Western Conference All Stars

A look at the players that will make up the 2010-11 AHL Western Conference All-Star team.  (*Any mention of organizational rank is from HockeysFuture.com.)

Goalies:

• Jake Allen (Peoria Rivermen) ~ 16-7-0 | 2.12 gaa (5th in the league) | .934 save % (3rd) | 5 shutouts (tied for 1st) - rookie is #4 overall prospect in Blues organization.
• Mark Dekanich (Milwaukee Admirals) ~ 18-7-4 | 1.95 gaa (3rd) | .931 (4th) | 4 shutouts (5th) - 3rd year pro has already tied a career high for shutouts.
• Curtis Sanford (Hamilton Bulldogs) ~ 18-9-1 | 1.72 gaa (1st) | .939 save % (1st) | 5 shutouts (tied for 1st) - 12th year pro has already tied a career high in shutouts and is 5 wins short of his career high (23).

Defensemen:

• T.J. Brodie (Abbotsford Heat) ~ 42 games | 3 goals | 17 assists | 20 points - rookie is #4 prospect in Flames organization. 
• Brian Connelly (Rockford IceHogs) ~ 45 games | 4 goals | 23 assists | 27 points (14th among AHL defensemen) - 2nd year pro has tied a career high for goals in a season.
• Maxim Noreau (Houston Aeros) ~ 51 games | 7 goals | 23 assists | 30 points (9th among defensemen) - #11 prospect in the Wild organization.
• Nathan Oystrick (Peoria Rivermen) ~ 36 games | 10 goals (tied for 2nd among defensemen)| 18 assists | 28 points (10th) - 5th year pro is on pace for career highs in goals and points.
• Paul Postma (Chicago Wolves) ~ 52 games | 8 goals | 27 assists (tied for 1st among defensemen) | 35 points (2nd) - 2nd year player is #2 defenseman in Thrashers system.
• Clay Wilson (Rochester Americans) ~ 47 games | 8 goals | 23 assists | 31 points (6th) - 6th year pro is approaching a career high in goals.
• Keith Aulie (Toronto Marlies) ~ 34 games | 3 goals | 6 assists | 9 points - 2nd year pro is #1 defenseman prospect in Toronto organization.
• Mathieu Carle (Hamilton Bulldogs) ~ 39 games | 8 goals | 8 assists | 16 points - 4th year pro has already set a career high in goals and he leads the Bulldogs with a +15 rating.

Forwards:

• David Desharnais (Hamilton Bulldogs) ~ 35 games | 10 goals | 35 assists (2nd in league) | 45 points (9th) - 4th year pro is #10 prospect in Montreal system.
• Linus Klasen (Milwaukee Admirals) ~ 38 games | 20 goals (9th) | 19 assists | 39 points - playing in his first pro North American season after spending 3 years in Swedish Elite League.
• Spencer Machacek (Chicago Wolves) ~ 45 games | 16 goals | 25 assists | 34 points - 3rd year pro is on pace for career highs in goals, assists, and points.  He is #4 overall prospect in Atlanta organization.
• Brett MacLean (San Antonio Rampage) ~ 42 games | 18 goals (15th) | 24 assists | 42 points (13th) - 3rd year player is #2 overall player in Phoenix organization; will likely challenge his career highs in goals, assists, and points.
• Max Pacioretty (Hamilton Bulldogs) ~ 27 games | 17 goals | 15 assists | 32 points - 3rd year pro has spent the majority of his pro career with the Montreal Canadiens.
• Michal Repik (Rochester Americans) ~ 43 games | 8 goals | 32 assists (5th) | 40 points - 3rd year pro is #6 overall prospect in Florida system; he has already set a new career high for assists.
• Sergei Shirokov (Manitoba Moose) ~ 42 games | 16 goals | 17 assists | 33 points - 2nd year pro in North America, he is the #4 overall prospect in Vancouver organization.
• Mark Olver (Lake Erie Monsters) ~ 47 games | 20 goals (10th) | 11 assists | 31 points - rookie is #4 forward prospect in the Colorado organization.
• Mathieu Beaudoin (San Antonio Rampage) ~ 32 games | 14 goals | 19 assists | 33 points - 4th year pro is 5 goals and 11 points away from tying his career highs.
• Colin McDonald (Oklahoma City Barons) ~ 50 games | 24 goals (3rd) | 9 assists | 33 points - 4th year pro has already set career highs for goals and points and is only 3 shy in assists.
• Francis Wathier (Texas Stars) ~ 44 games | 14 goals | 11 assists | 25 points - 6th year pro is on pace for a career year in goals, assists, and points.
• Alexandre Giroux (Oklahoma City Barons) ~ 50 games | 25 goals (2nd) | 33 assists (4th) | 58 points (2nd) - named captain of the Western Conference by AHL; former Bear hero is on pace to set a new career high in assists.

Eastern Conference All-Stars

A look at the players that will make up the 2010-11 AHL Eastern Conference All-Star team.  (*Any mention of organizational rank is from HockeysFuture.com.)

