Ontario Reign’s Glenn Gawdin, Pheonix Copley pick up pair of AHL awards

The Ontario Reign had a successful month of November, shaking off a slow start to the AHL season by going 9-3-0 in a span of 12 games including a 4-1-0 mark at home. They ended the month on a four-game winning streak, including back-to-back victories last weekend with a 4-0 shutout of the Texas Stars and a 3-1 defeat of Bakersfield.

Leading the way offensively during the stretch has been the team’s top center Glenn Gawdin, who totaled 21 points while suiting up for all 12 games and was awarded the league’s Player of the Month honor on Monday afternoon. Gawdin’s nine goals were second during the month to teammate Samuel Fagemo and his 12 assists ranked third behind linemate Jeff Malott, who had 13. In addition to leading the AHL in overall scoring, Gawdin also had a league-high +13 rating.

Marco Sturm on Gawdin’s recent performance
“It all starts with the centerman in the middle. Gawdin, he became stronger and stronger and [his linemates] kind of went on his back a little bit. They’ve been our motor every day now, not just in games but also in practices. So I’m really happy that he had a really good month and he’s not done yet, but it’s nice to see that that he’s playing really well.”

More on Gawdin below from the team’s press release –

Gawdin scored nine goals, 12 assists and was a plus-13 rating in 12 games for Ontario during November, sparking a Reign offense that averaged 4.4 goals per game for the month.

Gawdin had eight multiple-point outings in November, beginning on Nov. 1 when he notched two assists in a 4-1 win at Henderson. He registered a goal and an assist in an 8-3 win over Henderson on Nov. 2 and had two more helpers in an 8-4 victory over Abbotsford on Nov. 6. Gawdin scored shorthanded goals in consecutive games as the Reign defeated Tucson, 4-1, on Nov. 13, and beat Colorado, 5-3, on Nov. 15, and had back-to-back three-point nights on Nov. 20 at Henderson and on Nov. 23 at San Diego. He closed out November with two goals in a 3-1 win at Bakersfield on Nov. 30, including his third game-winning tally of the month.

Gawdin currently sits tied for third in the AHL with 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in 17 games for Ontario this season, his seventh pro campaign. The native of Richmond, B.C., has totaled 94 goals and 164 assists for 258 points in 345 career AHL contests with Ontario, San Diego and Stockton, and was an AHL All-Star in 2020. Originally a fourth-round choice by St. Louis in the 2015 NHL Draft, Gawdin has collected one assist in 13 career NHL appearances with Calgary and Anaheim. He signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings on July 1, 2024.

The two Reign wins last weekend were highlighted by performances from their goaltender, Pheonix Copley, who played every minute of the back-to-back to earn his fifth and six victories of the season.

Copley recorded his first shutout of 2024-25 and the 16th of his AHL career on Friday before turning aside 25 shots on the road the following night. After stopping 52 of the combined 53 opportunities he faced during the week, Copley was recognized as the AHL’s Player of the Week Monday morning.

Marco Sturm on Copley’s performances this week
“He was really good. Right from the start to the finish. He was really good all week in practice, very focused, so I knew he would be good for us. I can tell he’s really, really comfortable right now. It’s not easy coming back from that injury, and it took him a little bit. You could see it in the games now, how calm he is. And this is the old Pheonix Copley like we’ve seen in the past and for us as a team and you look at our inexperienced back end it’s pretty nice to have a guy like him.”

More on Copley below from the team’s press release –

Copley stopped 52 of the 53 shots he faced over two starts in two days Nov. 29-30, good for a 0.50 goals-against average and a .981 save percentage.

The North Pole, Alaska native made 27 saves on Friday night as Ontario defeated Texas, 4-0, for his first shutout of the season. He then had a 25-save effort Saturday on the road against Bakersfield, backstopping the Reign to a 3-1 victory over the Condors.

Copley has a record of 6-3-0 with a 2.70 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage in nine appearances for Ontario this season. He has also appeared in one NHL game for the LA Kings. The 11th-year pro has played 246 career games in the AHL with Ontario, Hershey and Chicago, going 130-79-28 with a 2.52 GAA, a .911 SV% and 16 shutouts. He won the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award (fewest team goals against) in 2020-21, and has finished among the AHL’s top 10 in GAA five times in his career.

Copley has gone 44-16-8 (2.84, .898) with three shutouts in 77 career NHL appearances with St. Louis, Washington and Los Angeles.

Ontario will aim to continue its winning stretch when it opens up the December portion of the schedule on Tuesday night at Toyota Arena against the Texas Stars. They’ll continue the week with a trip to face rival San Diego on Saturday and finish the stretch with a home contest against the Bakersfield Condors on Sunday afternoon.