2016-17 AHL First, Second All-Star Teams unveiled

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today the 2016-17 AHL First and Second All-Star Teams, as voted by AHL coaches, players and media in each of the league’s 30 member cities.

2016-17 AHL First All-Star Team (stats through Apr. 5)
G – Troy Grosenick, San Jose Barracuda (45gp, 29-9-3, 2.00gaa, .929sv%, 10so)
D – T.J. Brennan, Lehigh Valley Phantoms (71gp, 20+35=55pts., 11 PPG, 5 GWG)
D – Matt Taormina, Syracuse Crunch (66gp, 14+42=56pts., +9, 8 PPG, 21 PPA)
LW – Kenny Agostino, Chicago Wolves (63gp, 22+57=79pts., +21, 8 PPG, 4 GWG)
C – Wade Megan, Chicago Wolves (68gp, 31+29=60pts., +23, 3 SHG, 7 GWG)
RW – Taylor Beck, Bakersfield Condors/Hartford Wolf Pack (54gp, 19+44=63pts., +11, 6 PPG)

2016-17 AHL Second All-Star Team (stats through Apr. 5)
G – Zane McIntyre, Providence Bruins (27gp, 20-4-1, 1.91gaa, .934sv%, 2so)
D – Tim Heed, San Jose Barracuda (51gp, 14+40=54pts., +17, 8 PPG)
D – David Warsofsky, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (53gp, 15+30=45pts., +31, 9 PPG, 5 GWG)
LW – Chris Terry, St. John’s IceCaps (53gp, 27+34=61pts., +1, 17 PPG)
C – Travis Boyd, Hershey Bears (72gp, 16+46=62pts., +17, 6 PPG, 4 GWG)
RW – Cory Conacher, Syracuse Crunch (54gp, 16+40=56pts., +8, 5 PPG)

Each All-Star Team member will receive a custom-designed crystal award in recognition of his selection to the 2016-17 AHL First and Second All-Star Teams.

The winners of the 2016-17 Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award (sportsmanship, determination, dedication to hockey) and Eddie Shore Award (outstanding defenseman) will be announced Friday.


2016-17 AHL First All-Star Team

Photo: Scott Dinn

Troy Grosenick, Goaltender (San Jose Barracuda):
Fourth-year pro Troy Grosenick is having a career year in 2016-17, showing a record of 29-9-3 in 45 appearances for San Jose and ranking second in the league in both goals-against average (2.00) and save percentage (.929). Grosenick, who is also tied for the AHL lead in victories, is just the fifth goaltender in league history to reach double digits in shutouts in a single season (10), including a scoreless stretch of more than 248 minutes from Nov. 19 to Dec. 18. The native of Brookfield, Wis., signed with the San Jose Sharks in 2013 following three seasons at Union College, and played in the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic in January.

JustSports Photography

T.J. Brennan, Defenseman (Lehigh Valley Phantoms):
One of two defensemen in AHL history with three career 20-goal seasons, T.J. Brennan has 20 goals and 35 assists for 55 points while appearing in all 71 games thus far for Lehigh Valley in 2016-17. Among blueliners this season, Brennan leads the league with 11 power-play goals, is tied for first with five game-winners and ranks second with 203 shots. In his first season in the Philadelphia Flyers organization, the native of Willingboro, N.J., played in his fourth consecutive AHL All-Star Classic earlier this season, and this marks his third selection as a First Team AHL All-Star (2014, 2016).

Photo: Scott Thomas

Matt Taormina, Defenseman (Syracuse Crunch):
In his eighth pro season in 2016-17, Matt Taormina has established career highs on the Syracuse blue line with 14 goals, 42 assists and 56 points in 66 games, tying him for the AHL lead among defensemen in scoring. Taormina is also first among league defensemen in power-play scoring, contributing a point on 29 of the Crunch’s 51 power-play goals this season. A native of Warren, Mich., and a veteran of 59 career NHL games, Taormina played in his third consecutive AHL All-Star Classic this year.

Photo: Ross Dettman

Kenny Agostino, Left Wing (Chicago Wolves):
Third-year pro Kenny Agostino has had a breakout campaign in 2016-17, pacing the AHL with 57 assists and 79 points in 63 games with Chicago – currently a 16-point cushion over the rest of the league. A free-agent signee by the St. Louis Blues last summer, Agostino also leads the AHL with 34 power-play points, and is tied for seventh among league forwards in plus/minus with a plus-21 rating. Originally a fifth-round draft choice by Pittsburgh in 2010, the Yale University product also has one goal and two assists with the Blues this season.

