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2002 AHL All-Star Teams Announced

March 29, 2002 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


SPRINGFIELD, MA . . . The American Hockey League announced today the 2002 AHL First and Second All-Star Teams, as voted on by AHL players and media in each of the league's 27 cities.

2002 AHL First All-Star Team
Goaltender - Martin Prusek, Grand Rapids Griffins
Defenseman - John Gruden, Grand Rapids Griffins
Defenseman - John Slaney, Philadelphia Phantoms
Center - Eric Boguniecki, Worcester IceCats
Left Wing - Jason Chimera, Hamilton Bulldogs
Right Wing - Brad Smyth, Hartford Wolf Pack

2002 AHL Second All-Star Team
Goaltender - Jean-Francois Labbe, Syracuse Crunch
Defenseman - Nathan Dempsey, St. John's Maple Leafs
Defenseman - Greg Hawgood, Utah Grizzlies
Center - Brian Swanson, Hamilton Bulldogs
Left Wing - Jean-Guy Trudel, Springfield Falcons
Right Wing - Rico Fata, Hartford Wolf Pack

Each All-Star Team member will receive a custom designed ring in recognition of his selection to the 2002 AHL First and Second All-Star Teams.

2002 AHL First All-Star Team Bios

Martin Prusek, Goaltender (Grand Rapids Griffins): In his first season in North America, Martin Prusek is preparing to rewrite the AHL record books with his play between the pipes for Grand Rapids. Prusek, 26, owns a record of 16-6-5 with four shutouts in 29 games with the Griffins this season, and his 1.80 goals against average has him within striking distance of the 64-year-old AHL record low of 1.79. The native of Ostrava, Czech Rep., made his NHL debut with Ottawa on Mar. 23.

John Gruden, Defense (Grand Rapids Griffins): In his third season in a Griffins uniform, John Gruden has provided stability on the blue line for the league's top defensive team. A veteran of 81 NHL games with Boston and Ottawa, Gruden leads all AHL defensemen with a plus-27 rating, and has led Grand Rapids' run at the AHL record for fewest goals allowed in an 80-game season (176). Gruden, a native of Virginia, Minn., represented the Griffins in the 2002 AHL All-Star Game.

John Slaney, Defense (Philadelphia Phantoms): A First Team AHL All-Star for the second straight season, John Slaney continues racking up the accolades in this, his 10th professional season. The St. John's native received a hero's welcome at the 2002 AHL All-Star Classic in Newfoundland, where he made his third consecutive All-Star appearance. Despite an injury that cost him nearly six weeks of the season, Slaney shares the scoring lead among AHL defensemen with 57 points in 59 games for Philadelphia.

Eric Boguniecki, Center (Worcester IceCats): Eric Boguniecki has averaged more than a point per game over his three AHL seasons, earning a spot in the All-Star Game each year, and now his first postseason All-Star Team berth. This year, the New Haven, Conn., native has recorded 34 goals and 42 assists for 76 points in just 57 games with Worcester, while also appearing in seven contests with the parent St. Louis Blues. A product of the University of New Hampshire, Boguniecki has 97 goals and 221 points in 187 career AHL matches since 1999.

Jason Chimera, Left Wing (Hamilton Bulldogs): An Edmonton native, Jason Chimera is having a career year in his third season in the Oilers' organization. The 22-year-old has set personal highs with 50 assists and 72 points this season with Hamilton, and he leads the Bulldogs with seven game-winning goals. He currently sits sixth in the AHL's scoring race, and his plus-24 rating is fifth-highest in the AHL. Chimera, who played in his first AHL All-Star Game in February, recorded his first career NHL goal with Edmonton on Dec. 21.

Brad Smyth, Right Wing (Hartford Wolf Pack): As he bids for his second career AHL scoring title, Brad Smyth earns a berth on the AHL's First All-Star Team for the second year in a row and the third time in his career. Already one of five players in league history to record two 50-goal seasons, the Ottawa native has tallied 33 goals and 45 assists for 78 points this season, good for a share of the AHL's scoring lead. A Calder Cup champion with Hartford in 2000, Smyth has registered 244 goals and 465 points in 395 career AHL games.

2002 AHL Second All-Star Team Jean-Francois Labbe, Goaltender (Syracuse Crunch): One of the winningest goaltenders in AHL history, J-F. Labbe has led Syracuse to the brink of the first division title in the Crunch's eight-year franchise history. A two-time Calder Cup champion, the league's MVP (and a First Team All-Star) in 1997 and one of six AHL goalies ever to score a goal, Labbe leads the AHL with seven shutouts, becoming the first goaltender in 32 years to reach that benchmark. A ninth-year pro from Sherbrooke, Que., Labbe earned his first career NHL victory on Mar. 11 for Columbus.

Nathan Dempsey, Defense (St. John's Maple Leafs): A staple of the St. John's defensive corps since 1994, Nathan Dempsey has earned his first postseason All-Star Team nod this season. The Maple Leafs' all-time leader in games played (532) and assists (197, both including playoffs), Dempsey has established career highs in 2001-02 with 44 assists and 55 points, and he skated in the 2002 AHL All-Star Classic in front of the home fans in St. John's. Dempsey, a 1992 draft pick of Toronto, has skated in 48 career NHL contests, including three this season.

Greg Hawgood, Defense (Utah Grizzlies): Greg Hawgood returned to the AHL in 2001-02 for the first time in 10 years, when he was a First Team All-Star and won the 1992 Eddie Shore Award as the AHL's outstanding defenseman. The Edmonton native is currently tied for the league's scoring lead among blueliners and ranks second on the Grizzlies with 57 points. A veteran of 472 NHL games, Hawgood reached the Stanley Cup Finals with Boston in 1990.

Brian Swanson, Center (Hamilton Bulldogs): A third-year pro out of Colorado College, Brian Swanson has had a breakthrough season in 2001-02, leading Hamilton with 34 goals and 73 points, along with a league-leading plus-28 rating, in 65 games, and sparking the Bulldogs' turnaround from playoff bystander last season to title contender this year. The native of Eagle River, Alaska, has added a goal and an assist in five NHL games with Edmonton this year, and has been among the AHL's scoring leaders since a torrid November, when he recorded 16 goals, 27 points and a plus-23 rating in 13 games.

Jean-Guy Trudel, Left Wing (Springfield Falcons): With 45 assists and 67 points in 71 games for Springfield, Jean-Guy Trudel earns another postseason All-Star Team berth, after being named to the Second Team in 2000 and the First Team in 2001. The Falcons' captain and all-time scoring leader with 239 points in 223 games, Trudel is tied for sixth in the AHL in assists this season and he is back among the top 15 in scoring, after finishing second with 99 points in 2000-01. A native of Sudbury, Ont., Trudel appeared in his second consecutive AHL All-Star Game in 2002.

Rico Fata, Right Wing (Hartford Wolf Pack): The sixth overall pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, third-year pro Rico Fata has set career highs with 34 goals, 34 assists and 68 points in 55 games this season for Hartford, and ranks second in the AHL with a plus-27 rating. A member of the 2001 Calder Cup champion Saint John Flames, the 22-year-old Fata has skated in two of the last three AHL All-Star Games, tallying two goals and two assists in the 2002 event. Fata, from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has appeared in 37 career NHL matches with Calgary and the N.Y. Rangers.

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