SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today the 2007-08 AHL First and Second All-Star Teams, as voted by AHL coaches, players and media in each of the league’s 29 member cities.
2007-08 AHL First All-Star Team
| Goaltender: Michael Leighton, Albany River Rats — 55gp, 27-23-4, 2.03, .933, 7 SO Defenseman: Andrew Hutchinson, Hartford Wolf Pack — 62gp, 17+47=64pts., +28 Defenseman: Lawrence Nycholat, Binghamton Senators — 72gp, 12+36=48pts., 8 PPG Left Wing: Pascal Pelletier, Providence Bruins — 67gp, 35+35=70pts., +20 Center: Jason Krog, Chicago Wolves — 74gp, 36+65=101pts., 8 GWG Right Wing: Teddy Purcell, Manchester Monarchs — 64gp, 22+55=77pts., 12 PPG |
2007-08 AHL Second All-Star Team
| Goaltender: Drew MacIntyre, Manitoba Moose — 45gp, 25-17-2, 2.24, .923, 2 SO Defenseman: Joel Kwiatkowski, Chicago Wolves — 53gp, 17+25=42pts., +23 Defenseman: Brian Salcido, Portland Pirates — 66gp, 10+40=50pts., +11 Left Wing: Brett Sterling, Chicago Wolves — 64gp, 34+26=60pts., 9 GWG Center: Martin St. Pierre, Rockford IceHogs — 63gp, 20+63=83pts., +10 Right Wing: Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau, Hartford Wolf Pack — 71gp, 32+46=78pts., +14 |
Each All-Star Team member will receive a custom designed crystal award in recognition of his selection to the 2007-08 AHL First and Second All-Star Teams.
| 2007-08 AHL First All-Star Team | |
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Michael Leighton, Goaltender (Albany River Rats):
The backbone of the resurgent Albany River Rats this season, Michael Leighton currently leads the AHL in goals-against average (2.03), save percentage (.933) and shutouts (7) while also facing more shots (1,656) than any other goaltender in the league. Leighton, who played in his second AHL All-Star Classic earlier this season, also made three NHL appearances with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2007-08. An AHL All-Rookie selection in 2002, the 26-year-old native of Petrolia, Ont., has climbed to sixth place all-time with 29 career AHL shutouts.
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Andrew Hutchinson, Defenseman (Hartford Wolf Pack):
In his sixth professional season, Andrew Hutchinson has had a career year in 2007-08, setting personal highs with 17 goals, 47 assists and 64 points while also ranking third in the entire league with a plus-28 rating. He became the first Wolf Pack defenseman ever to register a hat trick in a game at Providence on Feb. 8, and had the first five-point game by a Hartford blueliner on Feb. 29 vs. Norfolk. A native of Evanston, Ill., Hutchinson has won a Calder Cup with Milwaukee (2004) and a Stanley Cup with Carolina (2006), and this year has captained the Wolf Pack to their 11th consecutive Calder Cup Playoff berth.
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Lawrence Nycholat, Defenseman (Binghamton Senators): Lawrence Nycholat has played in three AHL All-Star Classics, but the Calgary native earns his first postseason All-Star berth in 2007-08 with a stellar season in Binghamton. Nycholat, a member of Hershey’s championship team in 2006, is tied for second on the Senators and ranks third among AHL defensemen with 48 points on the season, and his 12 goals are one shy of his career high. Nycholat put together an eight-game scoring streak from Jan. 5-25 and also skated in three NHL games with Ottawa this season. |
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Pascal Pelletier, Left Wing (Providence Bruins): In just his second full AHL season, 24-year-old Pascal Pelletier is the leading scorer on the top team in the league, tallying 35 goals and adding 35 assists for 70 points in 67 games for the Providence Bruins. A native of Labrador City, Nfld., Pelletier also owns a plus-20 rating and has scored a team-high 13 power-play goals, and compiled a nine-game scoring streak from Oct. 24 to Nov. 18. Pelletier, the CCM/AHL Player of the Month for December, made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins on Jan. 17 and has appeared in six games for the parent club this season. |
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Jason Krog, Center (Chicago Wolves):
After finishing seventh in the AHL scoring race despite playing just 44 games last season, Jason Krog leads the league in goals (36), assists (65) and points (101) while skating in all 74 games for Chicago in 2007-08, and is bidding to become just the third player in AHL history to lead the league in all three categories in the same season. Krog is also second in the AHL with eight game-winning goals and first with 52 power-play points. The native of Fernie, B.C., registered a 14-game scoring streak from Dec. 8 to Jan. 11 and made his AHL All-Star Classic debut this winter.
