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Athens, GA (Jan 11, 2009) - The 2009 American Hockey League All-Star Classic is taking place in Worcester. Massachusetts on January 25 and 26, 2009. The Game will be produced by New England Sports Network (NESN), and will also be broadcast in Canada by TSN CA (in the first year of a 3-year agreements announced by the AHL on January 8, 2009)

The following is the event television broadcast schedule, and will be updated with regional information as it is made available. Additional information is available on the AHL web site, as well as the Worcester Sharks web site.

	2009 AHL All-Star Skills Competition Sunday, Jan. 25 - 4:00 pm ET	2008 American Hockey League All-Star Game Monday, Jan. 26 - 7:00 pm ET
Network	Skills Air	Game Air
NESN/TSN CA	TBD	7:00 pm et

2009 PlanetUSA AHL All-Star Team

Forwards	Defensemen	Goaltenders
Keith Aucoin, Hershey	Rory Fitzpatrick, Rochester ("C")	Jeff Frazee, Lowell
x-Chris Bourque, Hershey	Jonas Junland, Peoria	Daniel Larsson, Grand Rapids
x-Nikita Filatov, Syracuse	Mattias Karlsson, Binghamton	x-Cory Schneider, Manitoba
x-Nathan Gerbe, Portland	x-Jakub Kindl, Grand Rapids
Martins Karsums, Providence	Ben Lovejoy, W-B/Scranton
Tim Kennedy, Portland	Bobby Sanguinetti, Hartford
Petri Kontiola, Rockford	Jaime Sifers, Toronto
Drew Miller, Iowa	x-Yannick Weber, Hamilton
Joe Motzko, Chicago
Michael Ryan, Albany
Ryan Potulny, Springfield
Jeff Taffe, W-B/Scranton
Ryan Vesce, Worcester		x-starters

2009 PlanetUSA AHL All-Star Team Starters

Cory Schneider, Goaltender (Manitoba Moose):
A first-round draft pick by Vancouver in 2004, second-year goaltender Cory Schneider shows a 10-1-0 mark (1.47, .940) for Manitoba this season while also seeing his first career NHL action, making eight appearances for the parent Canucks. Schneider won 10 straight AHL decisions prior to his recall on Nov. 22, and netted Reebok X-Pulse/AHL Goaltender of the Month honors for November. The 22-year-old native of Marblehead, Mass., backstopped Boston College to consecutive trips to the NCAA championship game in 2006 and 2007.

Jakub Kindl, Defense (Grand Rapids Griffins):
Drafted 19th overall by Detroit in 2005, second-year pro Jakub Kindl has already eclipsed his rookie totals with five goals, 17 assists and 22 points in 36 games in 2008-09, ranking him seventh among AHL defensemen in scoring and fifth overall on the Griffins. The 21-year-old is also tied for the league lead among blueliners with two game-winning goals. A native of Sumperk, Czech Rep., Kindl totaled 113 points in 114 games over his final two junior campaigns with Kitchener (OHL).

Yannick Weber, Defense (Hamilton Bulldogs):
Rookie Yannick Weber is the Bulldogs’ leading scorer among defensemen with 18 points and is a plus-6 in 31 games this season. A third-round draft pick by Montreal in 2007, the 20-year-old shows a pair of two-goal games and has registered 11 of his 18 points on a Hamilton power play that ranks fifth in the AHL (20.4 percent). The native of Morges, Switzerland, joined the professional ranks after leading all Kitchener (OHL) blueliners with 55 points in 59 games last season.

Chris Bourque, Forward (Hershey Bears):
A second-round draft pick by Washington in 2004, Chris Bourque ranks third on Hershey with 31 points in 30 AHL games this season and has already registered scoring streaks of six and five games (current). The 22-year-old Bourque is coming off consecutive 20-goal seasons and won the Calder Cup with the Bears in 2006. A Boston native and the son of Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque, Chris scored his first career NHL goal for the Capitals on Dec. 30, 2008, at Buffalo.

Nikita Filatov, Forward (Syracuse Crunch):
Selected by Columbus with the sixth overall pick in the 2008 draft, 18-year-old forward Nikita Filatov made an immediate impact for Syracuse, registering a point in seven of his first nine AHL games. The Moscow native places fourth on the Crunch in scoring with 17 points to go along with a plus-6 rating in 23 contests. Filatov netted a goal in his NHL debut on Oct. 17, 2008, and was recently named to the All-Tournament team for the 2009 World Junior Championships after posting eight goals and three assists in seven games while winning a bronze medal with Russia.

