ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Stuck in an early-season cycle that has seen them unable to stay above .500 for very long and having given up the second-most goals in the ECHL, the Newfoundland Growlers have made their first major roster move of the season, adding goaltender Angus Redmond on loan from the National Hockey League’s Anaheim Ducks.
To make room for the 24-year-old Redmond, Newfoundland has placed netminder Patrick Munson on waivers.
The defending ECHL champion Growlers have scored 43 goals, tied for most in the ECHL; on the other hand, they’ve given up 37, a number surpassed by only by the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
Even accounting for the fact Newfoundland has played 10 games to date, more than most clubs in the ECHL, it’s team goals-against average (3.70) is 19th-highest in the league.
The Growlers (5-5) were two games above .500 on Oct. 18, but have gone 2-4 since then.
ROSTER MOVE ↕️: The Anaheim Ducks have assigned goaltender Angus Redmond on loan to the Growlers.
— Newfoundland Growlers (@NLGrowlers) November 4, 2019
Full Release -->https://t.co/YgPDZchfl5#StandOnGuard pic.twitter.com/vVYKbiAefR
Redmond, who is in the third and final year of an entry-level contract with Anaheim, had been with the Ducks’ American Hockey League affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, but he hadn’t seen any playing minutes this season behind sixth-year pro Anthony Stolarz and fourth-year Kevin Boyle, both whom have seen time in the NHL.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound Redmond has had some brief stints in the AHL, including a couple of games with the Gulls last season, and even was recalled to the Ducks on an emergency basis last season, although he didn’t seen any NHL playing time.
However, the vast majority of Redmond’s time has been in the ECHL, and since Anaheim is one of six NHL teams without a formal ECHL affiliation, his professional life has been a nomadic one so far.
Besides Anaheim, other NHL teams without formal ECHL affiliates are Montreal, San Jose, Los Angeles, Florida and Columbus.
In fact, the Growlers will be the sixth ECHL stop for Redmond, who has also played for the Utah Grizzlies, Toledo Walleye, Reading Royals, South Carolina Stingrays and Jacksonville Icemen.
In 45 ECHL games, he has an overall 12-18-9 record, 3,50 GAA and .907 save percentage.
A native of Langley, B.C., who played for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the British Columbia junior A league, Redmond entered the NCAA ranks with Michigan Tech University. But after a single year in university, helping the Huskies to a WCHA title and being named to the conference’s all-rookie team, Redmond signed with the Ducks.
The Growlers’ goaltending tandem through the first 10 games of the season has consisted of Munson, a second-year pro, and rookie Maksim Zhukov.
Zhukov has played the most, going 3-4-0, with a 3.77 GAA and ugly .843 save percentage.
Munson won his last start, making 29 saves in a 5-2 victory in Worcester on Friday. And his numbers are better than Zhukov’s — a 2-1-0 record, 3.31 GAA and .904 save percentage — but Munson has the disadvantage of being signed to an ECHL contract, which can be terminated at any time. Zhukov, meanwhile, is on an AHL deal with the Toronto Marlies.
Over the summer, it had been expected that Newfoundland would start the season with Zhukov and fellow rookie Ian Scott in goal. However, Scott was hurt during the preseason and has been on the injured list ever since, with no timetable for the one-time Canadian world junior and Memorial Cup netminder to resume playing.
Twitter: @telybrendan
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