Starting Lineups Announced for the 2010 AFHL All-Star Game

Ben Rauscher and Daryn Beckman announced their starting lineups Wednesday for the midseason classic, and the star players that were chosen truly are amazing.

Alexander Ovechkin, the AFHL’s leading point-getter, was one of three Oshawa City Leafs chosen to represent the Canadian Conference at the All-Star Game next week. He was chosen along with teammates Zdeno Chara and goaltender Evgeni Nabokov.

Joining Ovechkin on offense are Joe Thornton and Henrik Sedin, giving the Canadian Conference three of the top four point-getters in the league this season.

“This is an unbelievable honor,” said Thornton, who was given an All-Star jersey Wednesday at the Outlaws’ morning skate in Hamilton, Ontario. “It’s going to be a great experience to play in the first ever AFHL All-Star Game and it will be a lot of fun.”

The American Conference starting lineup, announced late last night, consists of forwards Sidney Crosby and Marian Hossa of the Phantoms, and goalie Martin Brodeur, defensemen Chris Pronger and Sergei Gonchar, and forward Marian Gaborik of the Giants.

“Next week, the world’s greatest players will go to Detroit, one of the world’s great hockey cities, to help celebrate the first ever AFHL All-Star Game,” Phantoms coach Daryn Beckman said in announcing the American Conference lineup. “I had the pleasure of choosing 16 players to represent our conference and I can tell you it was an absolute honor. I look forward to watching the stars of today.”

Here’s a look at the rest of the starting lineups for both teams:

American Conference All-Star Team Starting Lineup

FORWARDS:

Ilya Kovalchuk – Sidney Crosby – Marian Gaborik

Loui Eriksson – Evgeni Malkin – Corey Perry

Bobby Ryan – Niklas Backstrom – Marian Hossa

DEFENSEMEN:

Nicklas Lidstrom – Chris Pronger

Sergei Gonchar – Scott Niedermayer

GOALTENDERS:

Martin Brodeur

Henrik Lundqvist

UTILITY:

Jarome Iginla

RESERVES (5):

Teemu Selanne (RW), Tobias Enstrom (D), Paul Stastny (C),

Phil Kessel (RW), Patrik Elias (LW)

Canadian Conference All-Star Team Starting Lineup

FORWARDS:

Alex Ovechkin – Joe Thornton – Patrick Kane

Zach Parise – Henrik Sedin – Alexander Semin

Daniel Sedin – Pavel Datsyuk – Dustin Brown

DEFENSEMEN:

Dan Boyle – Andrei Markov

Tomas Kaberle – Zdeno Chara

GOALTENDERS:

Ryan Miller

Evgeni Nabokov

UTILITY

Dany Heatley

RESERVES (5):

Ryan Getzlaf (C), Patrick Marleau (C), Anze Kopitar (C),

Antti Miettinen (RW), Drew Doughty (D)