The rookie and the vet: Swayman, Copley both unbeaten in AHL
Jeremy Swayman
There are three Alaska goalies in the American Hockey League. Two of them are currently undefeated – the rookie and the veteran.
Rookie Jeremy Swayman of Anchorage has won his first three starts with the Providence Bruins.
Seventh-year vet and former NHL netminder Pheonix Copley of North Pole has a 1-0-1 record with the Hershey Bears.
Copley owns a 91-56-22 record in the AHL – the primary developmental league for the NHL.
The former Michigan Tech standout owns a 1.97 goals-against average this season with a .920 save percentage.
Pheonix Copley
Last year, he matched his career-high as a pro with 17 wins and had separate unbeaten streaks of eight and seven games.
In 2017, Copley was in net for Hershey when it won a first-round series in the Calder Cup playoffs.
In 2018, he was on the roster with the Washington Capitals when they won the Stanley Cup.
Copley ranks second all-time among Alaskans with 16 NHL wins.
Swayman, on the other hand, is just getting started in his professional career.
Last year’s top college goalie ranks fifth in the AHL with a 2.0 GAA after turning aside a career-high 34 shots in a 5-2 win over Hartford.
Andrew Shortridge
Swayman owns a .928 save percentage on the season.
The former University of Maine star won the 2020 Mike Richter Award and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker.
Anchorage’s Andrew Shortridge is the third Alaska goalie in the AHL after he was recently recalled to the Stockton Heat from the ECHL.
The former Quinnipiac netminder is yet to play in the AHL this season but he has 15 games of experience in the league over the previous two seasons with the San Jose Barracuda.