The American Hockey League today named Norfolk Admirals forward Rene Bourque to the Canadian AHL All-Star roster and Cincinnati Mighty Ducks forward Michael Holmqvist and Binghamton Senators defenseman Anton Volchenkov to the PlanetUSA AHL All-Star roster for the 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic, which will be held this Sunday and Monday in Manchester, N.H.
The AHL also announced that Canadian selection Joffrey Lupul of Cincinnati (injury) and PlanetUSA selections Anton Babchuk of Norfolk (injury) and Thomas Vanek of Rochester (Olympic qualifying tournament) will miss the event. Providence Bruins forward Andy Hilbert will replace Vanek in the PlanetUSA starting lineup.
Bourque, 23, ranks second among all AHL rookies with 36 points (20g, 16a) in 47 games for Norfolk this season. A native of Lac La Biche, Alta., and a product of the University of Wisconsin, Bourque was the Reebok AHL Rookie of the Month for January.
Holmqvist, 25, is in his second season with Cincinnati after being selected in the first round (18th overall) of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft by Anaheim. A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Holmqvist has recorded 11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points in 51 AHL games this year.
Volchenkov, 22, was the 21st overall pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by Ottawa. The Moscow native has five goals and 17 assists in 41 games with Binghamton in 2004-05 after spending the last two seasons in the NHL, where he skated in a total of 76 contests with the parent Senators.
For updated roster information, visit the 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic section on theahl.com.
The 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic is set to take place at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H., home of the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs. The event gets underway this Sunday, February 13, with the 2005 AHL All-Star Skills Competition at 7:00 p.m. (ET); the annual All-Star Game follows on Monday, February 14, at 7:00 p.m. (ET).
The 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic will be televised to nearly 150 million households across the United States and Canada, with Monday’s All-Star Game being broadcast live on ESPN2 and Rogers Sportsnet.