AHL Syracuse Crunch

Brassard Named to Team Canada AHL All-Stars

January 9, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


Syracuse, NY (January 9, 2008) - The Syracuse Crunch announced today that the American Hockey League has selected rookie center Derick Brassard to play on the Team Canada AHL All-Star Team for the 2008 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Reebok.

Brassard, 20, has appeared in 21 games with the Crunch this season, tallying 5 goals, 20 assists and 20 penalty minutes. He was named the Rbk Edge/AHL Rookie of the Month for October, posting 16 points (4g, 12a) in 12 games. Brassard was tied for first in the AHL in scoring before suffering a broken jaw on November 13, causing him to miss the next 19 games. He returned to the lineup on December 29, recording two assists in a 3-2 win over Manitoba. Prior to coming to Syracuse, Brassard racked up 75 goals, 143 assists and 141 penalty minutes in 151 games with Drummondville of the QMJHL. Brassard was drafted by Columbus in the first round, sixth overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Brassard was a First Team QMJHL All-Star selection in the 2005-06 season. That same year, Brassard was awarded the Mike Bossy Trophy as the QMJHL's top draft prospect after posting 116 points (44g, 72a ) in 58 games. In his first full season with Drummondville in 2004-05, Brassard was named to the all-rookie team, won the Michel Bergeron Trophy as the QMJHL's top rookie forward and took home the RDS/JVC Trophy as the top rookie in the QMJHL.

In fourteen seasons, Syracuse has had 21 players participate in the AHL All-Star Classic. Previous participants include Lonny Bohonos and Scott Walker (1994- 95), Brian Loney (1995-96), Larry Courville and John Namestnikov (1996-97), Mark Wotton and Robert Dome (1997- 98), Boris Protsenko and Valentin Morozov (1998-99), Harold Druken and Chris O'Sullivan (1999-00), Mike Gaul (2000-01), Derrick Walser and Duvie Westcott (2001-02), Karl Goehring (2002- 03), Aaron Johnson (2003-04), Alexander Svitov (2004-05), Andy Delmore and Mark Hartigan (2005- 06), Filip Novak (2006-07).

The 2008 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Reebok will take place at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, home of the AHL's Senators. The AHL All-Star Classic will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League competing in the 2008 CCM AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, January 27, and the 2008 AHL All-Star Game on Monday, January 28. The event will be televised nationally in the United States and Canada.

Of the 427 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, Brad Boyes, Daniel Briere, Zdeno Chara, Jonathan Cheechoo, Pavol Demitra, Rick DiPietro, Patrik Elias, Ray Emery, Jiri Hudler, Miikka Kiprusoff, Kari Lehtonen, Ryan Miller, Martin St. Louis, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal and Steve Sullivan.

The Crunch's next game is Friday, January 11 as they travel to Hamilton to take on the Bulldogs. The Crunch's next home game is Sunday, January 13 vs. Albany at the War Memorial at Oncenter at 4:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Crunch office at (315) 473- 4444, stopping by the Oncenter Box Office, located on the State Street side of the War Memorial or by calling TicketMaster at (315) 472-0700.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 9, 2008


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