Sparks' Jersey Retired by Malmo

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After a storied career in Malmo in which he set several career goaltending records, Ash Sparks retired at the end of S94 and the Nighthawks opened S95 with a jersey retirement ceremony for the franchise's best netminder.

 

In six seasons with Malmo, Sparks compiled 226 wins and 30 shutouts, posting a 2.26 GAA and 0.926 save percentage. He gave the team a chance to win almost every night and even served as captain over his final few seasons.

 

Those are big shoes to fill for Karl Herzlich, who has served as backup the past couple of seasons, and Jorgen Lovstrom, who is hailed as Malmo's goaltender of the future after being selected 7th overall in the S93 draft. Lovstrom does have a solid career in the VHLM and VHLE behind him that suggest he could one day be an elite netminder himself, while Herzlich was spectacular in S93 as a backup but unfortunately took a step back in S94.

 

Sparks' contributions to this team can not be understated and it's well-deserved that we will see his name and number in the rafters for the rest of Malmo's history.