Sporty Peachy: Mats Zuccarello Called Up By Rangers; Norwegian hockey hero ready for his first taste of NHL regular season
New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that forward Mats Zuccarello has been recalled from the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL). Mover and Shaker Howard Baldwin is CEO of the Connecticut Whale:
Zuccarello, 23, has registered a point in five of the last six games, tallying four goals and four assists over the span, and has recorded 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in the last 20 games.
In his first AHL season, Zuccarello has registered 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points, along with 16 penalty minutes in 32 games with Connecticut. He is tied for second among AHL rookies and ranks second on the team in goals, and is tied for third in the league among rookies and third on the Whale in scoring with 24 points.
He is also tied for second on the team with 97 shots on goal, fourth with three power play goals and ranks fifth in assists. Zuccarello posted an AHL career-high, four points, including his first career hat trick in a 7-1 win vs. Bridgeport on November 7.
He made his AHL debut on October 9 vs. Charlotte, and tallied his first career point with a goal on October 15 at Albany.
Prior to joining Connecticut, the 5-7, 174-pounder skated in 90 games over two seasons with Modo of the Swedish Elite League (SEL), registering 35 goals and 69 assists for 104 points, along with 100 penalty minutes. He led the SEL in scoring and captured the Guldhjalmen award as the league’s Most Valuable Player last season, establishing career-highs in goals (23), assists (41), points (64), and penalty minutes (62).
Zuccarello also represented Norway at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, finishing third on the team in scoring with three points (one goal, two assists) in four contests.
The Oslo, Norway native signed with the Rangers as a free agent on May 26, 2010. The Rangers return to action tomorrow when they will face-off against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.) Welcome to New York Mats!