By BRUCE BERLET, Courant Staff Writer
Ryan Callahan and Daniel Girardi were teammates and All-Stars in the Ontario Hockey League.
Now they're Wolf Pack teammates who share an apartment in Manchester. And they're All-Stars again after being named to the AHL All-Star Classic Jan. 28-29 in Toronto.
Callahan and Girardi are two of 34 first-timers among 48 players announced Tuesday.
"I knew there was a chance I could make it because I've had a pretty good start to the season, but it's definitely an honor to be named my first year," said Callahan, a two-time OHL All-Star who will be a reserve wing for PlanetUSA. "I didn't really know what to expect this season, but I think it's gone a little better than I thought it would."
Callahan, a fourth-round pick in 2004, leads the Pack in points (33) and goals (22), which is second among AHL rookies. He set a Pack record with goals in eight consecutive games from Nov. 22 to Dec. 15.
Girardi is third on the Pack in scoring with one goal and 20 assists, which is tops on the team and second among AHL defensemen. He was an OHL All-Star in 2005 and named to the AHL All-Rookie Team last year after starting the season with Charlotte of the ECHL. He will start for Team Canada with three former Pack players: goalie Jason LaBarbera of Manchester and defenseman Lawrence Nycholat and wing Alexandre Giroux of Hershey.
"I wasn't really thinking about it," said Girardi, who signed as a free agent. "I've just tried to continue to play well and help the team win, and this is an added bonus. I guess hard work pays off when you're doing some things right."
Pack coach Jim Schoenfeld said Callahan and Girardi deserve the reward.
"Dan is very subtly good," Schoenfeld said. "He does a lot of things you don't notice, but at the end of night, he's always involved in some of our scoring chances and very few chances against. Plus, he draws a lot of the tough assignments against the other teams' best players. Callahan does whatever it takes to get the job done. He kills penalties, is good on the forecheck, finishes checks and plays the game with a great deal of courage going into the traffic areas."
Taylor Returning
Pack defenseman Jake Taylor will play with Charlotte of the ECHL Friday and Sunday, his first competition since sustaining a broken clavicle when he collided with Francis Lessard in training camp Sept. 22. Taylor will return to the Pack next week, when it will be determined if he stays or returns to Charlotte for two more games. ... Dale Purinton, out since Dec. 8 with a broken foot, returned to practice and might resume playing in a few weeks.
