SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that the Toronto Marlies are ahead Alex StevesTexas Stars ahead Justin Hryckowian and goalie for the Hartford Wolf Pack Dylan Garand they were named as league winners in December.
Steves, the AHL Player of the Monthrecorded seven goals and nine assists for 16 points in 10 games for Toronto during December.
Steeves returned to the Marlies roster on Dec. 6 after three weeks in the NHL and recorded a goal and an assist on a layup and a goal on a shootout as Toronto beat Laval, 3-2. He scored two more points in a rematch with the Rockets on Dec. 7, then had a three-point game on Dec. 10 vs. Lehigh Valley and Dis. 14 vs. Bakersfield as the Marlies posted consecutive come-from-behind victories. Steeves finished the month on a five-game scoring streak, including the winner in the Boxing Day win over Belleville at the Scotiabank Arena.
Steeves has tallied 28 points (16 goals, 12 assists) in 21 games for the Marlies this season, leading the team in goals, points and plus/minus ratio (+13). The 25-year-old native of Saint Paul, Minn., has compiled 85 goals and 97 assists for 182 points in 209 AHL games over four seasons with the Marlies, and earned a trip to the AHL All-Star Classic in 2024. He also appeared in 11 NHL games – including four this season – with the Toronto Maple Leafs, posting one assist. Steeves signed with the Leafs as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Notre Dame on Mar. 28, 2021.
Hryckowian, the AHL Rookie of the Monthposted seven goals and 10 points in 10 games for Texas in December, and capped the month by making his NHL debut.
Hryckowian recorded two assists in the Stars’ 5-3 win at Ontario on Dec. 3, and picked up another assist in a 4-2 win at Henderson on Dec. 8. Had a two-goal outing against Chicago on Dec. 13. , then scored against the Wolves again the next night and another against Grand Rapids on Dec. 17. Hryckowian had a shutout in Texas’s 4-0 win at Milwaukee on Dec. 21 before scoring twice in a 3-2 win at Grand Rapids on Dec. 22 – giving him seven goals in a six-game span. Recalled by Dallas after the Christmas break, Hryckowian skated in two games for the parent Stars, including his NHL debut on Dec. 29 in Chicago.
Hryckowian, 23, joined the Stars organization as a free agent on March 20, 2024, following three seasons at Northeastern University, where he was a captain in 2023-24 and was twice voted the best defensive forward in the Hockey East conference. The native of Ile-Bizard, Que., is currently tied for the AHL lead among rookies with 12 goals and 26 points, while his 17 save average leads the entire league. Hryckowian made his pro debut with Texas at the end of last season, recording three points in 12 regular season games and four points in seven contests during the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Garand, the AHL Goaltender of the Monthallowed just eight goals on 192 shots in six starts for the Wolf Pack during December, good for a 1.35 goals-against average and a .958 save percentage with two shutouts.
Garand started the month making 31 saves in a 6-1 win at Bridgeport on Dec. 4 before posting back-to-back shutouts, stopping 24 shots on Dec. 6 vs. Rockford and 31 shots on Dec. 11 vs. Hershey. Garand ran his shutout streak to 197 minutes, 2 seconds while making 34 saves against Laval on Dec. 14, and was named the game’s first star after stopping 43 of 44 shots in a 1-0 loss to Providence on Dec. 20. .
A 22-year-old native of Victoria, BC, Garand has a 9-4-2 record with a 2.25 goals-against average, .926 save percentage and two shutouts for Hartford this season. The third-year starter is 38-36-10 with a 2.89 GAA, .901 save percentage and seven shutouts in 88 regular-season games for the Wolf Pack, and has led Hartford to the division finals of the Calder Cup Playoffs. each of the last two seasons (10-7, 2.21, .927). Garand, a fourth-round pick by the New York Rangers in the 2020 NHL Draft, was the Canadian Hockey League’s goaltender of the year in 2021-22 and a gold medalist with Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship.
