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AHL announces PlanetUSA All-Star roster

January 2, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


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

The team, comprising players born in the United States and Europe, 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. The Canadian AHL All-Star team roster will be announced on Friday.

Seventeen members of the PlanetUSA team will be making their AHL All-Star debuts, including rookies John Pohl of Worcester, Jeff Taffe of Springfield, Mike Komisarek of Hamilton, Filip Novak of San Antonio and Niko Dimitrakos and Jim Fahey of Cleveland.

Providence Bruins defenseman Rich Brennan will establish league records by appearing in his seventh career AHL All-Star Game and his seventh in a row. AHL legends Fred Glover and Dunc Fisher each skated in six All-Star games from 1955-60. Brennan has also been selected a starter for the fourth time in his career.

The coaching staff for the PlanetUSA AHL All-Stars will be determined later this month. The club with the best points percentage after play on January 12 will send its coach to the All-Star Classic to guide the PlanetUSA team. The current leaders for that honor are Hamilton's Claude Julien (.776), Manchester's Bruce Boudreau (.706), Houston's Todd McLellan (.676), Providence's Mike Sullivan (.658) and Grand Rapids' Danton Cole (.657).

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 in the United States and Canada.

2003 PlanetUSA AHL All-Star Team Starters

Philippe Sauve, Goaltender (Hershey Bears): Now in his third campaign with the Hershey Bears, Philippe Sauve has been selected to his first AHL All-Star Classic. Born in Buffalo (where his father Bob, a former Bears goaltender, was playing for the NHL's Sabres), Sauve has a record of 13-7-5 this season, and his 2.18 goals against average is fourth-lowest in the AHL. A second-round draft choice by Colorado in 1998, the 22-year-old Sauve was named team MVP in each of his first two seasons in Chocolatetown.

Rich Brennan, Defense (Providence Bruins): Rich Brennan will make AHL history when he surpasses Fred Glover and Dunc Fisher as the only seven-time participant in an AHL All-Star Game. A Calder Cup champion in 1997 with the Hershey Bears, the native of Schenectady, N.Y., set an All-Star Game record by scoring two goals in 17 seconds during the 2001 event, and tied Glover and Fisher in 2002 by skating one shift despite a broken wrist. In addition to his 419 career AHL matches, Brennan has skated in 43 NHL contests with Nashville, Los Angeles, the N.Y. Rangers, San Jose and Colorado.

Brian Pothier, Defense (Binghamton Senators): A former All-American at RPI, Brian Pothier has anchored the defense for the first-year Binghamton Senators in 2002-03. The third-year pro spent the last two seasons in the Atlanta Thrashers organization, last year skating in 39 games with the eventual Calder Cup champion Chicago Wolves. Pothier, 25, has 19 points and a team-leading plus-15 rating in 33 contests with Binghamton.

Niko Dimitrakos, Forward (Cleveland Barons): For the 2003 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic, Barons rookie Niko Dimitrakos returns to the Pine Tree State, where he was a four-year standout at the University of Maine and a member of the Black Bears' 1999 national championship team. The AHL's Rookie of the Month for October, the 23-year-old Dimitrakos leads Cleveland in assists and points while playing in all 36 of the club's games.

Matt Herr, Forward (Providence Bruins): Making his second consecutive appearance in the AHL All-Star Classic, Matt Herr has averaged a point per game in his first season with the Providence Bruins. The New Jersey native played in Portland from 1998-2001, twice topping the 20-goal mark for the Pirates. Herr, a four-year standout at the University of Michigan, has appeared in 55 career NHL games with the Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers.

John Pohl, Forward (Worcester IceCats): The nation's leading scorer with 79 points at the University of Minnesota last season, John Pohl joined the St. Louis organization after leading the Golden Gophers to the 2002 NCAA championship over Maine. One of two former Minnesota High School Players of the Year on the PlanetUSA roster (Jeff Taffe is the other), Pohl currently leads all AHL rookies in scoring with 38 points in 36 games for the IceCats.

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