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Teddy Purcell, Right Wing (Manchester Monarchs): Named yesterday to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team for 2007-08, 22-year-old Teddy Purcell has been a constant at the top of the league’s rookie scoring list this season, and currently ranks fourth overall with 55 assists and 77 points in 64 games for Manchester. The native of St. John’s, Nfld., was the Rbk Edge/AHL Rookie of the Month for November and earned MVP honors at the 2008 AHL All-Star Game after recording a hat trick and adding the decisive shootout goal in Canada’s 9-8 win over PlanetUSA. Purcell made his NHL debut with Los Angeles on Jan. 15 and has totaled a goal and two assists in 10 games with the Kings. |
| 2007-08 AHL Second All-Star Team | |
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Drew MacIntyre, Goaltender (Manitoba Moose):
In his second year with Manitoba, Drew MacIntyre has emerged as one of the AHL’s top goaltenders, currently ranking fifth in goals-against average (2.24) and fourth in save percentage (.923) to go along with a 25-17-2 record and two shutouts. MacIntyre, 24, was the winning goaltender at the 2008 AHL All-Star Game, and on Feb. 20 became the ninth goaltender in league history to be credited with scoring a goal. A native of Charlottetown, P.E.I., MacIntyre made his NHL debut for Vancouver on Dec. 13 and has appeared in two games for the Canucks.
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Joel Kwiatkowski, Defenseman (Chicago Wolves):
Veteran Joel Kwiatkowski has been among the AHL’s top-scoring defensemen all season, currently tied for second in goals (17) while adding 25 assists for 42 points in 53 games for the Wolves. The native of Saskatoon, Sask., also owns a team-best plus-23 rating and is tied for first among AHL blueliners with 13 power-play goals. Kwiatkowski represented Chicago in the 2008 AHL All-Star Classic, and the veteran of 282 NHL contests has posted five assists in 18 games for the Atlanta Thrashers this season.
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Brian Salcido, Defenseman (Portland Pirates):
In his second season out of Colorado College, Brian Salcido places second among all AHL defensemen in both assists (40) and points (50) in 66 games for the Pirates in 2007-08. Salcido, 22, eclipsed his rookie totals in goals, assists and points before the calendar even turned to 2008, and he put together a six-game scoring streak from Nov. 21 to Dec. 2. A native of Hermosa Beach, Calif., Salcido has tied Portland’s franchise record for points by a defenseman in a single season, and netted a goal for PlanetUSA in the 2008 AHL All-Star Game.
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Brett Sterling, Left Wing (Chicago Wolves):
Brett Sterling has followed up one of the finest rookie seasons in AHL history with an All-Star sophomore campaign, beginning the season in the NHL with Atlanta and then erupting for 19 goals in his first 22 AHL games with Chicago. A 23-year-old Los Angeles native, Sterling ranks third in the league with 34 goals, and his nine game-winners and four overtime tallies are both AHL highs. Sterling, who was a First-Team All-Star and the AHL’s outstanding rookie and leading goal-scorer in 2006-07, made his second consecutive appearance in the AHL All-Star Game this season and netted his first career NHL goal on Oct. 20.
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Martin St. Pierre, Center (Rockford IceHogs):
Poised to finish among the top five in AHL scoring for a second consecutive season, Martin St. Pierre currently ranks second in both assists (63) and points (83) while skating in 63 games for the IceHogs. A First-Team AHL All-Star last season and a member of the league’s All-Rookie Team in 2005-06, St. Pierre put together a 15-game scoring streak from Nov. 30 to Jan. 5, tied for the second-longest in the league this season. The 24-year-old native of Embrun, Ont., has registered 20 multiple-point efforts and made his third straight appearance in the AHL All-Star Game, posting a goal and two assists in Canada’s 9-8 win.
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Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau, Right Wing (Hartford Wolf Pack):
Acquired by the parent N.Y. Rangers in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 11, fifth-year pro P.A. Parenteau ranks third in the AHL scoring race with 78 points (32g, 46a) in 71 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack, his second straight 30-goal campaign. The 25-year-old native of Hull, Que., has racked up four separate point-scoring streaks of at least five games each, including a season-high seven game run in November, and he netted a goal in five straight games from Mar. 16-26.
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