AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Mowers Named to PlanetUSA All-Star Team

Published on January 2, 2003 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Grand Rapids, Mich. - Grand Rapids Griffins center Mark Mowers has been selected to play for the PlanetUSA All-Star team at the 2003 Dodge American Hockey League All-Star Classic, the league announced on Thursday.

The two-part event, which pits the Canadian AHL All-Stars against the PlanetUSA AHL All-Stars (comprised of players born in the United States and Europe), will take place at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine. The AHL All-Star Game, which will be televised live in the United States and Canada, will be held on Monday, Feb. 3 at 7:00 p.m. EST, preceded by the Pepsi AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, Feb. 2 at 8:00 p.m. EST.

The roster for the Canadian AHL All-Star team will be announced on Friday. Mowers, selected to the team by a committee of AHL coaches, leads Grand Rapids with 15 goals and is tied for fifth in the AHL and first on the Griffins (with Michel Picard) with 36 points. One of only four players to have played in each of the Griffins' 35 games to date, the 28-year-old playmaker also ranks among Grand Rapids' leaders with three game-winning goals (1st), five power play goals (T1st), 21 assists (T2nd) and a plus-12 rating (3rd).

The fifth-year pro, who was a 1998 Hobey Baker finalist as a senior at the University of New Hampshire, is a prime reason why the Griffins currently own a 20-9-4-2 record and an eight-point lead atop the Central Division. Mowers has been a model of both proficiency and consistency, pacing Grand Rapids with 12 multiple-point games while registering at least one point in 23 of the team's 35 contests (65.7%).

While he will make his first appearance in the AHL's midseason classic, Mowers is no stranger to all-star teams. He was selected to play in the International Hockey League's events in both 1999 and 2000 as a member of the Milwaukee Admirals, but was unable to participate either season while recalled to the NHL's Nashville Predators. Tabbed for a third consecutive year in 2001, Mowers made his IHL all-star debut in Chicago, recording an assist and winning the fastest skater portion of the skills competition. Mowers, who signed with the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent on Aug. 5, 2002, split time the last four seasons between Nashville and Milwaukee, totaling 18 points (5-13-18) in 85 NHL contests.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 2, 2003


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