Toledo Walleye Weekly Release No. 25: April 17, 2023

Overall Record: 45-19-5-3, 2nd Central Division, Current Streak: 1 Winless

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

April 14 at Kalamazoo (6-2 Loss)

April 15 vs. Kalamazoo (4-3 Win)

April 16 vs. Fort Wayne (3-2 OT Loss)

THIS WEEK’S GAMES (All Times Eastern)

April 21 vs. Indy at 7:15 p.m. (7 p.m., Fox Sports Radio 1230, BCSN)

April 22 vs. Indy at 7:15 p.m. (7 p.m., Fox Sports Radio 1230, BCSN)

Walleye Notes

Turning the page: After going 1-1-1 over the weekend, the Walleye finished off the regular season with a record of 45-19-5-3. On Friday, Toledo fell in game one of their home-and-home series with Kalamazoo. The Wings dominated on their home ice, scoring six goals to Toledo’s two. The Walleye turned things around on Saturday with a come from behind win over Kalamazoo at the Huntington Center. After trailing by three halfway into the game, Toledo rallied with four unanswered goals to split the series and end the season with a 9-4-1 record over Kalamazoo. On Sunday, Andrew Sturtz had a late game-tying goal in the regular season finale against Fort Wayne, but the Komets took the win halfway through the extra period. After ten games against Fort Wayne this season, Toledo finished with a record of 4-5-1.

Best fans in the league: The Toledo faithful showed up and showed out all season long. With a paid figure of 8,031 at the regular season finale on Sunday, the Walleye built on a new franchise record with their 15th consecutive sellout. Toledo finished second on the ECHL attendance list with an average of 7,713 over 36 total home contests.

A memorable night: Saving 23 of 26 Fort Wayne shots on Saturday night, 20-year-old netminder Jan Bednar secured his first professional win. This was the second start and third appearance in the Toledo net for the 2020 Detroit draft pick. Bednar was loaned to Toledo from Grand Rapids on March 17 after signing a Standard Player Contract with the Griffins two days earlier. The Czech native appeared in ten games with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL prior to his professional debut.

Welcome back to the pond: The Grand Rapids Griffins announced on Sunday that they reassigned seven players to Toledo. The additions to the Walleye playoff roster include forwards Trenton Bliss, Kirill Tyutyayev, and Drew Worrad, defensemen Seth Barton, Eemil Viro, and Donovan Sebrango, and goaltender John Lethemon. In 38 games for the Walleye this season, Trenton Bliss tallied 40 points (16G, 24A) while also earning the ECHL Rookie of the Month honor in January. Before being reassigned to Grand Rapids on March 13 for what ended up being the remainder of the Griffins’ season, John Lethemon made 26 appearances, 23 of them being starts, between the pipes for Toledo. The Michigan native accumulated an impressive record of 18-1-3 in the Walleye sweater. From January 11 to March 11, he posted a career-best 14-game winning streak consisting of four shutouts and earned himself the ECHL Goalie of the Month honor for February. He also finished second among all goaltenders in the league with a 1.99 goals against average.

Playoff preview: The Walleye will open playoff game play on Friday as they host the Indy Fuel in the first of four guaranteed games. While Toledo finished second in the Central Division with 98 points, Indy sat third with 91. The Walleye also took the season series with a record of 5-1-0. In those six games, Toledo outscored the Fuel 21-13 while picking up their five wins consecutively.

Walleye Player of the Week:

Gordie Green (1 goal, 4 assists = 5 points)

Walleye Goaltender of the Week:

Jan Bednar (1-0-0, 3.00 GAA, .885 save %)