Photo: Ross Dettman

Wade Megan, Center (Chicago Wolves):
After entering his fourth pro season with 34 goals and 20 assists in 190 career AHL games, Wade Megan has more than doubled his production in 2016-17, scoring a league-best 31 goals and placing fifth in the AHL with 60 points in 68 games with Chicago. Megan, who sports a team-leading plus-23 rating as well, is also tied for second with seven game-winning goals and is one off the league lead with three shorthanded markers. Megan has played three National Hockey League games with St. Louis this season, scoring a goal in his NHL debut on Dec. 22.

Photo: Chris Rutsch

Taylor Beck, Right Wing (Bakersfield Condors/Hartford Wolf Pack):
Sixth-year pro Taylor Beck has set AHL career highs in goals (19), assists (44) and points (63) this season, playing 54 games split between Bakersfield and Hartford. Beck, who has registered 18 multiple-point games, is currently second in the league in scoring and tied for third in assists. The native of St. Catharines, Ont., was a third-round draft choice by Nashville in 2009 and has skated in 90 career NHL games, including three this season with Edmonton.

2016-17 AHL Second All-Star Team

Photo: Alan Sullivan

Zane McIntyre, Goaltender (Providence Bruins):
In his second season out of the University of North Dakota, Zane McIntyre won his first 11 AHL decisions in 2016-17 and has gone on to post a record of 20-4-1 in 27 appearances with Providence, leading the league with his 1.91 goals-against average and his .934 save percentage. The 24-year-old from Thief River Falls, Minn., played in the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic and was named the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month after recording a perfect 9-0-0 mark in December. McIntyre was selected by Boston in the sixth round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut with the Bruins this season, appearing in eight games.

Photo: Scott Dinn

Tim Heed, Defenseman (San Jose Barracuda):
Tim Heed has been impressive in his first season of North American hockey, posting 14 goals and 40 assists with a plus-17 rating in 51 games for San Jose. Heed, who also made his NHL debut this season in a game with the Sharks on Jan. 11, ranks fourth among AHL defensemen and tied for 15th overall with his 54 points. The 26-year-old from Gothenburg, Sweden, captured the Swedish Hockey League’s Defenseman of the Year award in 2014-15 and won a league championship in 2014.

Photo: KDP Studio

David Warsofsky, Defenseman (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins):
Sixth-year pro David Warsofsky has provided veteran leadership for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with his play both offensively and defensively this season, notching 15 goals, 30 assists and a plus-31 rating in 53 AHL games for the division-leading Penguins and earning his first trip to the AHL All-Star Classic in January. The 26-year-old native of Marshfield, Mass., has also been a reliable call-up option for the parent Pittsburgh Penguins, tallying one assist in seven NHL games this season. Warsofsky, a 2008 draft choice by St. Louis before spending three seasons at Boston University, signed with Pittsburgh on July 2, 2016.

Photo: Jeff Parsons

Chris Terry, Left Wing (St. John’s IceCaps):
In his first season in the Montreal Canadiens organization, Chris Terry has been an offensive catalyst for St. John’s, ranking fourth in the AHL with 61 points (27 goals, 34 assists) in just 53 games with the IceCaps. Terry, who has topped the 20-goal and 60-point marks for the fourth time in his AHL career, is also tied for the AHL lead with 17 power-play goals; no teammate has more than five. The Brampton, Ont., native played in his second AHL All-Star Classic this winter and skated in 14 NHL games with Montreal, tallying two goals and two assists.

JustSports Photography

Travis Boyd, Center (Hershey Bears):
Travis Boyd ranks second in the league with 46 assists and third with 62 points for Hershey this season, bettering his impressive showing as a rookie in 2015-16 (53 points). Boyd, a 23-year-old native of Hopkins, Minn., is also second on the Bears roster with a plus-17 rating and has chipped in six power-play goals and four game-winning markers. Boyd, who was a sixth-round selection by Washington in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, joined the Bears in April 2015 following his senior campaign at the University of Minnesota and has not yet missed a game in his first two full seasons as a professional.

Photo: Scott Thomas

Cory Conacher, Right Wing (Syracuse Crunch):
Returning to the Tampa Bay organization in 2016-17, Cory Conacher has tallied 16 goals and 40 assists for 56 points in 54 games with Syracuse, earning his second career postseason All-Star nod. Conacher, who also played in his second AHL All-Star Classic this year, has had his best offensive season since winning MVP and Rookie of the Year honors en route to a Calder Cup title in 2011-12, including a nine-game scoring streak from Jan. 25 to Feb. 12. The native of Burlington, Ont., has also contributed a goal and an assist in eight NHL games with the Lightning.