PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL has named Indy Fuel forward Josh Shalla the Inglasco ECHL Player of the Week for March 26 - April 1. Shalla tallied a total of four goals and one assist in a pair of Fuel wins over the weekend, helping Indy pull within a point of the fourth playoff position in the Central Division. The forward becomes the first Fuel player to win the league's top weekly honor since Alex Wideman back on Nov. 14 - 20, 2016.
Shalla, 26, recorded two goals and an assist in Friday's 6-3 triumph over the Kansas City Mavericks, before logging another two-goal performance Saturday during a 5-1 Indy win against the Fort Wayne Komets. The veteran forward also tallied eight shots on goal and was a plus-2 rating during the two-game homestand. Shalla has found the back of the net in all but two of the Fuel's last nine games, collecting a total of 10 goals and three assists over that span to lead Indy's rise up the standings.
Overall this season, Shalla has posted 24 goals and 21 assists in 38 games for the Fuel after rejoining the team in January. The sixth year professional started the 2017-18 season with the Elite Ice Hockey League's (EIHL) Nottingham Panthers, where he scored eight points (3g, 5a) in 26 games. In parts of two seasons with Indy, Shalla has accumulated 87 points in 86 games, becoming the franchise's all-time leading goal scorer this March.
In 301 career ECHL games with the Indy, Wheeling, Toledo and Cincinnat, the native of Oshawa, Ontario has accumulated 248 points (128g, 120a). Shalla has also seen action in 58 career American Hockey League contests with the Milwaukee Admirals from 2012-14, tallying five goals and 11 assists.
On behalf of Josh Shalla, a case of pucks will be donated to an Indy youth hockey organization by Inglasco, the exclusive puck supplier of the ECHL. Since beginning its sponsorship of the award in 2000-01, Inglasco has donated more than 37,000 pucks to youth hockey organizations in ECHL cities.
Single game tickets are available as the Fuel fight for playoff positioning at Indiana Farmers Coliseum! Don't miss a second of the action during the 2017-18 season - follow the Fuel on Twitter and Instagram (@IndyFuel) and ‘Like' the Fuel on Facebook.
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