Bellows Named CCM/AHL Player of the Month

The American Hockey League announced Thursday that Bridgeport Islanders forward Kieffer Bellows has been named the CCM/AHL Player of the Month for December. He scored 10 goals in 11 games for Bridgeport last month, including the first hat trick of his pro career.

Bellows began the month by scoring a goal in the Sound Tigers’ 5-4 shootout win at Utica on Dec. 6. He scored the winning goal in a 4-3 victory over the Comets on Dec. 13, and sparked a third-period comeback with a goal in Bridgeport’s eventual 3-2 win over Syracuse on Dec. 18. Bellows notched the decisive goal in a 3-0 decision over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Dec. 21, and his three goals in the third period against Springfield on Dec. 28 helped the Sound Tigers earn a point in a 4-3 overtime loss. Eight of Bellows’ 10 goals in December either tied the game or gave Bridgeport a lead.

A first-round choice (19th overall) by the New York Islanders in the 2016 NHL Draft, Bellows has 13 goals and 16 points in 33 games with Bridgeport this season. The 21-year-old native of Edina, Minn., has already surpassed the 12 goals he scored as a rookie in 2018-19, and now has 25 goals and 10 assists for 35 points in 106 career AHL outings with the Sound Tigers.

In addition, Utica Comets defenseman Brogan Rafferty (Rookie of the Month) and Chicago Wolves netminder Oscar Dansk (Goaltender of the Month) have been selected as the league’s other award winners for December.

Each monthly award winner will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming home game in recognition of his achievement.