UPDATE: Matt Zaba just got back to us briefly and had this to tell Wolf Pack fans.
"I signed another one year deal. I'm really excited to be back with the Rangers
organization. Nothing's better than being part of an Original Six team. I'm hoping to build off last season and hopefully take
another step towards making the NHL."
If Zaba grows at the rate that he did this past season, don't be surprised if he doesn't wind up in NY at some point.
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The Rangers have announced that Matt Zaba will be back in Hartford after a terrific rookie campaign last season where he went 25-10-0 with a 2.33 GAA and a .920%. He’ll compete with Miika Wiikman for the top slot in the Insurance Capital.
Here’s the official release.
New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with goaltender Matt Zaba.
Zaba, 25, appeared in 41 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL), posting a record of 25-10-0, along with a 2.33 goals against average, a .920 save percentage and two shutouts. The AHL rookie ranked among the league leaders in several categories, including seventh in goals against average, tied for eighth in save percentage and tied for 12th in wins. He made his AHL debut on October 18 at Toronto, and earned his first career AHL win on November 1 vs. Albany. On January 9, he recorded his first AHL shutout with a 40-save effort at Springfield. Named the AHL Goaltender of the Month for February, Zaba registered a season-high, seven-game winning streak from February 20 at Lowell to March 4 vs. Worcester, posting a 1.53 goals against average and a .952 save percentage during the stretch. He closed out the regular season with a 14-2-0 mark, along with a 1.84 goals against average, a .937 save percentage and one shutout in 16 contests. In addition, Zaba appeared in six playoff games with Hartford, posting a 2-4-0 record with a 3.17 goals against average, a .908 save percentage and one shutout.
In 2007-08, Zaba appeared in 28 games with the Charlotte Checkers and Idaho Steelheads of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), registering a record of 15-8-2, along with a 2.64 goals against average, .915 save percentage and three shutouts.
The 6-1, 185-pounder, appeared in 110 career games in four seasons with the Colorado College Tigers of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) prior to signing with the Rangers, posting a 55-42-10 record, along with a 2.42 goals against average. As a senior in 2006-07, he was named winner of the Thayer Tutt Award as team MVP, and was selected to the All-WCHA Academic Team for the third consecutive season. In 2005-06, Zaba recorded 20 wins and four shutouts, both collegiate career-highs. As a freshman in 2003-04, he turned in a 10-10-2 record, along with a personal-best 2.27 goals against average and was selected to the WCHA All-Rookie Team. He was named National Rookie of the Month after posting a 3-0-2 record, along with a 1.35 goals against average and a .941 save percentage in five starts in November 2003.
The Yorkton, Saskatchewan native signed a professional contract with the Rangers on August 20, 2007
(Photo courtesy of hartfordwolfpack.com)
