Thatcher Demko has been lighting the AHL on fire in his sophomore season. Through the month of October, Demko has won four of his first five starts and shutout the opposition once, good for a .950 save percentage, which ranks first among goaltenders with four or more starts.

Demko’s hot start is a far cry removed from the October he suffered last season in a tumultuous beginning to his professional hockey career. In three games through last October, Demko had just a .867 save percentage and had lost each of the three games he started surrendering three goals in a pair of games and five in the other. It’s all the more impressive when one considers the complicated schedule the Comets have had to endure, whether it’s the long gaps between games or the seven-game road trip to start the season.

This season, it appears as though the Comets are giving Demko the starting job and letting him run with it. So far, it’s hard to argue with the results.