Planet USA All-Star Team Announced
 

x denotes starter

2005 PLANETUSA AHL ALL-STAR TEAM

Forwards
Sean Bergenheim, Bridgeport
Brandon Bochenski, Binghamton
x-Dustin Brown, Manchester
Craig Darby, Springfield ("C")
Andy Hilbert, Providence
Ryan Kesler, Manitoba
Mikko Koivu, Houston
x-Zach Parise, Albany
Tomas Plekanec, Hamilton
Tony Salmelainen, Edmonton
Alexander Svitov, Syracuse
x-Thomas Vanek, Rochester


Defensemen
Anton Babchuk, Norfolk
Keith Ballard, Utah
Christian Ehrhoff, Cleveland
Denis Grebeshkov, Manchester
Andrew Hutchinson, Milwaukee
x-Niklas Kronwall, Grand Rapids
x-Joni Pitkanen, Philadelphia
Brian Pothier, Binghamton


Goaltenders
x-Kari Lehtonen, Chicago
Ryan Miller, Rochester
Antero Niittymaki, Philadelphia

Amazing, Keith Ballard with a -21 rating is selected at Utah's only representative.

Lehtonen's popularity, no doubt, earned him a spot on the team.

Of course, that is why he was named the starter.

HAHA
Brown-Parise-Vanek
Kronwall-Pitkanen
Lehtonen

HF rigged the vote!!!!!!!!

Pfffft, they snubbed Hannu :shakehead

certainly looks like it! :lol

He was named the starter because fans voted for him.

:shakehead

Congrats to Mikko Koivu, one of the most under-rated prospects in the game.

Everyone says he has no offensive upside etc.....prove em wrong Mikko. has one of the top PPG among rookies this year.

yup...toivonen should be on the team, no doubt. oh well...maybe he'll be in boston on february whatever :D

Congrats to Mikko Koivu, one of the most under-rated prospects in the game.

Everyone says he has no offensive upside etc.....prove em wrong Mikko. has one of the top PPG among rookies this year.

Cant wait to see how Parise and Vanek play together...

I think Vanek and Brown will be great teamates for Parise. Both can actually finish the setups.

Because of his name. Miller deserved to be the starter, but he's not as well known. Hence not as many votes.

Babchuk has been the most disappointed Norfolk'er this year in my opinion and head coach Trent Yawney's opinion. Is every team given one rep? Because Babchuk is a stretch.

Why did Miller deserve to be the starter? His numbers aren't better than Niittymaki's. Honestly, Toivanen has better numbers than Miller on a worse team.

I suppose that's the same reason why Miller wasn't voted league MVP for the first-half of the season either?

As much as I hate to agree with her, but THN seems to have a love affair with Lehtonen. I'm certainly not saying that Miller should have been (because he shouldn't have been), but there are a number of players who deserved it over Lehtonen, who's numbers this season have been good, but not spectacular.

I'm guessing Bochenski would be replacing one of those wingers on Parise's line after the first shift.

Utah defenseman Keith Ballard is tied for the third-worst plus-minus (-21) in the league and he's an All-Star? :lol I realize every team must have at least one played named, but still...

A Bochenski - Parise - Vanek is making me all giddly and warm inside. That may be a top line of the future who knows?

If you followed the Amerks on a game by game basis, you'd know why.

At least they got the token Houston guy right. Koivu and Burns have both been big stars for the Aeros...

Burns numbers would be better if we actually had someone CRASHING THE FREAKING NET!

Where the bloody hell are you Wanvig?

and he had an emergency appendectomy this year too

This team looks a lot weaker than the Canadian team.

No I don't think so, too many high profile prospects but they are a good team. Their top 4 defensemen are good, although the other 4 are horrible, and their goaltending is also very good. They also have some good grit with the forwards, but for an All Star game..