McCormick and Rafferty Named to AHL’s Second All-Star Team
The American Hockey League announced today that Coachella Valley Firebirds (@Firebirds) forward Max McCormick and defenseman Brogan Rafferty were named to the AHL’s Second All-Star Team. See below for the AHL’s full release:
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today the 2022-23 AHL First and Second All-Star Teams, as voted by AHL coaches, players and media in each of the league’s 32 member cities.
2022-23 AHL First All-Star Team
Goaltender ― Dustin Wolf, Calgary Wranglers (53 GP, 41-9-2, 2.08 GAA, .932 SV%, 7 SO)
Defenseman ― Darren Raddysh, Syracuse Crunch (50 GP, 13-38-51, +19, 1 PPG)
Defenseman ― Christian Wolanin, Abbotsford Canucks (49 GP, 6-49-55, +12, 24 PPA)
Forward ― Alex Barré-Boulet, Syracuse Crunch (67 GP, 23-59-82, +25, 7 PPG)
Forward ― Michael Carcone, Tucson Roadrunners (63 GP, 31-53-84, +5, 14 PPG, 5 GWG)
Forward ― Matthew Phillips, Calgary Wranglers (64 GP, 36-39-75, +17, 10 PPG, 15 GWG)
2022-23 AHL Second All-Star Team
Goaltender ― Joel Hofer, Springfield Thunderbirds (45 GP, 25-15-5, 2.57 GAA, .918 SV%, 4 SO)
Defenseman ― Lucas Carlsson, Charlotte Checkers (60 GP, 19-33-52, +24, 3 PPG, 1 SHG)
Defenseman ― Brogan Rafferty, Coachella Valley Firebirds (70 GP, 9-42-51, +31, 2 PPG)
Forward ― Trey Fix-Wolansky, Cleveland Monsters (58 GP, 29-41-70, 11 PPG, 2 GWG)
Forward ― Max McCormick, Coachella Valley Firebirds (69 GP, 28-39-67, +17, 11 PPG, 2 SHG)
Forward ― T.J. Tynan, Ontario Reign (70 GP, 8-71-79, 3 PPG, 35 PPA)
Each All-Star Team member will receive a custom-designed crystal award in recognition of his selection to the 2022-23 AHL First and Second All-Star Teams.
Recent AHL All-Star Team selections include P.K. Subban (2010), Jonathan Bernier (2010), Kyle Palmieri (2012), Tyler Johnson (2013), Jonathan Marchessault (2013), Justin Schultz (2013), Gustav Nyquist (2013), Jake Allen (2014), Mike Hoffman (2014), Petr Mrazek (2014), Matt Murray (2015, 2016), Jacob Markstrom (2015), Colin Miller (2015), Brandon Montour (2016), Frank Vatrano (2016), Mikko Rantanen (2016), Travis Boyd (2017), Mason Appleton (2018), Carter Verhaeghe (2019), Alex Nedeljkovic (2019), Kaapo Kahkonen (2020), Jake Bean (2020), Josh Norris (2020), Drake Batherson (2020), Jeremy Swayman (2021), Morgan Barron (2021), Taylor Raddysh (2021), Calen Addison (2021), Logan Thompson (2021), Josh Mahura (2021) and Stefan Noesen (2022).
The winner of the 2022-23 Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award (sportsmanship, determination, dedication to hockey) will be announced Friday.
2022-23 AHL First All-Star Team
Dustin Wolf, Goaltender (Calgary Wranglers):
Winner of the Baz Bastien Award as the AHL’s top goaltender as a rookie in 2021-22, Dustin Wolf has followed up with another remarkable season, leading the AHL in wins (41), goals-against average (2.08), save percentage (.932), shutouts (7), minutes played (3,120), shots faced (1,594) and saves (1,486). Wolf, a 21-year-old native of Gilroy, Calif., also earned co-MVP honors at the 2023 AHL All-Star Challenge in Laval back in February, and picked up a victory in his NHL debut with the Calgary Flames on Apr. 12. He becomes the first AHL goaltender to garner back-to-back First Team All-Star nods since Bob Janecyk in 1981-82 and 1982-83, and the first ever to do so in his first two pro seasons.
Darren Raddysh, Defenseman (Syracuse Crunch):
Sixth-year pro Darren Raddysh has had a breakout season in 2022-23, shattering his previous career highs with 13 goals, 38 assists and 51 points in just 50 games played with Syracuse. Raddysh is tied for third in scoring among AHL defensemen despite spending most of the second half of the season in the NHL, where he has skated in 16 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Toronto native also represented the Crunch at the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic.
Christian Wolanin, Defenseman (Abbotsford Canucks):
Christian Wolanin leads all AHL defensemen with 49 assists and 55 points this season while skating in 49 games for Abbotsford in his first campaign in the Canucks organization. Wolanin, who has also played 16 games in the NHL with Vancouver this year, had a 13-game scoring streak from Nov. 10 to Dec. 9, and participated in the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic in Laval, his second career All-Star nod. Originally a fourth-round pick by Ottawa in the 2015 NHL Draft, the Quebec City native signed a two-year extension with Vancouver in on Mar. 23.
