NYQUIST NAMED TO AHL FIRST ALL-STAR TEAM

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Griffins right wing Gustav Nyquist on Thursday was named to the 2012-13 American Hockey League First All-Star Team.

Nyquist, 23, leads the Griffins with 60 points (23-37—60) in 58 games and ranks among the team’s leaders with 37 assists (1st), nine power play goals (1st), 25 power play points (1st), a plus-10 rating (5th), two game-winning goals (T5th), three shootout goals (2nd) and 169 shots (2nd). Despite missing 12 of Grand Rapids’ last 13 games while with the parent Detroit Red Wings, Nyquist still sits eighth in the AHL in scoring, as he was leading the league in scoring at the time of his recall. He also has 18 multipoint games, the most of any Griffins player, and had four three-point games over his last nine contests with the club (Feb. 23-March 19).

A native of Halmstad, Sweden, Nyquist tied for the team lead in scoring as a rookie in 2011-12, capturing a spot on the AHL All-Rookie team with 58 points (22-36—58) in 56 games. This season, he became the first Griffin since Niklas Kronwall (2004 and 2005) to be chosen to represent the Griffins at the AHL All-Star Classic in back-to-back seasons.

Nyquist becomes the sixth Griffin to be named to the AHL First All-Star Team and the first since Donald MacLean in 2005-06. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward joins a club that also includes Kronwall (2004-05), Marc Lamothe (2002-03), John Gruden (2001-02) and Martin Prusek (2001-02).

Detroit’s third choice (121st overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Nyquist has appeared in 13 games with the Red Wings this season, recording five points (2-3—5). In 31 career NHL contests, he has tallied 12 points (3-9—12), in addition to appearing in four postseason games with the club last season.

The other members of the AHL First All-Star Team, as voted by AHL coaches, players and media in each of the league’s 30 member cities, are left wing Jonathan Audy-Marchessault (Springfield) and center Tyler Johnson (Syracuse); defensemen Justin Schultz (Oklahoma City) and Sami Vatanen (Norfolk); and goaltender Niklas Svedberg (Providence). The AHL Second All-Star Team consists of left wing Matt Fraser (Texas), center Jeff Taffe (Hershey) and right wing Brett Connolly (Syracuse); defensemen Mark Barberio (Syracuse) and Adam Clendening (Rockford); and goaltender Curtis McElhinney (Springfield).