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AHL Peoria Rivermen

Fairchild and Hensick Earn All-Star Bids

January 4, 2012 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


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, NJ.

Rookie defenseman Cade Fairchild and Rivermen leading scorer TJ Hensick have been selected to represent Peoria as part of the Western Conference team. This is the fourth selection in five professional seasons for Hensick and his second straight since joining the Rivermen.

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.

Fairchild, 21, is currently on recall with the NHL's St. Louis Blues but still leads the AHL in plus/minus with a plus-21 rating. A fourth-round pick (No. 96) of the Blues in 2007, he has recorded 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 31 games. His 17 points are the second most by a rookie defenseman in the league.

A native of Duluth, Minn., Fairchild played four seasons of collegiate hockey at the University of Minnesota. Last season he was the top-scoring defenseman for the Golden Gophers with 24 points (6g, 18a).

Hensick, 26, leads all Peoria skaters and ranks third in the AHL in assists (29) and points (40) through his 35 games this season. He has now been named to the AHL All-Star Classic in each season that he has appeared in more than 16 games (2008, 2010, 2011,2012). He was a member of the Lake Erie Monsters during his first two appearances.

The Howell, Mich., native was a third-round draft pick by the Colorado Avalanche in 2005. Last season he registered a goal and an assists in a losing effort for the Western Conference. In his three all-star appearances he has collected four goals and four assists and has had at least two points in each game.

Rivermen in the All-Star Classic

2005-06 Mike Mottau D PlanetUSA 0 Pts

2006-07 Marek Schwarz G PlanetUSA 8 saves on 9 shots in 20 min

2007-08 Micki DuPont D Canadian 0 Pts, +2

2008-09 Jonas Junland D PlanetUSA 0 Pts, +3

2009-10 Jonas Junland D PlanetUSA 0 Pts, +1

Lars Eller C PlanetUSA 0 Pts

2010-11 Jake Allen G Western Conf. 8 saves on 12 shots in 20 min

T.J. Hensick C Western Conf. 2 Pts (1g, 1a)

Nathan Oystrick D Western Conf. 1 Pt (A), +3

Jared Bednar Western Conf. Head Coach (11-8 loss)

Full Team Information

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.

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