Milwaukee Admirals’ Pekka Rinne became the first AHL goaltender to win 30 games this season with a 23-save performance against Rockford this past Saturday night. Nashville Predators director of hockey operations had this to say about Rinne: “Judging by the workload he’s had this year, he can be a regular NHL player. The other thing he has (that) you can’t teach is size. He’s a big, lanky kid and he’s got long arms and legs, which sometimes for a goalie is a good build. He’s also very even-keeled. He doesn’t get too emotional, doesn’t get bothered by a goal or two, doesn’t get flustered by going into tough places to play. So I think the future is bright for him as an NHL goalie.”
Rinne has appeared in 2 career NHL games, winning (35 saves) his debut on December 15, 2005 vs. Chicago. Pekka was also recently rated by The Hockey News as the #3 prospect in the Nashville organization. Rinne currently leads the AHL in games played by a wide margin (58), is tied for the league lead in shutouts (5) and has emerged as one of the league’s top netminders; he should figure to be part of Nashville’s goalie rotation for the 2008-09 season.
March 12, 2008
By JOHN GLENNON
Staff Writer
Topping 30: Prospect goaltender Pekka Rinne recently became the first American Hockey League netminder this season to top the 30-win mark. Rinne is 31-23-2 for the Milwaukee Admirals, and has a .907 save percentage and a 2.53 goals against average. Rinne posted his fifth shutout of the season on Tuesday.