JEFF TAFFE NAMED REEBOK/AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

The American Hockey League announced Monday that Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins center Jeff Taffe has been named the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Dec. 28, 2008. In three games, Taffe recorded two goals and seven assists for nine points as the Penguins went 3-0-0-0 on the week.

Taffe began the week by playing two NHL games with the parent Pittsburgh Penguins. Following the Christmas break, Taffe returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and promptly tied a franchise record with four assists in a 4-0 win at Philadelphia on Friday night.  He scored twice, including the 100th goal of his AHL career, and added two assists on Saturday in the Pens' 5-4 victory over Bridgeport, his second consecutive four-point performance, and chipped in one more assist to help Wilkes-Barre rally for a 6-3 win over Binghamton on Sunday.

In recognition of his achievement, Taffe will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Penguins home game.

Taffe has climbed to third on the AHL scoring list with 38 points (16 goals, 22 assists) in 28 games this season, and has also registered two assists in eight NHL contests with Pittsburgh.

The native of Hastings, Minn., a former first-round draft choice by the St. Louis Blues, has appeared in 282 career AHL games and has 100 goals and 116 assists for 216 points. He has added 20 goals and 22 assists in 153 NHL matches with Pittsburgh, Phoenix and the N.Y. Rangers.

Other nominees for Reebok/AHL Player of the Week include Albany left wing Michael Ryan, Binghamton goaltender Brian Elliott, Bridgeport center Ben Walter, Chicago right wing Joe Motzko, Grand Rapids right wing Darren Haydar, Hamilton defenseman Yannick Weber, Hartford center Artem Anisimov, Hershey center Keith Aucoin, Houston right wing Jesse Schultz, Iowa defenseman Brian Salcido, Lowell right wing Jon DiSalvatore, Manchester center Brian Boyle, Manitoba defenseman Nolan Baumgartner, Milwaukee defenseman Alexander Sulzer, Norfolk right wing Steve Downie, Peoria right wing Chris Conner, Portland left wing Mathieu Darche, Providence center Wacey Rabbit, Quad City left wing Kyle Greentree, Rochester left wing Karl Stewart, Rockford center Tim Brent, San Antonio right wing Steven Goertzen, Syracuse left wing John Vigilante and Toronto defenseman Staffan Kronwall.

In parts of two seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Taffe has recorded 59 points (27+32) in just 55 games.  That’s an average of 1.07 points per game with the team, third all-time on the team among players who have played at least 10 games:

Top Points Per Game Marks in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins History (as of December 29, 2008)
1.             John Slaney                        1.24 (110 points/89 games)
2.             Billy Tibbetts                       1.10 (68 points/62 games)
3.             JEFF TAFFE                        1.07 (59 points/55 games)
4.             Robert Nilsson                     1.05 (20 points/19 games)
5.             Milan Kraft                           1.01 (89 points.88 games)
6.             Krystofer Kolanos                  1.00 (18 points/18 games)
7.             CHRIS MINARD                    .976 (81 points/83 games)
8.             Alexander Daigle                 .95 (38 points/40 games)
9.             Marc-Antoine Pouliot           .939 (31 points/33 games)
10.          Jean-Francois Jacques     .931 (27 points/29 games)