Photo at top by Sam Iannamico/Griffins

AHL On The Beat – Hulak Continues to Battle for Loved Ones, Himself

200 – Hulak skated in his 200th AHL game during a 3-1 home loss to Milwaukee on March 31. Undrafted, Hulak made his AHL debut with Texas on March 1, 2014.

689 – In his season debut with Hershey, Hulak scored his first goal of the year and the Bears’ only tally in a 5-1 loss at Milwaukee. It marked his first goal since he was with Utica on Nov. 23, 2016 vs. Syracuse, a span of 689 days.

2 – A 2014 Calder Cup champion with the Texas Stars, Hulak recorded two points (1-1—2) in the postseason with Grand Rapids. Hulak was playing in his first playoff since 2016 with Texas.

39 – He was only the fifth player in franchise history to wear jersey No. 39. Prior to Hulak, it was most recently worn by current Detroit Red Wing Tyler Bertuzzi from 2014-18.

43 – Hulak appeared in 43 total games in 2018-19, his most since skating in 69 with Texas in 2015-16. Hulak played 17 games with Utica in 2016-17 and was sidelined for the entire 2017-18 season due to injury.

100.0% – Hulak finished 1-for-1 in shootouts this season. He provided the deciding goal in the fifth round against his former club Texas on Feb. 22.

Left wing Derek Hulak skated in 43 total games in 2018-19 between Hershey (8) and Grand Rapids (35) and posted seven points (3-4—7). After beginning the campaign in Hershey, the fifth-year pro joined the Griffins on a professional tryout on Dec. 5 before signing a standard player’s contract for the remainder of the season on Dec. 27.

1 – Two days after signing with the team on a professional tryout, Hulak netted his first goal as a Griffin in his team debut. Hulak’s marker at 4:18 of the third period at Rockford gave Grand Rapids a 2-1 lead before the Griffins fell 3-2 in overtime.

Unrestricted free agent

4 GP, 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, +1 rating, 0 PIM

8 GP, 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points, +2 rating, 0 PIM with Hershey
35 GP, 1 goal, 3 assists, 4 points, even rating, 6 PIM with Grand Rapids