Ottawa Senators‘ 3rd year goaltender Andrew Hammond(30) was such an unlikely, integral part of their push into last season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs running an unprecedented 14-0-1 record to start his emergency recall.
He finished 2014/2015 recording a 20-1-2 mark with 3 shutouts and a 1.79 GAA and .941 SV%.
The hot start earned him the nickname “The Hamburglar” breaking goalie records as he continued to roll.
The incredible feat earned the undrafted net minder a three-year extension.
To start the first campaign of his new deal, he’s 2-0-2 with a decent 2.42 GAA and .930 SV% but suffered a groin injury and then a fluke head injury and has been sidelined twice already.
The 27-year has been reassigned to affiliate Binghamton Senators for conditioning and may stay there for an extended period until the parent club feels his game is back to where it needs to be.
He’s out to an 0-2 start and things may not be so easy for him as he’s tending the cage for the 2nd worst team in the AHL with only 6 wins in 23 games to their credit.
Andrew Hammond(30) Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators‘ undrafted 2nd year goalie Andrew Hammond(30) is making a strong argument to stay in between the pipes as the team pushes its’ winning efforts towards a playoff berth.
Initially recalled from affiliate Binghamton Senators on an emergency basis to serve as back-up he was pressed into action and maybe a bit unimpressive letting in a pair of goals on 5 shots in a deflating loss.
The 6’1″ 194 lbs. net minder got the nod when their other number one goaltender also went down with injury (Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner for anyone keeping track) and got the victory in Montreal, of all places.
At this point he’s basically their go-to goalie down the stretch and he’s getting it done – big.
The sort of late to arrive 27-year old played a boatload of 119 games at Bowling Green State University but never had a winning record.
It’s also not like he’s shutting the door on opponents this season in the minors. In his rookie campaign he managed a 25-19-3 record with a 2.81 GAA and a .910 SV% in 48 AHL games but this year he’s only 7-13 with a 3.51 GAA and an .898 SV% on a club that struggles to string together back-to-back w’s.
Since his first start, he’s posted a tidy 5-0 record with a 1.31 GAA and a .951 SV% along with 2 straight shutouts.
This mirrors his one and only other appearance, a relief effort in a single game last year, where he didn’t let up a goal with 11 stops in 34:31 minutes.
He’s only signed through the end of this season.
See related: 3/1-14
Andrew Hammond(30) Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators‘ undrafted rookie goaltender Andrew Hammond(30) received his first call-up on an emergency basis but was probably a bit surprised when he got the nod to ready himself for some relief action.
He’s been pretty impressive for their farm club Binghamton Senators playing the greater balance of games for the AHL Atlantic Division leading team, posting a 17-12 record with a 3.02 GAA, .903 SV% and played a monstrous 1869 minutes, good for fourth among first year net minders.
The 6’1″ 196 lbs. backstop posted almost identical numbers in his four years at Bowling Green State University.
He was voted both MVP and Best Defensive Player in his final pair of campaigns before turning pro.
The unrestricted free agent was signed by Ottawa to a 2-year entry level contract.
In his NHL debut he played for 34:31 minutes stopping 11 or 11 shots, which may just net him another look in the current season but he’ll definitely be counted on to help the B-Sens’ Calder Cup Playoff push.