SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Rockford IceHogs forward Cole Guttman, Manitoba Moose forward Brad Lambert and Charlotte Checkers goaltender Spencer Knight have been selected as the league’s award winners for March.
Guttman, the AHL Player of the Month, tallied 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points, along with a plus-13 rating, in 12 games for Rockford as the team went 10-2-0-0 during the month of March.
Guttman began his tear on Mar. 2 when he notched two goals and an assist in a 5-4 overtime win at Grand Rapids. He tallied a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win at Chicago on Mar. 9, and scored his first career shorthanded goal in a 4-3 OT victory against San Jose on Mar. 16. Guttman then notched two goals each on Mar. 17 vs. San Jose and Mar. 23 vs. Grand Rapids, and he set a personal best with four points (1g, 3a) during a 5-1 win at Milwaukee on Mar. 29.
With points in eight straight games – including six consecutive multiple-point outings – Guttman now has 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points in 36 games for the IceHogs this season. He has also skated in 27 NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023-24, posting four goals and four assists. A product of the University of Denver, where he captained the Pioneers to the 2022 national championship, Guttman has totaled 32 goals and 37 assists for 69 points in 75 games with Rockford over his first two pro seasons, along with eight goals and six assists in 41 NHL games with Chicago. The 24-year-old native of Northridge, Calif., was originally a sixth-round choice by Tampa Bay in the 2017 NHL Draft and signed with the Blackhawks on Aug. 18, 2022.
Lambert, the AHL Rookie of the Month, posted four goals and 14 assists for 18 points in 13 games for Manitoba during March.
Lambert scored a goal in the Moose’s 7-3 win over Texas on Mar. 2, kicking off a six-game scoring streak. He recorded his first career three-point game with a goal and two assists in a 5-4 win at Milwaukee on Mar. 6, then duplicated that feat four days later at Iowa and again on Mar. 19 vs. Grand Rapids. Lambert had two other games with two assists each, on Mar. 16 at Chicago and Mar. 24 vs. Abbotsford.
A 20-year-old native of Lahti, Finland, Lambert leads the Moose and ranks second among all AHL rookies in scoring with 49 points (19 goals, 30 assists) in 56 games this season. The 2024 AHL All-Star was a first-round pick (30th overall) by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2022 NHL Draft and made his North American debut with Manitoba last season, notching two goals and an assist in 14 contests. Lambert also skated with Seattle (WHL) in 2022-23, helping them to a league championship and a berth in the Memorial Cup tournament.
Knight, the AHL Goaltender of the Month, went 5-1-1 with a 1.29 goals-against average, a .947 save percentage and three shutouts over seven appearances in March, stopping 162 of 171 shots overall and setting a Checkers franchise record for longest shutout streak.
Knight stopped 30 shots on Mar. 2 to earn his fifth straight win, a 4-2 decision at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and shut down Hartford with 20 saves in a 4-0 victory on Mar. 13. Knight allowed three goals to Springfield on Mar. 16 before Charlotte rallied for a 4-3 win, then registered back-to-back shutouts with 31 saves on Mar. 22 at Springfield and 19 stops on Mar. 27 at Hartford. He extended his scoreless streak to 213 minutes and 17 seconds before giving up the only goal in a 1-0 overtime loss at Bridgeport on Mar. 30.
A first-round selection (13th overall) by Florida in the 2019 NHL Draft, Knight has gone 23-13-5 in 42 appearances with the Checkers this season and ranks among the AHL’s leaders in wins (fifth), GAA (2.42, seventh), shutouts (5, third) and minutes played (2,404, fifth). The 22-year-old native of Darien, Conn., has appeared in 57 career NHL games with the Panthers, posting a record of 32-17-6 with a 2.91 GAA, a .906 save percentage and three shutouts.
