SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … Philadelphia Phantoms captain John Slaney became the all-time leading scorer among defensemen in American Hockey League history with an assist in tonight’s game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the Wachovia Spectrum in Philadelphia.
The assist, on a third-period goal by Tony Voce, was Slaney’s 454th career point, surpassing the mark set by Steve Kraftcheck during a 13-year career between 1949 and 1964. Slaney now stands with 155 goals and 299 assists in 531 career AHL games with the Phantoms, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Cornwall Aces, Portland Pirates and Baltimore Skipjacks.
The 33-year-old Slaney made his professional debut at the end of the 1991-92 season, and in 1992-93 set American Hockey League records for goals (20), assists (46) and points (66) by a rookie defenseman. In 1999-2000, Slaney became the first AHL defenseman to score 30 goals in a season, and he captured the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s top blueliner in both 2000-01 and 2001-02.
Slaney appeared in four consecutive AHL All-Star Classics from 2000-03, winning MVP honors at the 2001 event in Wilkes-Barre and serving as captain for the Canadian team in his hometown of St. John’s, Nfld., in 2002. He is the all-time leading scorer in All-Star Game history with eight career points.
In 2005, Slaney won his first professional championship, capturing the Calder Cup with the Phantoms.
In operation since 1936, the AHL is celebrating its historic 70th anniversary this season, and continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. Nearly 80 percent of all NHL players today are AHL graduates, and last year more than 7.1 million fans – an all-time league record – attended AHL games across North America.
