FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, July 2, 2010

GLENDALE, ARIZONA -- Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced today that the Coyotes have re-signed goaltender Al Montoya to a one-year contract. As per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Montoya

Montoya, 25, appeared in 14 games for the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League (AHL) last season, posting a record of 4-7-1 with a 2.65 goals against average (GAA), and a .904 save percentage (SV%) before enduring a season-ending injury on Nov. 24, 2009 versus the Milwaukee Admirals.

During the 2008-09 campaign, Montoya became the first goalie in Coyotes/Jets franchise history to record a shutout in his NHL debut when he stopped all 23 shots he faced in a 3-0 win at Colorado on Apr. 1, 2009. In five games with the Coyotes, Montoya posted a 3-1-0 record with a 2.08 GAA and .925 SV%.

Prior to being recalled by the Coyotes on March 23, 2009, Montoya spent the season with the Rampage posting a record of 7-17-2 with a 3.23 and .885 SV% in 29 games.

A native of Glenview, Ill., Montoya played three years of collegiate hockey at the University of Michigan where he finished with a career record of 86-29-8. He led the team to the Frozen Four during his freshman year in 2002-03 and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player in 2003-04. In 2004, he led Team USA to the country’s first-ever gold medal at the World Junior Championship. The 6-foot-2, 202-pound Montoya received the Directorate Award as the tournament’s top goaltender after posting a 6-0-0 record with a 1.33 GAA, a .944 SV% and two shutouts.

Montoya, who was selected by the Rangers in the first round (6th overall) of the 2004 Entry Draft, was acquired by the Coyotes in a trade with the Rangers on Feb. 26, 2008.