The American Hockey League announced today the 2010-11 AHL All-Rookie Team, as voted by AHL coaches, players and media in each of the league’s 30 member cities.
The team consists of one goaltender, two defensemen and three forwards:
2010-11 AHL All-Rookie Team (stats through Mar. 29)
Goaltender – Eddie Lack, Manitoba Moose (49gp, 27-19-3, 2.16gaa, .928sv%, 5so)
Defenseman – Erik Gustafsson, Adirondack Phantoms (65gp, 5+33=38pts., 22 PP pts.)
Defenseman – Brendan Smith, Grand Rapids Griffins (57gp, 12+20=32pts., 4 GWG)
Forward – Luke Adam, Portland Pirates (49gp, 25+29=54pts., +22)
Forward – Zac Dalpe, Charlotte Checkers (56gp, 21+30=51pts., 7 PPG)
Forward – Rhett Rakhshani, Bridgeport Sound Tigers (61gp, 20+35=55pts., 10 PPG)
Each All-Rookie Team member will receive a custom designed crystal award in recognition of his selection to the 2010-11 AHL All-Rookie Team.
Previous selections to the annual AHL All-Rookie Team include J.S. Giguere (1998), Zdeno Chara (1998), Brendan Morrison (1998), Marc Savard (1998), Daniel Briere (1998), J.P. Dumont (1999), Dan Boyle (1999), Cory Sarich (1999), Jonathan Cheechoo (2001), Michael Leighton (2002), Barret Jackman (2002), Ron Hainsey (2002), Jason Spezza (2003), Brad Boyes (2003), Cam Ward (2005), Chris Campoli (2005), Thomas Vanek (2005), Rene Bourque (2005), Kevin Bieksa (2005), Jimmy Howard (2006), Daniel Girardi (2006), Mike Green (2006), Ryan Shannon (2006), Jaroslav Halak (2007), Troy Brouwer (2007), Ryan Callahan (2007), Bobby Ryan (2008), Teddy Purcell (2008), Brian Boyle (2008), Alex Goligoski (2008), Nathan Gerbe (2009), Justin Abdelkader (2009), John Carlson (2010), P.K. Subban (2010), Logan Couture (2010), Lars Eller (2010) and Tyler Ennis (2010).
2010-11 AHL All-Rookie Team
Eddie Lack, Goaltender (Manitoba Moose):
One of the league’s top netminders for Manitoba all season long, Eddie Lack currently leads all AHL rookies in wins (27-19-3), goals-against average (2.16) and save percentage (.928), ranking among the AHL’s top five overall in all three categories while also placing second in the league in minutes played (2,945), shots faced (1,474) and saves (1,368). A native of Norrtalje, Sweden, Lack put together a six-game winning streak in December and has allowed two goals or fewer in 32 of his 49 starts, including five shutouts.
Erik Gustafsson, Defense (Adirondack Phantoms):
After a quick start offensively, Erik Gustafsson improved his two-way play as his rookie season went on and helped Adirondack to a strong second half of 2010-11. The Phantoms’ representative at the 2011 AHL All-Star Classic leads all rookie defensemen in assists (33) and points (38) in 64 games, and he owns a plus-14 rating since Dec. 28, during which time Adirondack has posted a record of 20-13-2-6. The 22-year-old native of Kvissleby, Sweden, also made his NHL debut with Philadelphia this season, appearing in three games with the Flyers.
Brendan Smith, Defense (Grand Rapids Griffins):
A first-round draft choice (27th overall) by the Detroit Red Wings in 2007, Brendan Smith turned pro in 2010-11 after three years at the University of Wisconsin and leads all AHL rookie defensemen in goals (12) while adding 20 assists for 32 points in 57 games. The 22-year-old native of Mimico, Ont., scored a goal just 3:09 into his professional debut on Oct. 8 and has pieced together three separate four-game scoring streaks this season. Smith has also potted four game-winning goals, ranking second among AHL blueliners.
Luke Adam, Forward (Portland Pirates):
The sixth Portland Pirates forward to be named to the All-Rookie team in the last six seasons (following Tyler Ennis, Nathan Gerbe, Tim Kennedy, Bobby Ryan and Ryan Shannon), Luke Adam notched four points on opening night and was named the first Reebok/AHL Player of the Week of the 2010-11 season. Adam has gone on to rank second among all AHL rookies in goals (25), points (54) and plus/minus (+22) in just 49 games with Portland while earning five NHL recalls to Buffalo, where the Sabres’ second-round draft pick in 2008 has three goals and one assist in 19 games. A 20-year-old native of St. John’s, N.L., Adam had an 11-game scoring streak from Feb. 26 to Mar. 22.
Zac Dalpe, Forward (Charlotte Checkers):
Carolina’s second-round draft choice in 2008, 21-year-old Zac Dalpe has notched 21 goals and 30 assists for 51 points in 56 games with Charlotte this season, good for third in the AHL in rookie scoring. The native of Paris, Ont., began the season with the Hurricanes and has totaled three goals and one assist in 15 NHL games as well. Dalpe, who was also a CCHA all-rookie selection at Ohio State as a freshman in 2008-09, scored a goal in five straight games from Nov. 6-12 and had back-to-back four-point nights on Jan. 21 and 23.
Rhett Rakhshani, Forward (Bridgeport Sound Tigers):
One of two AHL rookies currently leading his team in scoring (Springfield’s Tomas Kubalik is the other), Rhett Rakhshani ranks first among AHL rookies with 35 assists and 55 points in 61 games for Bridgeport in 2010-11. The 23-year-old native of Huntington Beach, Calif., has had two scoring streaks of seven games each this season, including a stretch of six consecutive multiple-point performances from Dec. 3-18. Rakhshani, a fourth-round pick in the 2006 NHL draft by the New York Islanders, has appeared in two games with the big club as well.
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