WELCOME TO WINNIPEG
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 weeks 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.
MacLeans four hat tricks double the Griffins previous single-season record are the most for any AHL player since Hartfords John Tripp netted four in 2002-03. He is on pace to break Michel Picards franchise record of 46 goals from 1996-97 and could become the first Griffin ever to lead his league in lamp-lighters. In addition, MacLeans 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 teams single-season list.
The AHLs scoring champion in 2001-02 as a member of the St. Johns 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 (9-413) that has him tied for 19th in the AHL points race (29-1342), he has registered points in 14 of the last 15 games (17-825) 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. Johns, 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.
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.
MacLeans four hat tricks double the Griffins previous single-season record are the most for any AHL player since Hartfords John Tripp netted four in 2002-03. He is on pace to break Michel Picards franchise record of 46 goals from 1996-97 and could become the first Griffin ever to lead his league in lamp-lighters. In addition, MacLeans 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 teams single-season list.
The AHLs scoring champion in 2001-02 as a member of the St. Johns 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 (9-413) that has him tied for 19th in the AHL points race (29-1342), he has registered points in 14 of the last 15 games (17-825) 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. Johns, 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.
