Fast Facts: Moose at Rockford – Jan. 31

The Manitoba Moose close out the month of January by opening up a run of six straight away from Winnipeg. The first opponents on the board are the Rockford IceHogs. The Moose have points in all three games against Rockford this season with a 2-0-1 mark. Manitoba rolls into the contest after posting three wins in the past four games, all against division-leaders. Coverage of tonight's 7 p.m. CT matchup begins at 6:45 p.m. CT on CJOB.com/sports and AHLTV.

Leapin’ Leon

Leon Gawanke scored a power play goal in Manitoba’s win over Toronto on Sunday. The Berlin, Germany product’s tally was his 11th of the season, which represents a new AHL career high. The goal gives the defenceman 20 points (11G, 9A) in 37 games and makes him the second Moose defender to break the 20-point plateau this season. Gawanke is currently riding a three-game goal streak and has found twine in four of his past five contests. Gawanke, a fifth round pick of Winnipeg in 2017, also paces the defence with five of his 11 goals coming by way of the power play. That mark also ties the defender for first in the AHL among blue liners. The Moose record stands at 7–2-2-0 when Gawanke scores a goal.

Primed for New Heights

Declan Chisholm notched an assist in Manitoba’s home win against the Marlies. Chisholm, who has racked up six points (1G, 5A) over his past five games, is the second Moose skater to hit the 30-point mark this season. The defenceman, who was drafted by Winnipeg in the fifth round in 2018, stands with 30 points (4G, 26A) in 39 games. The 30-point mark ties the defenceman’s previous career high from 2021-22, which he achieved in  53 contests. Chisholm has eight multi-point games under his belt this season, which surpasses the seven multi-point occurrences in 2021-22 with Manitoba.

Penalty Kill Prowess

Manitoba’s penalty kill was on display in a pair of contests against Toronto. The squad found themselves shorthanded four times in each contest and was able to successfully kill off all eight penalties against Toronto’s top-ranked power play. Manitoba has been shorthanded 158 times this season and has allowed 26 power play goals against. That mark is good for an 83.5% kill rate, which ranks the team sixth overall in the league. The squad also sits tied for fifth in the league with four shorthanded goals. In any game this campaign where the Moose are perfect on the penalty kill, the record stands at 13-3-1-1. In addition, when the Moose are on the road and don’t give up a power play marker, Manitoba stands at 8-1-0-0.

Simon Says

Simon Lundmark recorded a primary assist in the first period of Sunday’s win. The helper was a new-career high for the defenceman and gives the Stockholm, Sweden product 13 points (2G, 11A) in 40 games. Lundmark, who has skated in 97 career games for the Moose, is now one point shy of equaling his 2021-22 rookie totals in 17 less games. Lundmark, a second pick of Winnipeg in 2019, sits tied for third among Moose defenders in scoring.

Who's Trending?

Ville Heinola recorded a secondary assist in Manitoba’s Sunday win over Toronto. The assist gives the defenceman points in seven straight games played where he’s recorded nine points (1G, 8A). That streak is the longest of his AHL career to date. Heinola paces both the defence and the club with a plus-16 rating.