AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

MacLean Joins Canadian AHL All-Star squad

Published on January 24, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Grand Rapids Griffins center Donald MacLean, who leads the American Hockey League with 29 goals, was named to the Canadian AHL All-Star roster on Tuesday. He will compete against Griffins teammates and previous PlanetUSA selections Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula at next week's 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic, set for Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

MacLean, 29, is a driving force behind a Griffins offense that has scored a league-high 179 goals and is on pace to become the first AHL team in seven years to break the 300-goal plateau.

The native of Sydney, Nova Scotia, netted consecutive hat tricks against Milwaukee on Jan. 14 - his birthday - and Iowa on Jan. 18, tying an AHL record and establishing a franchise first. He continued his remarkable run last Saturday, scoring with 38 seconds left to complete Grand Rapids' incredible 6-5 comeback win over Toronto.

MacLean's four hat tricks - double the Griffins' previous single-season record - are the most for any AHL player since Hartford's John Tripp netted four in 2002-03. He is on pace to break Michel Picard's franchise record of 46 goals from 1996-97 and could become the first Griffin ever to lead his league in lamp-lighters. In addition, MacLean's 29 goals already surpass the season-ending total for the Griffins' leader from three of the last four seasons and rank as the eighth-highest total on the team's single-season list.

The AHL's scoring champion in 2001-02 as a member of the St. John's Maple Leafs, MacLean was the Los Angeles Kings' second choice (33rd overall) in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. Currently riding a seven-game point streak (9-4-13) that has him tied for 19th in the AHL points race (29-13-42), he has registered points in 14 of the last 15 games (17-8-25) and has tallied 28 goals in his last 34 contests.

MacLean will make his second AHL all-star appearance, after starting for Canada at the 2002 event in St. John's, Newfoundland. Comcast Local will televise the 2006 CCM AHL All-Star Skills Competition live on Jan. 31 at 7 p.m., and provide a next-day broadcast of the AHL All-Star Game that will air on Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 24, 2006


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