Blake Pietila signs in AHL with Cleveland

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Michigan Tech fifth-year goaltender Blake Pietila signed an amateur tryout (ATO) contract with the Cleveland Monsters in the American Hockey League. The Monsters are affiliated with the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets.

Pietila appeared in 142 games for the Huskies, going 76-49-11 overall with a 2.12 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. He holds school records in games played, wins, shutouts in a career (24), shutouts in a season (10), goals-against average for a season (1.81), and save percentage for a season (.934).

As a senior, he went 18-13-6 with four shutouts, a 2.38 goals-against average, and a .917 save percentage. He was named to the All-CCHA Second Team and the CCHA Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He was also an alternate captain, CCHA Scholar-Athlete, and member of the CCHA All-Academic Team.

Pietila was named the CCHA Goaltender of the Month for December after leading the Huskies to the 2023 Great Lakes Invitational Title. He was honored on the GLI All-Tournament Team after making a career-high 54 saves in a shootout win over No. 7 Michigan State. Pietila was also named the CCHA Goaltender of the Month in February and the CCHA Goaltender of the Week three times this season—an award he received 17 times in his career.

For his career, Pietila was a three-time finalist for the Mike Richter Award. He was a 2023 First Team All-American and the CCHA Player and Goaltender of the Year last season. He was a Hobey Baker Top 10 Finalist in 2023 and has been a nominee for the past four seasons. Pietila was an All-CCHA First Team selection in 2023 and Second Team pick in 2022.

The Monsters are third in the AHL North Division with a 35-23 record and have six games remaining on the schedule. The team plays its games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.