News

2011-12 First and Second All-Stars named

by theahl
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today the 2011-12 AHL First and Second All-Star Teams, as voted by AHL coaches, players and media in each of the league’s 30 member cities.

2011-12 AHL First All-Star Team
G Yann Danis, Oklahoma City Barons (40gp, 25-12-2, 2.11gaa, .924sv%, 5so)
D Mark Barberio, Norfolk Admirals (69gp, 12+47=59pts., +23, 37 PP pts.)
D Paul Postma, St. John’s IceCaps (55gp, 13+31=44pts., 24 PP pts., 3 GWG)
LW Chris Bourque, Hershey Bears (67gp, 26+64=90pts., 50 PP pts.)
C Keith Aucoin, Hershey Bears (43gp, 11+59=70pts., 38 PP pts.)
RW Kyle Palmieri, Syracuse Crunch (46gp, 32+23=55pts., +11, 7 GWG)

2011-12 AHL Second All-Star Team
G Ben Bishop, Peoria Rivermen/Binghamton Senators (41gp, 26-15-0, 2.27gaa, .930sv%, 6so)
D Brian Connelly, Rockford IceHogs/Abbotsford Heat (69gp, 6+43=49pts., 20 PP pts.)
D Clay Wilson, Abbotsford Heat (63gp, 15+26=41pts., +4, 3 GWG)
LW Cory Conacher, Norfolk Admirals (70gp, 34+39=73pts., +11, 7 GWG)
C T.J. Hensick, Peoria Rivermen (61gp, 21+46=67pts., 26 PP pts., 4 GWG)
RW Jon DiSalvatore, Houston Aeros (70gp, 26+31=57pts., 27 PP pts., 3 GWG)

Each All-Star Team member will receive a custom-designed crystal award in recognition of his selection to the 2011-12 AHL First and Second All-Star Teams.

2011-12 AHL First All-Star Team
 
danis Yann Danis, Goaltender (Oklahoma City Barons):
After joining the Edmonton Oilers organization in the offseason, Yann Danis has had a career year in Oklahoma City in 2011-12, helping the Barons to a West Division title while ranking among the league leaders in wins (25-12-2), goals-against average (2.11), save percentage (.924) and shutouts (five). The eighth-year pro from Lafontaine, Que., has allowed two goals or fewer in 27 of his 40 appearances, and in the 2012 AHL All-Star Game became the first goaltender in seven years to record a shutout period.
   
barberio Mark Barberio, Defenseman (Norfolk Admirals):
A 2008 draft choice by Tampa Bay, Mark Barberio has made tremendous strides in his second professional season, leading all AHL defensemen with 47 assists and 59 points and tying for second with a plus-23 rating in 69 games, contributing at both ends for a Norfolk team with both the top-ranked offense and defense in the Eastern Conference. Barberio, a 22-year-old native of Montreal, has also recorded 37 points on the power play, helping Norfolk to the second-best efficiency in the AHL at 22.2 percent, and has had 17 multiple-point games on the season as well.
   
postma Paul Postma, Defenseman (St. John’s IceCaps):
Third-year pro Paul Postma has tallied 13 goals and 31 assists for 44 points in 55 games with the Atlantic Division champion St. John’s IceCaps this season, one point shy of his career high in 14 fewer contests. Postma, a 23-year-old native of Red Deer, Alta., had a 10-game scoring streak in December and made his second consecutive AHL All-Star Classic appearance in January. Postma has also skated in three games with the parent Winnipeg Jets this season.
   
bourque Chris Bourque, Left Wing (Hershey Bears):
Already a three-time Calder Cup champion and the MVP of the 2010 playoffs, Chris Bourque earns his first career postseason All-Star nod as the First Team left wing in 2011-12. Bourque has established career highs with 64 assists and 90 points in 67 games for Hershey and is poised to become the third Bear in four years to win the AHL scoring title. A 26-year-old Boston native, Bourque has had two five-point games this season, Oct. 14 and Dec. 11 (both vs. Norfolk).
   
aucoin Keith Aucoin, Center (Hershey Bears):
Setting an all-time record for an AHL center with his sixth career postseason All-Star Team selection (Second Team 2006, ’07, ’11; First Team ’09, ’10, ’12), Keith Aucoin was lighting up AHL scoreboards at a record pace before being recalled on Feb. 3 by the parent Washington Capitals, for whom he has nine points in 25 games this season. Aucoin is still second in the AHL in assists (59) and fourth in points (70) despite spending the last two months in the NHL, and he now ranks sixth with 554 career assists and 15th with 777 career points over his decorated AHL career.
   
