Olympic Athletes from Russia in the PyeongChang games, although he did not play, as Vasily Koshechkin served as the primary goalie for that team.
His success has certainly carried over to the start of his AHL career, and he could make a push for an NHL spot sooner than expected.
