By Bruce Berlet
Connecticut Whale wing Mats Zuccarello likely was the most surprised of the 48 players named to participate in the 2012 AHL All-Star Classic on Wednesday.
Zuccarello, the skilled Norwegian playing his second season in North America, had missed 10 games with an injury when he and Whale rookie forward Jonathan Audy-Marchessault were among the selections for the Eastern Conference team that will be compete in the skills competition and All-Star Game on Jan. 29-30 in Atlantic City, N.J.
“Of course I was surprised because I’ve been injured and haven’t played that many games (18),” Zuccarello said Thursday after his latest post-practice “bag skate” under the watchful eye of coach Ken Gernander. “But it’s a great honor and makes you feel like you did something good while you played. I’ve never been on something like that before, so it’s going to be a great opportunity and I’m going to enjoy it as much as I can.”
Zuccarello is tied for third on the team in scoring with rugged right wing Andre Deveaux with 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) despite missing the Whale’s first four games while with the parent New York Rangers and the last 10 games after being hurt in a 3-2 loss at Providence on Dec. 11.
“I’m feeling better, and skating again is a good sign and a step in the right direction,” said Zuccarello. “Obviously I’m very tired after a bag skate, but it’s just good to be back, and I can’t wait to play again. The worst part (of being injured) is feeling so frustrated and helpless, and seeing all the other guys play and have fun and you just have to sit on the (stationary) bike and not do anything.”
Zuccarello said he has been working hard with strength and conditioning coach Mark Cesari and athletic trainer Damien Hess to get back ASAP.
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“I’ve been working with them on everything, so hopefully I’m back soon,” the 5-foot-7, 174-pound Zuccarello said. “You have to stay positive.”
The one positive for Zuccarello the past four weeks was a one-week visit with his mother, stepfather and 14-year-old brother Fabian, who traveled to Hartford from Norway during the holidays.
“It was nice to have them here, so that was good,” said Zuccarello, who watched home games with them from a skybox.
While Zuccarello’s selection might have been surprising, Audy-Marchessault’s also was unexpected – at least from where he started three months ago.
Dean Stork, coach of the ECHL’s Greenville Road Warriors, knew Audy-Marchessault’s parents from the time crafty center-right wing was playing with Whale teammates Kelsey Tessier and Ryan Bourque with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Stork convinced Whale GM Jim Schoenfeld to sign Audy-Marchessault as a potential top player with the Road Warriors after he was named to the All-QMJHL first team after occasionally playing on a line with the more touted Bourque.
But Audy-Marchessault played so well with the Rangers’ team in a prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich., in early September that he got an invite to Blueshirts training camp. He also played well in Rangers camp and earned a spot in Connecticut rather than Greenville.
Now Audy-Marchessault is tied for second in scoring among AHL rookies and is second on the Whale with 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) after going scoreless in his first five pro games. He’s one point behind veteran center and linemate Kris Newbury (13 goals, 18 assists), who was named the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week on Monday.
“I wasn’t even sure to make an AHL team and now I make the All-Star team, so for sure it wasn’t expected from me,” Audy-Marchessault said. “But I didn’t think about it when I was playing. I was just trying to get better and improve every game, and it’s fun to get recognized from the league. It’s a good honor, and I’m really happy, my family, too. Nobody was expecting something like that to happen to me this year, but I worked hard all summer and at the beginning of the year, so this is really fun.”
After the sluggish start while getting adjusted to the pro game, the 5-9, 175-pound Audy-Marchessault had points in six of the next seven games (five goals, six assists) while playing with Zuccarello at times.
“Zucc is an awesome player who can really make plays,” Audy-Marchessault said. “He’s really patient with the puck, makes good plays and is pretty strong for a little guy. He’s also a good example for small guys like us.”
But when Zuccarello was injured, Audy-Marchessault moved onto the Whale’s top line with Newbury and Deveaux, who had one assist and 29 penalty minutes and was plus-3 in nine games with the Rangers in November. That combo carried the Whale offensively for a while, but the line of Tessier and wings Andreas Thuresson and Francois Bouchard has picked up their offensive output the last few games. And Sean Avery, who cleared waivers and returned to the Whale lineup Monday in a 5-4 overtime loss at Portland, is expected to help the offense.
“We’ve been connecting,” Audy-Marchessault said of his work with Newbury and Devenaux. “When everybody does his job on our line, I think we’re one of the best lines in the league. … Newbs is a big part of my success, playing with a guy who has such a good work ethic that sets an example for (young) guys like us. Every time he goes on the ice he works so hard, and lately I’ve never seen a guy playing so good. He’s just eating (up) the American League. He’s fearless and such a good competitor.”
Since being reinstated as an alternate captain three weeks ago, Newbury has an eight-game points streak, starting with a personal-high four assists in a 6-3 victory over Bridgeport on Dec. 16. In the streak, he has five goals and nine assists, capped by his exceptional play last week that earned him the AHL honor. He’s also the leading contender among other Whale players who could/should have made the All-Star team.
