NEWYORK, March 1 -- Right wing Shane Willis of the Carolina Hurricanes, who led all first-year players in scoring with 10 points, Thursday was named NHL Rookie of the Month for February.
The 23-year-old Willis recorded points in six of 11 games in February, including his first hat trick.
It came Feb. 21 against Atlanta and helped the Panthers to a 6-3 triumph. He had seven goals and three assists in 12 games during the month.
Willis also had a two-goal game Feb. 23 against New Jersey as the Panthers defeated the Devils, 3-2. He leads all rookie goal-scorers in the NHL and ranks second in scoring among first-year players with 37 points on 18 goals and 19 assists.
Others considered for the award were defenseman Karel Rachunek of Ottawa, left wing Ruslan Fedotenko of Philadelphia and Tampa Bay left wing Brad Richards.
