Monsters Goaltender Anton Forsberg Called Up by Blue Jackets; Call Up Thiessen

CLEVELAND – In advance of a road clash vs. the Milwaukee Admirals at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, the Lake Erie Monsters announced Saturday that goaltender Anton Forsberg was recalled by the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets for the first time this season.

Selected by Columbus in the seventh round of the 2011 NHL Draft with the 188th overall pick, Forsberg is 12-6-2 with a 2.60 goals-against average (GAA) and a .900 save percentage (S%) in a team-leading 21 appearances for the Monsters so far this season.

A 23 year-old native of Harnosand, Sweden, Forsberg appeared in five games for Columbus last year, posting a record of 0-4-0 with a 4.69 GAA and a .866 S%. Forsberg also spent parts of two AHL seasons with the Springfield Falcons, appearing in 34 combined games for Springfield from 2013 to 2015, posting a 23-8-1 record for the Falcons with a combined .930 S%.

The 6’2”, 176 lb. net-minder spent parts of two seasons with MODO of the SHL from 2011 to 2014 and appeared in 46 games for Swedish club Sodertalje SK during the 2012-13 campaign.

The Monsters also announced on Saturday that goaltender Brad Thiessen was recalled from the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones. In two relief appearances for the Monsters this season, Thiessen is 0-0-0 with a 2.60 GAA and a .850 S%. A 5’11”, 171 lb. seventh-year pro from Aldergrove, British Columbia, Thiessen is 8-3-3 in 15 appearances this season for Cincinnati with a 1.86 GAA and a .935 S%. Thiessen appeared in five NHL games for the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2011-12 season, posting a 3-1-0 record with a 3.72 GAA and a .877 S%.

In 201 career AHL appearances spanning parts of six seasons from 2009 to 2015 for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Norfolk Admirals and Adirondack Flames, Thiessen has 20 shutouts to his credit, along with a combined GAA of 2.54 and a S% of .908.

Prior to his professional career, Thiessen posted a 52-46-12 record in 111 NCAA appearances for Northeastern University with nine shutouts, a 2.40 GAA and a .922 S% spanning three seasons from 2006 to 2009. During his collegiate career, Thiessen was named a finalist for the 2008-09 Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player and earned 2008-09 Hockey East Player of the Year honors.

Next up for the Monsters, it’s a Saturday road clash vs. Milwaukee with full coverage underway from the BMO Harris Bradley Center at 8:00 pm on 99X and the Monsters Hockey Network.