Alex Barré-Boulet, Forward (Syracuse Crunch):
Alex Barré-Boulet earns his second career postseason All-Star berth with a First Team selection as he ranks second in the AHL in assists (59) and points (82) – both career highs – over 67 games with Syracuse. The fifth-year pro is also tied for third in plus/minus among AHL forwards with a plus-25 rating, and he became the Crunch franchise’s all-time leader in goals, assists and points over the course of this season. A native of Montmagny, Que., Barré-Boulet was previously a Second Team All-Star in 2019-20, and was named the league’s outstanding rookie in 2018-19.
Michael Carcone, Forward (Tucson Roadrunners):
The AHL’s leading scorer heading into the final weekend of the regular season, Michael Carcone has nearly doubled his previous career high with 84 points (31 goals, 53 assists) in 63 games for Tucson in 2022-23. Carcone also leads the league with 263 shots on goal, and ranks second with his 14 power-play tallies. The seventh-year pro from Ajax, Ont., recorded 30 points during a 15-game scoring streak from Dec. 17 to Jan. 31, the longest in the league this season.
Matthew Phillips, Forward (Calgary Wranglers):
A 2016 draft pick by his hometown Calgary Flames, Matthew Phillips has set career highs across the board for the second year in a row, recording 36 goals (tied for the AHL lead), 39 assists, 75 points and a plus-17 rating in 64 games for the Wranglers. The fifth-year pro has also tied an all-time AHL mark with 15 game-winning tallies, helping Calgary to a league-best 50 victories and the best record ever for a Flames AHL affiliate. The AHL Player of the Month for November also skated in his first AHL All-Star Classic.
2022-23 AHL Second All-Star Team
Joel Hofer, Goaltender (Springfield Thunderbirds):
Joel Hofer earns a Second Team AHL All-Star nod on the strength of a 25-15-5 record, a 2.57 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage in 45 appearances for Springfield this season. Hofer is also tied for second in the league with four shutouts, and ranks third in minutes played (2,660) and shots faced (1,283) while helping the Thunderbirds to their second straight trip to the Calder Cup Playoffs. A 22-year-old native of Winnipeg, Man., Hofer has also played six games this season with the St. Louis Blues, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft.
Lucas Carlsson, Defenseman (Charlotte Checkers):
Lucas Carlsson ranks second among AHL defensemen in scoring with 52 points (19 goals, 33 assists) in 60 games heading into the final weekend of the regular season for Charlotte. Carlsson’s goal, assist and point totals all represent career highs for the native of Gavle, Sweden, who is in his fifth season of pro hockey in North America. The 25-year-old blueliner also owns a team-best plus-24 rating, and has chipped in three power-play goals and one shorthanded marker as well.
Brogan Rafferty, Defenseman (Coachella Valley Firebirds):
A Second Team All-Star as a rookie in 2019-20, Brogan Rafferty secures his second career selection this season as he sits tied for third among AHL defensemen in scoring with 51 points in 70 games for Coachella Valley. The fourth-year pro from West Dundee, Ill., is also tied for second among blueliners with 42 assists, and ranks third among all AHL skaters with a plus/minus rating of plus-31. The Quinnipiac University product joined the Seattle Kraken as a free agent on July 13, 2022.
Trey Fix-Wolansky, Forward (Cleveland Monsters):
Trey Fix-Wolansky has carried the Cleveland offense all season, pacing the team with 29 goals and 41 assists in 58 games played to tie the franchise single-season record with 70 points. The 23-year-old native of Edmonton, Alta., has scored 11 times and added 19 assists with the man advantage, figuring in on the scoring of nearly half of Cleveland’s 61 power-play goals this season. Fix-Wolansky, a seventh-round pick by Columbus in the 2018 NHL Draft, has also skated in nine NHL games with the Blue Jackets in 2022-23.
Max McCormick, Forward (Coachella Valley Firebirds):
A ninth-year pro from De Pere, Wis., Max McCormick had already set career scoring highs by the All-Star break, when he represented Coachella Valley at the AHL’s midseason showcase in Laval. He has continued his standout season through the second half and has amassed 28 goals and 39 assists for 67 points along with a plus-17 rating in 69 games for the Firebirds entering the final weekend of the regular season. A 2011 draft pick by Ottawa, McCormick is in his second season with the Seattle Kraken organization.
T.J. Tynan, Forward (Ontario Reign):
T.J. Tynan earns his third consecutive postseason All-Star Team selection, having recorded 71 assists and 79 points in 70 games for Ontario in 2022-23. The AHL’s MVP in both 2020-21 and 2021-22, Tynan is just the fourth player in league history to record at least 70 assists in back-to-back seasons, and will join Art Stratton (four times) as the only AHL players ever to lead the league in assists on three separate occasions. The AHL Player of the Month for January also participated in his fourth career AHL All-Star Classic this winter.
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The best-of-three series will take place at Acrisure Arena on Wednesday, April 19th at 7pm, Friday, April 21st at 7pm, and Sunday, April 23rd at 3pm. The first round will only occur if the Firebirds do not finish at the top of the Pacific Division. To purchase tickets and learn more information, visit cvfirebirds.com.
Press release courtesy of the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Photo from the Coachella Valley Firebirds.