NHL & Minor Leagues » AHL All Star Team 02/03

2002-03 AHL All-Star Teams announced

The American Hockey League announced today the 2002-03 AHL First and Second All-Star Teams, as voted by AHL players and media in each of the league’s 28 member cities.
Each All-Star Team member will receive a custom designed ring in recognition of his selection to the 2002-03 AHL First and Second All-Star Teams.

2002-03 AHL First All-Star Team

Marc Lamothe, Goaltender (Grand Rapids Griffins)
Marc Lamothe joined Grand Rapids this season after leading the Hamilton Bulldogs to within one win of the Calder Cup Final in 2002, and his efforts between the pipes have the Griffins on the verge of finishing with the AHL’s best defense for a second consecutive season. Lamothe leads the league in minutes played (3,220) and has won 32 games -– eight more than any other AHL goaltender. His 2.11 goals against average ranks second in the league, and he places fourth with 1,363 saves. A native of New Liskeard, Ont., Lamothe played in the 2003 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic; this is his first postseason All-Star Team selection.

Ray Giroux, Defenseman (Albany River Rats)
One year after playing for the Calder Cup with Bridgeport, Ray Giroux has provided stability on Albany’s blue line in 2002-03, posting 11 goals and 36 assists for 47 points in 62 AHL contests. The native of North Bay, Ont., ranks third on the River Rats and is tied for third among league defensemen in scoring, and has also appeared in 11 NHL matches with the New Jersey Devils. Giroux played in his third career AHL All-Star Game this season, and is making his first appearance on a year-end AHL All-Star Team.

Curtis Murphy, Defenseman (Houston Aeros)
A former All-American at the University of North Dakota, Curtis Murphy joined the Minnesota Wild organization in 2001 and has been the Aeros’ most consistent player over the past two seasons, skating in all 168 regular-season and playoff games since opening night last year. He also made his NHL debut with the Wild earlier this season. Murphy’s 21 goals are the most by an AHL defenseman this season, and his 49 points are good for fourth on a talented Houston team. This is the first postseason All-Star Team selection for Murphy, who played in the 2002 and 2003 AHL All-Star Games.

Jean-Guy Trudel, Left Wing (Houston Aeros)
With 319 points in 301 games, no AHL player has recorded more points over the past four seasons than Houston’s Jean-Guy Trudel, who becomes the 11th player in AHL history to earn a postseason All-Star berth in four consecutive seasons (and the first since Jim Morrison from 1964-69). A First Team pick in 2001 and a Second Team selection in 2000 and 2002, Trudel has 48 assists and 77 points in 73 games with the Aeros this season, as he bids for his first career scoring title. The Sudbury, Ont., native has participated in each of the last three AHL All-Star Classics.

Matt Herr, Center (Providence Bruins)
Matt Herr has established career highs in goals (31), assists (38) and points (69) this season, his first in Providence. A native of Hackensack, N.J., Herr is the top offensive producer on a Bruins team that includes three 30-goal scorers and four players with at least 65 points. He has also been credited with 11 game-winning goals, two shy of the 49-year-old AHL record of 13. Herr took part in the AHL All-Star Game in 2002 and 2003, and is making his first appearance on a postseason AHL All-Star Team.

Jason Ward, Right Wing (Hamilton Bulldogs)
The AHL’s top scorer at the time of his recall to the parent Montreal Canadiens on Mar. 12, Jason Ward has totaled 31 goals and 41 assists for 72 points in 69 AHL contests this season, leading Hamilton to the best record in the entire league. The 11th overall pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, the 24-year-old Ward has added three goals and two assists in seven contests with the Canadiens this year. For Ward, who was voted to the Canadian team starting lineup for the 2003 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic, this is his first postseason AHL All-Star Team selection.

2002-03 AHL Second All-Star Team

Maxime Ouellet, Goaltender (Portland Pirates)
A first-round draft pick (22nd overall) by Philadelphia in 1999, Maxime Ouellet has had a breakthrough season in 2002-03, his first full campaign in Portland. The 21-year-old Ouellet is 22-14-7 in 46 appearances with the Pirates, and his .931 save percentage and seven shutouts are both tops in the AHL. A native of Beauport, Que., Ouellet was named the starting goaltender for Canada at the 2003 AHL All-Star Game in Portland; this is his first postseason AHL All-Star Team selection.

Marc-Andre Bergeron, Defenseman (Hamilton Bulldogs)
The Canadian Major Junior Defenseman of the Year in 2000-01, second-year pro Marc-Andre Bergeron, 22, has anchored a Hamilton defense that has allowed the second-fewest number of goals (169) in the AHL this season. He has recorded eight goals and 31 assists for 39 points in 66 contests with the Bulldogs, and his plus-34 rating is unmatched in the entire league. A native of St.-Louis-de-France, Que., Bergeron has also made his NHL debut this season, skating in two games with Edmonton. He is making his first appearance on a postseason AHL All-Star Team.

Brian Pothier, Defenseman (Binghamton Senators)
In his third season out of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Brian Pothier leads all AHL defensemen with 40 assists this season, and his 47 points are tied for third among league blueliners. Pothier has been recalled by the parent Ottawa Senators eight times this season, recording one goal and two assists in nine NHL games. Named the B-Sens’ captain on Jan. 18, Pothier was a starter for PlanetUSA at the 2003 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic. This is his first postseason AHL All-Star nod.

Michel Picard, Left Wing (Grand Rapids Griffins)
One of the leading AHL scorers of his era, Michel Picard is looking for his first league scoring title in 2002-03, with 29 goals and 50 assists for 79 points through 72 games for Grand Rapids. A Calder Cup champion with both Springfield (1991) and Portland (1994), Picard was a First Team All-Star in 1991 and 1995 and a Second Team pick in 1994. The native of Beauport, Que., ranks third on the AHL’s active career scoring list, with 579 points (263 goals, 316 assists) in 501 career AHL contests.

Craig Darby, Center (Albany River Rats)
A veteran of 194 NHL contests, including three this season with New Jersey, Craig Darby earned a Second Team All-Star berth with 21 goals and 49 assists for 70 points in 71 matches with Albany this season. The native of nearby Oneida, N.Y., led the AHL in assists in 2001-02, and scored a league-high 42 goals in 1997-98, when he captured a Calder Cup title with Philadelphia. Darby, who has played in three AHL All-Star Games in his career, was a First Team AHL All-Star selection in 1998.

Mark Mowers, Right Wing (Grand Rapids Griffins)
Mark Mowers has had a career year in 2002-03, recording personal bests with 31 goals, 45 assists and 76 points in 72 games with Central Division champion Grand Rapids, and he leads all AHL forwards with a plus-27 rating on the season. A former All-American at the University of New Hampshire, Mowers participated in the 2003 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic in Portland last month. This is his first postseason AHL All-Star Team selection.

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John LeClair breaks down the left wing all alone, moves into the circle and cranks a wicked slap shot with zero hesitation. The baffled goaltender is left with no answers, just questions as the First Union Center's horn blazes and the crowd booms.