Ryan Spooner won’t be representing his country next month in Sochi, but the young centerman will be keeping busy during the NHL’s Olympic break.
The Boston Bruins rookie was one of 20 players named Thursday to the American Hockey League All-Star team, which will square off against top Swedish club Färjestad BK in the 2014 AHL All-Star Classic in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Spooner, who ranks third among Providence Bruins skaters in points (23) and assists (18) this season despite playing just 21 at the AHL level, has been a staple with the big club since the beginning of December. He’s tallied nine assists in 16 games with the Bruins, including three in a 6-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Dec. 23.
Spooner is the lone Bruins representative on the All-Star roster, but not the only All-Star with Boston ties. Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Brian Gibbons, a Braintree, Mass., native who played four years at Boston College, earned a selection after tallying nine goals and 18 assists for the Pens’ affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The All-Star Classic will begin with a skills competition on Feb. 11, with the game scheduled for the following night.
See the full roster below.
Forwards
Brett Connolly, Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay)
Brian Gibbons, W-B/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh)
Mike Hoffman, Binghamton Senators (Ottawa)
Jason Jaffray, St. John’s IceCaps (Winnipeg)
Travis Morin, Texas Stars (Dallas)
Brandon Pirri, Rockford IceHogs (Chicago)
Colton Sceviour, Texas Stars (Dallas)
Colton Sissons, Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville)
Ryan Spooner, Providence Bruins (Boston)
Ben Street, Abbotsford Heat (Calgary)
Ryan Strome, Bridgeport Sound Tigers (N.Y. Islanders)
Linden Vey, Manchester Monarchs (Los Angeles)
Defensemen
Chad Billins, Abbotsford Heat (Calgary)
T.J. Brennan, Toronto Marlies (Toronto)
Cody Goloubef, Springfield Falcons (Columbus)
Alexey Marchenko, Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit)
Brayden McNabb, Rochester Americans (Buffalo)
Frederic St. Denis, Springfield Falcons (Columbus)
Goaltenders
Jake Allen, Chicago Wolves (St. Louis)
Martin Jones, Manchester Monarchs (Los Angeles)
