With just two wins in their last nine games, four straight losses and 10 consecutive games decided by one goal, the Sound Tigers have started 2010 with a 2-5-1-1 record.
But despite the frustrating results that have seen the team fall to eighth in the Eastern Conference standings, a pair of blue-liners has been a bright spot for a Bridgeport team that is struggling to find any sort of offense.
Defensemen Mark Katic and Dustin Kohn have manned the point as well as anyone in the league through the first half of the season, and their efforts on the Bridgeport back line haven't gone unnoticed.
Katic was selected to represent the Sound Tigers on Team Canada in the AHL All-Star Game, but an injury suffered on Saturday in Albany will keep him out of the tilt. Katic was hit in the midsection by a puck against the Albany River Rats, and even though the injury isn't serious, the 20-year-old rookie will be forced to miss the festivities.
In Katic's place, Kohn will suit up for Team Canada as the defensive replacement.
"It's an honor to be selected," Kohn told TheAHL.com. "It's unfortunate that Mark can't go, but I'm excited to have the opportunity to participate."
Katic has three goals and 11 assists for 14 points in 41 games with the Sound Tigers this season. A third-round pick of the Islanders in the 2007 draft, his transition from the OHL to the AHL has been seamless, as the Porcupine, Ontario, native has experienced immediate success in his first professional season.
Kohn, 22, is in his fourth season with the Sound Tigers, having first played in the AHL at the age of 18 during the 2005-06 season. In 43 games with the Sound Tigers this season, Kohn has already matched his point total from all of last season with two goals and 15 assists for 17 points.
Kohn will be the only Sound Tiger in the All-Star Game festivities, which will take place in Portland, Maine, from Jan. 18-19, as no one from Bridgeport was named to the Planet USA team.
For a team still trying to find consistency in its offense and in the win column, the young defensive duo has given the organization hope that the franchise will at least be sound in its own zone. And with the Islanders surprising the hockey world with their improved play, a pair of emerging defenseman could be exactly what the franchise needs to avoid heading back into the Eastern Conference basement anytime soon.
The All-Star break couldn't have come at a better time for the Sound Tigers, as the four-day break will give the team a chance to regroup and regain focus for the second half of the season. But it will also give those watching a chance to see the defensive talent of the Sound Tigers.