Goalies:

• Braden Holtby (Hershey Bears) ~ 12-5-2 | 1.73 gaa (2nd in the league) | .939 save % (2nd in the league) | 5 shutouts (tied for 1st in the league) - has only played in 20 games due to NHL recall this season.
• Martin Jones (Manchester Monarchs) ~ 17-5-0 | 2.17 gaa (8th) | .930 save % (5th) | 2 shutouts - a rookie currently #2 goaltender in Kings system.
• John Curry (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) ~ 18-8-0 | 2.46 gaa | .906 save % | 1 shutout - replaced teammate Brad Thiessen in the lineup.

Defensemen:

• Erik Gustafsson (Adirondack Phantoms) ~ 45 games | 4 goals | 24 assists | 28 points (12th among defensemen in AHL) - rookie is #8 overall prospect and #4 defenseman in Flyers system.
• Justin Braun (Worcester Sharks) ~ 29 games | 4 goals | 13 assists | 17 points - rookie has spent 15 games with San Jose in the NHL this season earning 1 goal and 8 assists.
• John Moore (Springfield Falcons) ~ 47 games | 3 goals | 15 assists | 18 points - rookie is #3 prospect in Columbus organization.
• Brian Fahey (Hershey Bears) ~ 34 games | 3 goals | 14 assists | 17 points - 8 year veteran made his NHL debut for the Capitals this season playing in 7 games during his call ups.
• Bryan Rodney (Charlotte Checkers) ~ 47 games | 6 goals | 20 assists | 26 points - the 4th year player is 1 goal short of tying his career high in goals.
• Viatcheslav Voynov (Manchester Monarchs) ~ 46 games | 11 goals (1st among AHL defensemen) | 25 assists | 36 points (1st among defensemen - 3rd year player has tied his career high in goals; #6 prospect in the Kings system.
• Robert Bortuzzo (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) ~ 47 games | 2 goals | 16 assists | 18 points - 2nd year player is #6 prospect in Penguins system; 2nd on the Baby Pens with a +16 rating.
• Mark Wotton (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) ~ 46 games | 3 goals | 5 assists | 8 points - former Bear defensemen (05-06 season) was named Eastern Conference captain by the AHL

Forwards:

• Luke Adam (Portland Pirates) ~ 27 games | 12 goals | 14 assists | 26 points - rookie is #4 prospect in Sabres organization; has played 18 games for the Sabres this season.
• Matt Anderson (Albany Devils) ~ 42 games | 16 goals | 16 assists | 32 points - leads the Devils in goals and points; has already tied his career high in goals.
• Bobby Butler (Binghamton Senators) ~ 44 games | 21 goals (1st among rookies, 8th overall) | 11 assists | 32 points - #7 prospect in the Ottawa system; leads the Senators in goals.
• Andrew Gordon (Hershey Bears) ~ 38 games | 21 goals (7th) | 23 assists | 44 points (10th) - 4th year pro is coming off career highs in goals and points and is on pace to set new highs this year.
• Johan Harju (Norfolk Admirals) ~ 37 games | 16 goals | 15 assists | 31 points - 1st season in North America, he is leading Norfolk in goals.
• Corey Locke (Binghamton Senators) ~ 43 games | 16 goals | 44 assists (1st) | 60 points (1st) - 7 year veteran is on pace to shatter his previous career high in points, 85.
• Kyle Palmieri (Syracuse Crunch) ~ 32 games | 11 goals | 8 assists | 19 points - rookie is #4 prospect in Anaheim organization.
• Rhett Rakhsahi (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) ~ 42 games | 10 goals | 24 assists | 34 points - rookie leads the Sound Tigers in assists and points; #9 prospect in Islanders system.
• Jerome Samson (Charlotte Checkers) ~ 49 games | 23 goals (4th) | 22 assists | 45 points (4th) - leads the first year Checkers in goals and points.
• Jeremy Williams (Connecticut Whale) ~ 49 games | 22 goals (6th) | 18 assists | 40 points (17th) - 7th year pro leads the Whale in goals and points.
• Jamie Arniel (Providence Bruins) ~ 46 games | 14 goals | 16 assists | 30 points - 2nd year pro has set a career high for goals; leads the Bruins in goals and points; #8 prospect in Boston organization.
• Eric Tangradi (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) - 42 games | 18 goals (16th) | 14 assists | 32 points - 2nd year pro is #1 overall prospect in Penguins organization; has set a new career high in goals this season.

All-Star Discussions

The NHL is rolling out a new All-Star format this season. The new format, which allows for the captains of each team to choose their team. It has been discussed by everyone, bloggers, 'official' media, talking heads on TV, ESPN.com, NHL.com, and even at BetUS sports betting news.

Personally I think it is a great idea. And I am actually looking forward to watching some of the game this year which is not typical. The captains, whom I do not think have been named as of yet, will pick their teams on Friday the 28th with the skills competition happening Saturday night on the 29th. Then the game itself is Sunday, January 30 at 4pm.

Definitely something different...a pick-up game style. At the very least it makes Friday night more interesting to see which players the captains consider to be more 'important' when building a team.

