SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League today announced several roster additions for the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Charter Communications, to take place this Sunday and Monday in Worcester, Mass.
Lake Erie Monsters goaltender Tyler Weiman, Norfolk Admirals forward Brandon Segal and Syracuse Crunch forward Derek MacKenzie have been added to the Canadian AHL All-Star roster, while Hartford Wolf Pack forward Artem Anisimov and Philadelphia Phantoms forward Jared Ross have been added to the PlanetUSA roster.
The AHL also announced that Brian Elliott of Binghamton (Ottawa), Claude Giroux of Philadelphia (Philadelphia), Steve Downie of Norfolk (Tampa Bay), Martin St. Pierre of Providence (Boston) and Nikita Filatov of Syracuse (Columbus) will miss the event due to recall to their respective National Hockey League affiliates, while PlanetUSA All-Stars Tim Kennedy and Nathan Gerbe of Portland will miss the event due to injury.
Anisimov is tied for fifth in the AHL in scoring with 46 points (20 goals, 26 assists) in 44 games for Hartford. A second-round draft pick by the New York Rangers in 2006, Anisimov won a silver medal with Russia at the 2007 World Junior Championships.
MacKenzie has 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points in 27 AHL games with Syracuse this season, and also made one appearance in the NHL with Columbus. The eighth-year pro won a Calder Cup with Chicago in 2002 and has played in 466 AHL games in his career.
Ross was selected to the 2008 AHL All-Star Classic but missed the event due to injury. This year with Philadelphia, Ross has recorded a team-high 19 goals along with 21 assists and a plus-13 rating in 34 games.
Segal has recorded 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points in 35 AHL games for Norfolk this season. He won a Calder Cup championship as a rookie with Milwaukee in 2004 and made a return trip to the Finals in 2006.
Weiman currently ranks fifth in the American Hockey League with a 2.34 goals-against average and seventh with a .921 save percentage for Lake Erie. The native of Saskatoon, Sask., is 11-10-2 in 24 AHL appearances in 2008-09, and is tied for the AHL lead with five shutouts.
The 2009 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Charter Communications will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League competing in the annual All-Star Skills Competition and the 2009 AHL All-Star Game. The two-day event will be televised to more than 100 million households, including on TSN nationally in Canada and on a series of regional sports networks in the United States, with telecasts produced by the New England Sports Network. The weekend’s events will also be streamed live on-line at AHL Live.
Of the 455 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, more than 94 percent have competed in the National Hockey League, including Patrice Bergeron, Brad Boyes, Dan Boyle, Brian Campbell, Zdeno Chara, Rick DiPietro, Jiri Hudler, Miikka Kiprusoff, Kari Lehtonen, Ryan Miller, Zach Parise, Martin St. Louis, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal and Tomas Vokoun.
