SHELDON DRIES NAMED AHL PLAYER OF THE MONTH FOR FEBRUARY

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- The American Hockey League announced today that Abbotsford Canucks forward Sheldon Dries, Tucson Roadrunners forward Matias Maccelli and Laval Rocket goaltender Kevin Poulin have been selected as the league’s award winners for February.

Dries, the AHL Player of the Month, scored 12 goals and added seven assists for 19 points in 11 games for Abbotsford during February.

Dries had four multiple-goal efforts on the month, beginning Feb. 7 when he scored twice and added an assist in Abbotsford’s 8-5 win over Tucson. He notched two assists in a 5-0 win over the Roadrunners on Feb. 9, then set a career high with four goals to help the Canucks to an 8-2 win over Manitoba on Feb. 11. Dries scored twice in a 5-2 win at Bakersfield on Feb. 16, and netted both Abbotsford goals in a 4-2 loss to Colorado on Feb. 20. He closed out the month with another three-point game, posting a goal and two assists as the Canucks defeated Stockton, 6-2, on Feb. 27. Ten of Dries’ 12 goals came on the power play, helping the Canucks go 18-for-54 (33.3 percent) with the man advantage during the month.

Dries is now tied for the AHL lead with 28 goals and ranks seventh with 48 points in 38 games for Abbotsford this season. The fifth-year pro from Macomb, Mich., has played 201 games in the AHL with Abbotsford, Colorado and Texas, totaling 76 goals and 58 assists for 134 points. He also has 11 goals in 26 career postseason games, reaching the Calder Cup Finals with Texas in 2018.

Dries, who signed as a free agent with Vancouver on July 28, 2021, has notched three goals and three assists in 50 career NHL games, including two contests with the Canucks in 2021-22.

Maccelli, the AHL Rookie of the Month, recorded four goals and 15 assists for 19 points in 10 games for Tucson during February.

After tallying two assists at San Diego on Feb. 4, Maccelli notched a goal and two assists in the Roadrunners’ 5-4 win over the Gulls on Feb. 5, then contributed four assists at Abbotsford on Feb. 7. He had a three-assist performance as Tucson earned a 3-1 victory at Colorado on Feb. 11, and his three-point night on Feb. 19 helped the Roadrunners rally for a 4-3 win over Henderson. Maccelli registered his sixth multiple-point game of the month on Feb. 26, when he picked up two more assists in a 6-5 win over Ontario.

Maccelli, who was also named AHL Rookie of the Month in November, is the first player to win the honor twice since Frank Vatrano in 2015-16.

A fourth-round choice by Arizona in the 2019 NHL Draft, the 21-year-old Maccelli leads all AHL rookies in scoring and is up to third in the AHL overall with 55 points (14 goals, 41 assists) in 42 games. He is poised to make his NHL debut this week after being recalled by the Coyotes on Feb. 28. Maccelli played the last two seasons with Ilves Tampere in Finland’s SM-liiga, and represented Finland at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Poulin, the AHL Goaltender of the Month, went 5-0-1 during six starts in February, stopping 171 of 181 shots to record a 1.63 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage for Laval.

Poulin got the call against conference-leading Utica on Feb. 2 and made 25 saves to backstop the Rocket to a 4-2 victory. Two nights later, he made 32 stops in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Comets, and he turned aside 23 shots on Feb. 9 as Laval defeated Syracuse, 6-2. Poulin allowed just one goal in each of his last three starts for the month, earning victories on Feb. 11 vs. Syracuse (19 saves in a 2-1 OT win), Feb. 12 vs. Syracuse (38 saves in a 5-1 win), and Feb. 28 vs. Cleveland (34 saves in a 2-1 shootout win).

Poulin has made 12 appearances for Laval this season and has a record of 8-3-1 with a 2.38 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. In 204 career AHL games with Laval, Ontario, Grand Rapids, Stockton and Bridgeport, Poulin has gone 93-86-21 while posting a 2.80 GAA, a .912 save percentage and 10 shutouts.

Originally a fifth-round selection by the New York Islanders in the 2008 NHL Draft, Poulin has appeared in 50 NHL games, going 18-25-3 (3.07, .899).