Nathan Gerbe, Forward (Portland Pirates):
One of the AHL’s most productive newcomers in 2008-09, Nathan Gerbe ranks third among rookies in goals (17) and tied for fifth in points (25) in just 23 games for Portland. The 21-year-old, who kicked off an eight-game scoring streak by netting his first professional hat trick on Nov. 5, has also contributed one assist in six NHL games for Buffalo, making his debut on Dec. 6, 2008, at Tampa Bay. A native of Oxford, Mich., Gerbe won an NCAA title at Boston College last season and led the nation in scoring with 68 points.

2009 Canadian AHL All-Star Team

Forwards	Defensemen	Goaltenders
Steve Downie, Norfolk	x-Johnny Boychuk, Providence	Mike Brodeur, Rochester
x-Alexandre Giroux, Hershey	Kyle Cumiskey, Lake Erie	Barry Brust, Houston
x-Claude Giroux, Philadelphia	Cody Franson, Milwaukee	x-Brian Elliott, Binghamton
Mike Iggulden, Bridgeport	Bryan Helmer, Hershey ("C")
Jason Krog, Manitoba	x-Derek Joslin, Worcester
Corey Locke, Houston	Andrew MacDonald, Bridgeport
Brett MacLean, San Antonio	Brett Palin, Quad City
Mark Mancari, Portland	Danny Syvret, Philadelphia
x-Chris Minard, W-B/Scranton
Cal O'Reilly, Milwaukee
Teddy Purcell, Manchester
Martin St. Pierre, Providence
Mike Santorelli, Milwaukee		x-starters

2009 Canadian AHL All-Star Team Starters

Brian Elliott, Goaltender (Binghamton Senators):
The Reebok X-Pulse/AHL Goaltender of the Month for December 2008, second-year pro Brian Elliott has won an AHL-high 18 games and currently ranks tied for sixth in goals-against average (2.31), second in save percentage (.926) and second in minutes played (1,691) for Binghamton in 2008-09. The native of Newmarket, Ont., was drafted by Ottawa in 2003 and won an NCAA championship at the University of Wisconsin in 2006. He made his NHL debut for the Senators on Oct. 10, 2007, stopping 28 shots in a 3-1 victory at Atlanta.

Johnny Boychuk, Defense (Providence Bruins):
Through 37 games of his first season with the Boston Bruins organization, Johnny Boychuk has already established a new career high with 33 points, which leads all AHL defensemen and ranks third overall on the Providence scoring list. His nine goals are tied for the league lead among blueliners, while his 24 assists rank second. A second-round draft pick by Colorado in 2002, the 24-year-old Edmonton native has recorded 134 points in 331 career AHL games. Boychuk has also appeared in five career NHL games, including one with Boston in 2008-09.

Derek Joslin, Defense (Worcester Sharks):
Second-year pro Derek Joslin leads all Sharks defensemen with seven goals and 20 points while adding a plus-2 rating in 34 games this season. A native of Richmond Hill, Ont., the 21-year-old Joslin recently earned his first NHL recall and made his debut for San Jose on Jan. 3, 2009. Joslin posted 34 points while playing all 80 games for Worcester as a rookie in 2007-08, and he skated in every game over three full junior seasons (2004-07) for the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s as well.

Alexandre Giroux, Forward (Hershey Bears):
One of the AHL’s most prolific scorers this decade, Alexandre Giroux has scored 221 goals and 411 points in 525 career AHL games. The Quebec City native is second in the AHL with 23 goals and tied for fifth with 39 points in just 27 games this season for Hershey, while also chipping in a goal and an assist in 11 NHL games with Washington. The Quebec City native is a three-time 30-goal scorer in the AHL and will be making his second appearance in an AHL All-Star Classic.

Claude Giroux, Forward (Philadelphia Phantoms):
A first-round pick by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Claude Giroux leads all AHL rookies with 17 goals (tied) and 33 points in 31 games for the Phantoms this season. The 20-year-old forward registered 14 points and a plus-12 rating in just eight December games en route to earning Reebok Edge/AHL Rookie of the Month honors. A native of Hearst, Ont., Giroux scored a goal in six straight AHL contests prior to his summons on Dec. 26 to the parent Flyers, for whom he has contributed two assists in four games.

Chris Minard, Forward (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins):
In his fourth season in the AHL and his second with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Chris Minard has already secured his third straight 20-goal campaign, leading the AHL with 26 goals and 13 power-play markers. The Owen Sound, Ont., native began the season with a 14-game scoring sterak and is currently tied for second in the league with 41 points in 30 games. Minard has also posted a goal and an assist in 22 career NHL contests for Pittsburgh, including seven appearances this year.

Information provided by the American Hockey League