Vanecek Named CCM/AHL Player of Week

December 19, 2016

(Hershey, PA- December 19, 2016)- Hershey Bears goaltender Vitek Vanecek has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Dec. 18, 2016. In recognition of his achievement, Vanecek will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Bears home game.

The 20-year-old rookie earned his third shutout of the season on Sunday evening for the Bears, stopping 22 shots in a 4-0 victory over Springfield in front of a sold-out crowd at the GIANT Center. Vanecek had a .964 save percentage last week, stopping 53 of 55 shots in two starts and posting a 1-0-1 record with a 0.96 goals against average. He stopped 31 shots to help Hershey earn a point in a 3-2 shootout loss to Lehigh Valley on Friday.

Vanecek is 8-3-3 in 14 appearances with the Bears in 2016-17, ranking sixth in the league with a 1.85 goals-against average, seventh with a .930 save percentage and tied for second with three shutouts. The native of Havlickuv Brod, Czech Republic, was a second-round pick of the Washington Capitals (39th overall) in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

This is the first AHL league honor for Vanecek. In his first professional season in 2015-16 with Hershey’s ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, Vanecek earned four league honors, including Goaltender of the Week, Rookie of the Month, Goaltender of the Month, and at the end of the season, ECHL All-Rookie Team honors.