The AHL All Star festivities are coming up too. They will take the more traditional East vs West format. Although in years past you saw Canada vs the World and things like that. I am definitely happy to see an Eastern Conference vs Western Conference format this season.

Unfortunately the AHL skills competition is scheduled for 3pm Sunday, January 30. Which means if you go to Hershey to see the Bears and the other AHLers you will likely miss a good portion of the NHL game. But it will definitely be worth it. You know why?

Because a former Bear is returning to Hershey for the first time since June and the reception is likely to be pretty impressive.

Alexandre Giroux will be back in Hershey for the first time since June when he captains the Western Conference team on January 31. G played 296 games (playoffs included) for the Bears over the course of 4 different seasons. He scored 202 goals and added 165 assists during that time.

I am definitely excited to hear the reception when he is announced at both the Skills Competition and the All Star Game itself.

Also, a big congratulations to Andrew Gordon, Lawrence Nycholat, and Braden Holtby for earning a spot on the Eastern Conference team. They are all very deserving.

• Andrew Gordon, despite missing 7 games while in Washington, is currently 5th in the league in goals scored with 18 and 9th in points with 36. He leads the Bears in both categories.
• Lawrence Nycholat leads the Hershey Bears in assists with 22. He is currently 16th in the league in assists and 4th among defensemen.
• Braden Holtby currently sits at 10-4-1 with a .935 save percentage and a 1.80 goals against average. He is 4th in the league in gaa, 5th in save percentage, and 2nd in shutouts (4).

News, Updates, Thoughts...

This post is kind of just going to be thrown together here.

Some Housekeeping...

Due to some computer issues this year I have been unable to watch the away games which is why you haven't seen as many game reviews here this year. That should be getting resolved this week so hopefully I will have more updates/preview/reviews going into the new calendar year.

Last week...

Hershey managed to win 2 of 3 despite missing Mathieu Perreault, Andrew Gordon, Kyle Greentree, Keith Aucoin, and Brian Fahey in some of the games. Not too bad considering.

Greentree and Aucoin were out with injuries while the other 3 were on recall to Washington. Gordon is back in Hershey already so that is good. No telling when Perry and Fahey could return. Another player could be recalled as Washington is dealing with multiple injuries and illnesses currently.

Pens struggle...

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have dropped 2 straight decisions for the first time this season. Both losses came at the hands of their closest competition in the East division, the Norfolk Admirals.

The Pens still lead the AHL in overall points with 42 and are 3 points in front of Norfolk in the East division.

The Ads have won 10 of their last 13 games and lead the league in goals. They have 15 more goals then the next closest team.

AHL All Star Game News....

First let's say this...Alexandre Giroux will be returning to Hershey this season. As the captain of the Western Conference squad for the All Star game. It will be a great chance for the former Bear to enjoy a warm reception in the building where he set or helped set many records.

Another former Bear, Mark Wotton, will captain the Eastern Conference.

So I think we should keep the reunion idea going. Head over to the AHL.com page for voting and cast some votes for former Bears Dean Arsene and Graham Mink. Both players currently play in the Western Conference so go vote for your favorite Bears on the East side and Arsene/Mink on the West side.

Upcoming this week...

Hershey has a 3 in 3 this weekend as they visit the lowly Adirondack Phantoms on Friday before welcoming Providence and Charlotte on Saturday and Sunday.

I hope to have my personal computer back up and running by Thursday so hopefully you will see game previews and recaps here all weekend.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!

Aucoin and Bourque are All-Stars

Chris Bourque and Keith Aucoin were named to the PlanetUSA All-Star team today.

Chris Bourque will be a starter on the team. They were the only Bears named to the team. Players like Oskar Osala, Graham Mink, and Simeon Varlamov were left off the roster.

I can understand Osala and Mink but how can Varly be left off the roster?


The goalies that made it are Jeff Frazee (Lowell), Daniel Larsson (Grand Rapids), and Cory Schneider (Manitoba). And all three are relatively deserving.

Frazee - 19 gp, 10-6-2 record, 2 shutouts, 2.31 gaa, and .932 save percentage

Larsson - 19 gp, 12-4-1 record, 4 shutouts, 2.30 gaa, and .924 save percentage

Schneider - 12gp, 10-1 record, 1 shutout, 1.47 gaa, and .940 save percentage

All very good numbers although Schneider has only played 12 games in the AHL this season. How is that enough to qualify...and he is the starter!

Varly - 17 gp, 14-3 record, 2 shutouts, 2.13 gaa, and .921 save percentage


I don't understand how he didn't make the team. More wins than any of them. More starts than Schneider. Lower goals against than 2 of them.

Personally.....I think Varly should AT LEAST be on the team if not the starter. And I did vote for him....multiple times.

Giroux and Helmer on Canadian Team

Alexandre Giroux was named to the Canadian All-Star team today. Bryan Helmer was announced a couple weeks ago as captain. Giroux will be a starter for the game.


Also the Bears coaching tandem of Bob Woods and Mark French will serve as the coaches for the Canadian team since the Bears had the best record in the league at this point of the season.

To see the entire Canadian roster click here.

The PlanetUSA team will be announced tomorrow.