palmieri Kyle Palmieri, Right Wing (Syracuse Crunch):
Limited to 46 games for Syracuse by multiple recalls to the NHL, Kyle Palmieri is just two off the league lead with 32 goals and has totaled 55 points in the AHL this season, ranking third in points per game (1.20). A first-round draft pick (26th overall) by Anaheim in 2009, the second-year pro from Smithtown, N.Y., scored eight goals in his first five games of the year and already had 25 goals by the All-Star break. Palmieri, 21, has played 18 NHL games with the Ducks this season, registering four goals and three assists.
 
2011-12 AHL Second All-Star Team
 
bishop Ben Bishop, Goaltender (Peoria Rivermen/Binghamton Senators):
Ben Bishop turned a career year in Peoria into an opportunity with the Ottawa Senators organization when he was acquired by the Sens on Feb. 26. In 38 appearances with the Rivermen and three more with Binghamton following the trade, the fourth-year pro from Denver, Colo., has a combined record of 26-15-0 with a 2.27 GAA, a .930 save percentage and a league-best six shutouts. Bishop, who earned top goaltender honors in this year’s All-Star Skills Competition and was named MVP of the All-Star Game, is 3-2-2 in nine games on the year for Ottawa as well.
   
connelly Brian Connelly, Defenseman (Rockford IceHogs/Abbotsford Heat):
Third-year pro Brian Connelly has split the 2011-12 season between Rockford and Abbotsford after being acquired by Calgary in a Jan. 27 trade with Chicago. Connelly, from Bloomington, Minn., ranks second among all AHL defensemen in both assists (43) and points (49) in 69 games played, and his 176 shots on goal from the blue line rank fifth. Connelly, who participated in the AHL All-Star Classic in January, scored his first goal as a member of the Heat in overtime vs. Chicago on Mar. 30.
   
wilson Clay Wilson, Defenseman (Abbotsford Heat):
Named a Second Team AHL All-Star for the second time in the last three seasons, Sturgeon Lake, Minn., native Clay Wilson has recorded a career-high 15 goals and added 26 assists for 41 points in 63 games for Abbotsford in 2011-12. Wilson, who also made his third career AHL All-Star Classic appearance this season, has reached double digits in goals for the sixth time in seven AHL campaigns, and has chipped in with five power-play markers and three game-winners, including two overtime goals for the Heat.
   
conacher Cory Conacher, Left Wing (Norfolk Admirals):
Named to the AHL All-Rookie Team on Wednesday, Cory Conacher adds a Second Team AHL All-Star nod to his list of accolades. After earning an AHL contract with an impressive training camp in Tampa Bay, Conacher leads the league with 34 goals – the most by an AHL rookie in five years – and ranks second with 73 points in 70 games with Norfolk, including 14 power-play goals and seven game-winners. The 22-year-old native of Burlington, Ont., was rewarded with an NHL deal from the Lightning on Mar. 1.
   
hensick T.J. Hensick, Center (Peoria Rivermen):
A perennial point-per-game producer in the AHL, T.J. Hensick earns his first postseason All-Star Team berth this season. The fifth-year pro from Howell, Mich., ranks fifth in the AHL with 67 points (21 goals, 46 assists) in 61 games despite missing three weeks while on NHL recall to St. Louis. Hensick, whose nine-game scoring streak from Oct. 16 to Nov. 4 included five consecutive two-point efforts, also leads the Rivermen with nine power-play tallies and has recorded four game-winning goals.
   
disalvatore Jon DiSalvatore, Right Wing (Houston Aeros):
One of the most reliable players in the AHL, Jon DiSalvatore has recorded team highs with 26 goals and 57 points while serving as Houston’s captain in 2011-12. DiSalvatore, who has scored at least 20 goals in each of his nine AHL seasons and has played at least 70 games all but once, has also extended his consecutive-games-played streak (regular season and playoffs) to 203, the longest active run in the league. The native of Bangor, Maine, saw his first NHL action in nearly six years when he was recalled by Minnesota in December, and he appeared in his first career AHL All-Star Classic in January.