“I think we have several other good candidates, and unfortunately they can’t all be on the All-Star team,” said Gernander, a three-time All-Star, including the winning captain in 1999. “But we’re proud of our two representatives. Zuccarello, when he was healthy, is obviously a very dynamic player, a very exciting player, and a key part of our team offense. And Audy-Marchessault has obviously been a very pleasant surprise for us the way he has performed all season. He continues to put up points as a rookie and is having a very good season.
“There are arguments to be made for other players, but unfortunately 30 teams can’t send four or five representatives. It’s tough (selecting) because of quotas and each team having to be represented, but for us to get two players was nice. I’ll reiterate that there are guys on our team who are having strong seasons and unfortunately there’s just not room for everybody. But their coaching staff and our organization certainly recognize all the contributions they’ve made and the work that they bring to our club. We’re very proud of the two that we are sending and wish them the best of luck in the big game.”
The Northeast Division-leading Whale (19-10-2-3) traveled Thursday afternoon to Binghamton, N.Y., where they will play the defending Calder Cup champion Senators (15-20-1-1) Friday night, before they return for a home-and-home set with the Springfield Falcons (14-16-1-1) at the XL Center on Saturday night and the MassMutual Center on Sunday afternoon.
The Eastern and Western Conference teams each have three goalies, eight defensemen and 13 forwards and include 34 first-time AHL All-Stars, 13 rookies and 20 players who have already skated in the NHL this season. The rosters were selected by committees of AHL coaches, and fan balloting for the starters begins Thursday and runs through noon on Jan. 23 at www.theahl.com and facebook.com/theahl. By completing the official ballot, fans also will be entered to win a grand prize of a team-signed All-Star jersey. Five more winners will receive two tickets to the All-Star skills competition and All-Star Game.
The Eastern Conference All-Stars also include Wethersfield native and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton right wing Colin McDonald, the son of former Hartford Whalers defenseman Gerry McDonald whose 42 goals last season led the AHL while he was with Oklahoma City; Greenwich native and former Avon Old Farms and Boston College standout right wing Cam Atkinson, a rookie with the Falcons; former Hartford Wolf Pack center and reigning AHL MVP Corey Locke, who missed 20 games with Binghamton because of a hand injury; and former Wolf Pack left wing Boyd Kane of the Hershey Bears, named the captain of the team for his long and distinguished career. The Western Conference team includes South Windsor native Jon DiSalvatore, a right wing with the Houston Aeros, who lost to Binghamton in the Calder Cup finals this spring.
Zuccarello and Audy-Marchessault will be coached by Keith McCambridge of the first-year St. John’s IceCaps, the new affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets, who had the best record in the Eastern Conference (19-8-4-1, .672) at the Sunday night deadline. Todd Nelson of the Oklahoma City Barons (22-8-1-3, .706), the top affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers, will coach the Western Conference. The AHL will name assistant coaches for both teams.
The All-Star Classic will begin with the skills competition Jan. 29 at 3 p.m., with the All-Star Game on Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. Tickets, which include admission to the skills competition and game, are $52 for seats on the glass, $37 for lower-level seats and $32 for upper-level seats. Tickets are on sale at the Boardwalk Hall box office, all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 800-736-1420 and at www.ticketmaster.com. For group orders, call 609-348-7021.
Former Hartford Whalers defenseman John Stevens, Joe Crozier, Jack Gordon and Zellio Toppazzini will be inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame on Jan. 30 at 11 a.m. at the induction and awards ceremony at the Circus Maximus Theatre at Caesars Atlantic City. Hockey Hall of Famers and Philadelphia Flyers legends Bill Barber and Bob Clarke are the All-Star Game honorary captains and will stand on the team benches during the skills competition and game and be recognized at the Hall of Fame inductions and awards ceremony.
Caesars Atlantic City will host the post-skills party and Hall of Fame induction and awards ceremony. The post-skills party will start at 5:30 p.m., with $35 tickets including a chance to meet and mingle with the players and get an autograph or photo, complimentary beverages, interactive game stations, music and more. Tickets for the induction and awards ceremony are $20 and include a commemorative program. Tickets for the two hospitality events are on sale at the Boardwalk Hall box office and all Ticketmaster locations or by calling 1-800-736-1420 or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are limited and on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Special hotel rates are available at Caesars Atlantic City and Bally’s Atlantic City for Sunday and Monday nights. To reserve rooms at Caesars ($49 for Jan. 29 and Jan. 30) or Bally’s ($35 each night), call 888-516-2215 and mention code PAHL. Both properties are on the Boardwalk and less than a 10-minute walk to Boardwalk Hall. To inquire about promotional opportunities for youth hockey groups in association with the event or about game sponsorships and advertising, call 609-348-7022. For destination information about Atlantic City, visit www.atlanticcitynj.com.
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