RALEIGH, NC. - The National Hockey League today announced that Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov has been named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for February.
Kochetkov, 24, registered a 5-3-0 record, 1.71 goals-against average, .940 save percentage and two shutouts in eight February games. The 6’3”, 205-pound netminder earned a 37-save shutout vs. New Jersey on Feb. 10, then set a career single-game high by stopping all 45 shots faced vs. Florida on Feb. 22. Kochetkov has earned a 16-10-3 record, 2.35 goals-against average, .911 save percentage and three shutouts in 31 appearances with the Hurricanes this season. In 58 career games with the Hurricanes, Kochetkov has registered a 31-17-8 record, 2.39 goals-against average, .910 save percentage and seven shutouts.
Among NHL rookie goaltenders with at least 20 games played this season, Kochetkov ranks first in goals-against average and tied for first in save percentage and shutouts. This is the second time in his career that Kochetkov has been named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month, after winning the award in December of last season. He is alongside Alex Nedeljkovic (March 2021) as the only Hurricanes goaltender to be named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month, and he is one of five Hurricanes netminders to earn NHL monthly honors, joining Nedeljkovic, Cam Ward (First Star, March 2009), Anton Khudobin (First Star, January 2014) and Frederik Andersen (Third Star, October 2021). The Penza, Russia, native played 49 career Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) games with Sochi, St. Petersburg, Vityaz and Nizhny Novgorod from 2018-22, earning a 16-25-3 record, 2.48 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and three shutouts. Kochetkov was selected by Carolina in the second round, 36th overall, of the 2019 NHL Draft.
