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AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Howard and Ericsson Named to PlanetUSA All-Star Team

January 10, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Grand Rapids Griffins goaltender Jimmy Howard and defenseman Jonathan Ericsson have been selected to play for the PlanetUSA AHL All-Star Team at the 2008 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Reebok, which will be held Jan. 27-28 at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, N.Y. Both players were chosen to participate in their first AHL All-Star Classic by a committee of the league's coaches.

Howard, 23, was recently named the Rbk X-Pulse/AHL Goaltender of the Month for December, after posting the best numbers of his career for a calendar month with a 1.72 goals against average and a 0.939 save percentage. For the season, he shows a 13-14-2 record with a 2.56 GAA and a 0.913 save percentage, ranking among the league leaders with 1,756 minutes played (3rd), 789 saves (5th), two shutouts (T5th) and 13 wins (T8th).

Since a career-high six-game winless streak from Nov. 9-21, Howard has a 10-8-1 record with two shutouts, a 1.96 GAA and a 0.932 save percentage (520-558) over his last 20 games. In those nine losses during his current run, the Griffins have totaled just 11 goals, including five games in which they scored one goal and two in which they were shut out.

Detroit's first pick (64th overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Howard becomes the eighth Grand Rapids goaltender in 12 years to be chosen to play in an all-star game, following in the footsteps of Joey MacDonald (2005), Marc Lamothe (2003) and Martin Prusek (2002) in the AHL, and Mike Fountain (2001), Jani Hurme (2000), Ian Gordon (1998) and Pokey Reddick (1997) in the International Hockey League. The decorated netminder was named to the AHL's All-Rookie Team in 2006 - the only Griffins player to ever receive that honor - and he captured the first of his two goaltender of the month awards in March of that year.

The 23-year-old Ericsson, a native of Karlskrona, Sweden, is developing into one of the top young defensemen in hockey, despite having played primarily as a center until three seasons ago. Now in his second season in North America, he ranks among the Griffins' leaders with five goals (T7th), 11 assists (5th), 16 points (T4th), a plus-two rating (4th) and four power play goals (T3rd). His goal, point and power play goal totals lead Grand Rapids' defensemen, while his assists and plus-minus rating place second among the team's blueliners.

The final player selected in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft - 291st overall by Detroit - Ericsson didn't play his first game on defense until the age of 17, during his 2001-02 junior campaign with Hasten in Sweden, and he didn't permanently switch positions until his rookie season with the Griffins in 2006-07.

Ericsson is the fifth Grand Rapids defenseman in seven years to be selected to play in the AHL All-Star Classic, joining Derek Meech (2007), Niklas Kronwall (2004-05), Travis Richards (2004) and John Gruden (2002).

Howard and Ericsson will be joined at the 2008 AHL All-Star Classic by three former Griffins, including PlanetUSA defenseman Clay Wilson (Syracuse) and defenseman Joel Kwiatkowski (Chicago) and goaltender Drew MacIntyre (Manitoba) of the Canadian All-Star Team.

2008 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Reebok

Jan. 27-28 at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, N.Y.

PlanetUSA AHL All-Stars

Forwards

Keith Aucoin, Albany ("C")

Gabe Gauthier, Manchester

T.J. Hensick, Lake Erie

x-Joakim Lindstrom, Syracuse

Greg Moore, Hartford

Joe Motzko, Hershey

Toby Petersen, Iowa

Jared Ross, Philadelphia

x-Bobby Ryan, Portland

Rob Schremp, Springfield

x-Brett Sterling, Chicago

Jeff Taffe, W-B/Scranton

Petr Vrana, Lowell

Defensemen

Jonathan Ericsson, Grand Rapids

Peter Harrold, Manchester

x-Matt Lashoff, Providence

Brian Lee, Binghamton

x-Erik Reitz, Houston

Brian Salcido, Portland

Anton Stralman, Toronto

Clay Wilson, Syracuse

Goaltenders

Jimmy Howard, Grand Rapids

x-Tuukka Rask, Providence

Pekka Rinne, Milwaukee

Head Coach: TBD

Assistant Coach: TBD

x-starters

Canadian AHL All-Stars

Forwards

Derick Brassard, Syracuse

Nigel Dawes, Hartford

Denis Hamel, Binghamton ("C")

Mike Iggulden, Worcester

Jason Krog, Chicago

Clarke MacArthur, Rochester

x-Pascal Pelletier, Providence

Joel Perrault, San Antonio

Rich Peverley, Milwaukee

x-Teddy Purcell, Manchester

x-Martin St. Pierre, Rockford

Jeff Tambellini, Bridgeport

Kyle Wanvig, Norfolk

Defensemen

x-Cam Barker, Rockford

Micki DuPont, Peoria

Joel Kwiatkowski, Chicago

x-Lawrence Nycholat, Binghamton

Ryan O'Byrne, Hamilton

Adam Pardy, Quad City

Alexandre Picard, Philadelphia

Derrick Walser, Toronto

Goaltenders

x-Michael Leighton, Albany

Drew MacIntyre, Manitoba

Nolan Schaefer, Houston

Head Coach: Don Lever, Hamilton

Assistant Coach: Ron Wilson, Hamilton

x-starters

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