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National Conference Roster Announced For All-Star Game

December 31, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL on Saturday announced the starting lineup and roster of the National Conference for the 2006 ECHL All-Star Game presented by Bud Light on Jan. 25 at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.

There are 10 rookies and 15 of the players on the 21-man roster are first-time selections.

The Fresno Falcons are the host for the 2006 ECHL All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 24 and the 2006 ECHL All-Star Game presented by Bud Light on Jan. 25. Both events will be at Save Mart Center and begin at 7 p.m. PT.

The starting lineups were determined in voting by National Conference coaches, team captains, media directors, broadcasters and newspaper writers. Coaches also submitted the top prospects from within their conference to determine the final roster with each of the 14 teams in the National Conference having a representative.

National Conference Starters
G - Chris Beckford-Tseu, Alaska (11 gp, 9-0-2, 1 shutout, 1.96 GAA, .927 save pct.)
D - Ryan Gaucher, Alaska (24 gp, 7g, 23a, 30 pts)
D - Steve Lingren, Victoria (32, 11g, 12a, 23 pts)
F - Luke Curtin, Fresno (26 gp, 13g, 22a, 35 pts)
F - Garett Bembridge, Idaho (29 gp, 24g, 23a, 47 pts)
F - D'Arcy McConvey, Idaho (23 gp, 16g, 20a, 36 pts)

Fresno left wing Luke Curtin is making his second consecutive start and his third start overall while playing in his fourth ECHL All-Star Game. Curtin was voted as a starter and named as team captain for the National Conference in 2005. He was a starter for the Southern Conference in 2000 and was selected to the Southern Conference roster in 1999. Curtin is tied for seventh in the league with 33 points and leads the Falcons with 22 assists and 13 goals in 26 games. Joining Curtin from the host Falcons is goaltender Brett Jaeger, who is 11-3-6 with a goals-against average of 2.64 and a save percentage of .913 in 20 games, and defenseman Dustin VanBallegooie, who has 11 points (3g-8a) in 24 games.

Alaska defenseman Ryan Gaucher is making his second start and his third appearance in the ECHL All-Star Game while Aces goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu is making his first appearance and start. Gaucher, who was voted as a starter with Cincinnati in 2003 while being named to Southern Conference roster in 2000, leads ECHL defensemen with 23 assists, three game-winning goals and 30 points in 24 games. Selected in the fifth round (159th overall) by St. Louis in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and under contract to the Blues, the 21-year-old Beckford-Tseu is 9-0-2 and ranks second in the league with a goals-against average of 1.96 and is fifth in save percentage with .927. Also representing the Aces is rookie center Alex Leavitt, who has 24 points (6g-18a) in 26 games.

Idaho also has two starters with right wing Garett Bembridge and center D'Arcy McConvey, who are both making their first All-Star appearance, and is also represented by defenseman Jonathan Zion, who is making his third All-Star appearance. Bembridge leads the league with 24 goals and 47 points in 29 games while McConvey is tied for the league lead with five game-winning goals and is fourth in the league with 36 points (16g-20a) in 23 games. McConvey is under contract to Iowa of the AHL and is currently on call up to the Stars where he has played in four games. Zion, who was voted as a starter in 2004 and also selected in 2003, ranks second among league defensemen with 10 goals and 29 points in 24 games.

Making his second start and third All-Star appearance is Victoria defenseman Steve Lingren, who was voted as a starter in 1996 and to the roster in 1995. Lingren leads ECHL defensemen with 11 goals and is tied for the lead with eight power-play goals while ranking seventh in scoring with 23 points in 32 games. Lingren is joined on the team by Salmon Kings right wing Adam Taylor. Selected in the seventh round (224th overall) by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft and in his first professional season, the 21-year-old is tied for 11th among league rookies with 23 points (9g-14a) in 32 games.

League-leading Las Vegas has defenseman Timothy Hambly and rookie goaltender Mike McKenna on the roster. In his first professional season, the 22-year-old Hambly has 17 points (7g-10a) in 28 games with the Wranglers and has also played two games in the AHL with Iowa. Selected in the sixth round (172nd overall) by the Nashville Predators in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft and in his first professional season, the 22-year-old McKenna is 9-0-1 with a shutout and is fourth in the league in goals against with 2.27.

Utah is represented by rookie forward Matt Craig and defenseman James Laux. In his first professional season, the 23-year-old Craig is second among league rookies with 19 goals and fourth in scoring with 32 points in 30 games and among all players is fourth in goals and tied for 10th in scoring. In his third professional season, the 25-year-old Laux tied for 14th among league defensemen with 18 points (6g-12a) in 16 games.

Long Beach is represented by a pair of forwards with rookie Ash Goldie and Christian Larrivee. The 24-year-old Goldie is tied for third among league rookies with 15 goals and tied for ninth in scoring with 24 points. Selected in the fourth round (114th overall) by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, the 23-year-old Larrivee leads Long Beach with 18 assists and 29 points in 30 games.

Phoenix is represented by rookie center Shawn Snider, who has 13 points (5g-8a) in 26 games, while San Diego has rookie forward Jesse Bennefield, who has 21 points (10g-11a) in 23 games.

The Stockton Thunder has left wing Mike Lalonde, who is fourth among league rookies with 14 goals and has 18 points in 23 games. Bakersfield is represented by center Alexandre Bolduc, who is tied for the rookie lead with two shorthand goals and has 12 points (8g-4a) in 19 games with the Condors. Selected in the fourth round (127th overall) by the St. Louis Blues in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, the 20-year-old Bolduc has one goal in two games with Manitoba of the AHL.

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