ROSTERS ANNOUNCED FOR 2012 AHL ALL-STAR CLASSIC
BY: Jason Chaimovitch, AHL VP of Communications
The American Hockey League announced today the Eastern and Western Conference All-Star rosters for the 2012 AHL All-Star Classic, to take place Jan. 29-30 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.
Each team comprises 24 players – 13 forwards, eight defensemen and three goaltenders. Rosters were determined by committees of AHL coaches, and all 30 AHL teams are represented by at least one All-Star.
The 2012 squads feature 34 first-time AHL All-Stars, 13 rookies and 20 players who have skated in the National Hockey League already this season, including standout first-year players Cam Atkinson of the Springfield Falcons, Andy Miele of the Portland Pirates, Cade Fairchild of the Peoria Rivermen and Gustav Nyquist of the Grand Rapids Griffins. A total of 13 former first- and second-round draft picks were also named All-Stars, among them Milwaukee’s Ryan Ellis, Manchester’s Thomas Hickey, Syracuse’s Kyle Palmieri, Bridgeport’s Calvin de Haan, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Simon Despres, Oklahoma City’s Alex Plante and Toronto’s Joe Colborne and Nazem Kadri.
Players returning to the AHL All-Star Classic include AHL leading scorer Keith Aucoin of Hershey and reigning AHL MVP Corey Locke of Binghamton, both of whom will tie an AHL record with their sixth career All-Star appearance.
St. John’s IceCaps head coach Keith McCambridge and Oklahoma City Barons head coach Todd Nelson will guide the Eastern and Western Conference All-Stars, respectively, after their teams finished play on Jan. 1 with the best records in their conferences.
From Jan. 5-23, fans will have the opportunity to vote for the starting lineups for the 2012 AHL All-Star Game by visiting theahl.com or facebook.com/theahl and completing the official Reebok AHL All-Star Fan Ballot. Voters will also be entered to win a grand prize of a team-signed authentic 2012 AHL All-Star jersey, and five more winners will each receive a pair of tickets to the 2012 AHL All-Star Skills Competition and All-Star Game, courtesy of Insurance Office of America.
Tickets for the 2012 AHL All-Star Classic – which include admission to both the 2012 AHL All-Star Skills Competition at 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 29, and the 2012 AHL All-Star Game at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 30 – are on sale now at the Boardwalk Hall box office, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling (800) 736-1420 or at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available for the Post-Skills Party (January 29, 5:30 p.m.) and the 2012 AHL Hall of Fame Induction & Awards Ceremony (January 30, 11 a.m.) at Caesars Atlantic City.
The 2012 AHL All-Star Classic will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League competing in an internationally televised showcase from historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Of the 562 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, more than 93 percent have competed in the National Hockey League, including Patrice Bergeron, Dan Boyle, Daniel Briere, Ryan Callahan, Brian Campbell, Zdeno Chara, Jimmy Howard, Miikka Kiprusoff, Ryan Miller, Zach Parise, Pekka Rinne, Bobby Ryan, Martin St. Louis, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal, P.K. Subban and Tomas Vokoun.
The 2012 AHL All-Star Classic is presented by the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority, Caesars Entertainment, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and the American Hockey League. For destination information about Atlantic City, please visit www.atlanticcitynj.com.
2012 Eastern Conference AHL All-Stars
Forwards
Cam Atkinson, Springfield Falcons
Keith Aucoin, Hershey Bears
Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, Connecticut Whale
Chris Bourque, Hershey Bears
Carter Camper, Providence Bruins
Cory Conacher, Norfolk Admirals
Boyd Kane, Hershey Bears (“C”)
Corey Locke, Binghamton Senators
Colin McDonald, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Andy Miele, Portland Pirates
Kyle Palmieri, Syracuse Crunch
Trevor Smith, Norfolk Admirals
Mats Zuccarello, Connecticut Whale
Defensemen
Mark Barberio, Norfolk Admirals
Calvin de Haan, Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Simon Despres, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Thomas Hickey, Manchester Monarchs
Matt Irwin, Worcester Sharks
Paul Postma, St. John’s IceCaps
Zach Redmond, St. John’s IceCaps
Matt Taormina, Albany Devils
Goaltenders
Michael Leighton, Adirondack Phantoms
Tyson Sexsmith, Worcester Sharks
Jeff Zatkoff, Manchester Monarchs
2012 Western Conference AHL All-Stars
Forwards
Joe Colborne, Toronto Marlies
Philippe Cornet, Oklahoma City Barons
Jon DiSalvatore, Houston Aeros
Matt Fraser, Texas Stars
Darren Haydar, Chicago Wolves (“C”)
T.J. Hensick, Peoria Rivermen
Nazem Kadri, Toronto Marlies
Krys Kolanos, Abbotsford Heat
Jon Matsumoto, Charlotte Checkers
Chris Mueller, Milwaukee Admirals
Gustav Nyquist, Grand Rapids Griffins
Brandon Pirri, Rockford IceHogs
Jerome Samson, Charlotte Checkers
Defensemen
Kevin Connauton, Chicago Wolves
Ryan Ellis, Milwaukee Admirals
Cade Fairchild, Peoria Rivermen
Brayden McNabb, Rochester Americans
Alex Plante, Oklahoma City Barons
Colby Robak, San Antonio Rampage
Frederic St. Denis, Hamilton Bulldogs
Clay Wilson, Abbotsford Heat
Goaltenders
Yann Danis, Oklahoma City Barons
Cedrick Desjardins, Lake Erie Monsters
Matt Hackett, Houston Aeros
