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AHL announces Canadian All-Star roster

January 3, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


SPRINGFIELD, MA ... The American Hockey League announced today the Canadian AHL All-Star team roster for the 2003 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine.

The team, comprising players born in Canada, includes 21 skaters and three goaltenders. AHL fans determined the starting lineup via on-line balloting at theahl.com, while a committee of AHL coaches selected the remainder of the roster.

Eighteen members of the Canadian team have earned their first career AHL All-Star selections, including rookies Jason Spezza and Ray Emery of Binghamton, Jared Aulin of Manchester and Charlie Stephens of Hershey. All told, 35 of the 48 players chosen to head to Portland will be making their AHL All-Star debuts.

The league-leading Hamilton Bulldogs boast three starters on the Canadian AHL All-Star team: forwards Benoit Gratton and Jason Ward and goaltender Mathieu Garon. Hamilton will have a league-high five representatives at the event, as defenseman Mike Komisarek and goaltender Ty Conklin were named to the PlanetUSA team on Thursday.

Manitoba Moose defenseman Brian Chapman was last month named captain of the Canadian AHL All-Star team. Portland Pirates forwards Peter and Chris Ferraro were given the same honor for PlanetUSA.

By virtue of leading the Chicago Wolves to the Calder Cup championship in 2002, John Anderson will serve as the head coach for the Canadian AHL All-Star team.

Of the 262 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, more than 92 percent have competed in the NHL, including Tyler Arnason, Eric Boguniecki, Valeri Bure, Anson Carter, Pavol Demitra, J.P. Dumont, Mike Dunham, Patrik Elias, Martin Lapointe, John Madden, Mattias Norstrom, Steve Sullivan and Jason Williams. Coaches who have worked behind the bench at an AHL All-Star Classic include Peter Laviolette, Robbie Ftorek, Barry Trotz, John Tortorella and Bruce Cassidy.

The 2003 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic gets underway on Sunday, February 2, with the 2003 Pepsi AHL All-Star Skills Competition at 8:00 p.m. ET. The annual All-Star Game follows at 7:00 p.m. ET on Monday, February 3, and will be televised live on Rogers Sportsnet throughout Canada and on AHL regional television partners across the United States.

2003 Canadian AHL All-Star Team Starters

Mathieu Garon, Goaltender (Hamilton Bulldogs): Backstopping the top-ranked defense in the AHL, Mathieu Garon leads the league with a 1.99 goals against average and is second with his .928 save percentage. A second-round draft choice by Montreal in 1996, Garon (who turns 25 on Jan. 9) had a stellar junior career at Victoriaville (QMJHL), where he was named a First Team All-Star and the Canadian Major Junior Goaltender of the Year in 1998.

Ray Giroux, Defense (Albany River Rats): A member of last year's Eastern Conference champions from Bridgeport, Ray Giroux signed with the New Jersey Devils organization in the off-season, and currently ranks second on the Albany River Rats in scoring with 24 points in 36 games. Giroux, who finished in the top five among AHL defensemen in assists and points a year ago, played in the AHL All-Star Game in 2000 and 2002, totaling a goal and three assists in the two games.

John Slaney, Defense (Philadelphia Phantoms): Making his fourth consecutive AHL All-Star Classic appearance, John Slaney continues to be one of the leading offensive defensemen in the AHL. Slaney, who played parts of two seasons in Portland (1993-95) after being drafted ninth overall by Washington in 1990, has 71 goals and 138 assists for 209 points in 210 games since returning to the AHL in 1999. The MVP of the 2001 All-Star Game in Wilkes-Barre has five points in All-Star play, most of any defenseman in league history.

Benoit Gratton, Forward (Hamilton Bulldogs): Also a former Portland Pirate, Benoit Gratton is having a career year in 2002-03, leading the AHL in assists (36) and points (55) while captaining the league-leading Bulldogs. The Montreal native is on pace for 112 points this season, a total that would be the highest by an AHL player since 1995-96. Gratton played three seasons in Portland (1996-99) before joining the Calgary organization, where he had 46 points in 53 games for the eventual Calder Cup champions from Saint John in 2001.

Darren Haydar, Forward (Milwaukee Admirals): One of the headliners of the AHL's rookie class of 2003, Milwaukee's Darren Haydar has helped keep the Admirals in the thick of the West Division race since his three-point effort on opening night. A conference All-Star at the University of New Hampshire and the nation's second-leading scorer a year ago, Haydar has already impressed the parent Nashville Predators enough to earn a pair of recalls to the NHL.

Jason Ward, Forward (Hamilton Bulldogs): Selected by Montreal as the 11th overall pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, Jason Ward is well on his way toward shattering the personal highs he set in 2001-02, when he recorded 24 goals, 33 assists and 57 points. The Bulldogs winger is second only to linemate Benoit Gratton in the league's scoring race, and his 11-game scoring streak from Nov. 2-22 (8g, 9a) is the second-longest in the AHL this season.

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