Red Wings' Pulkkinen among AHL First Team All-Stars

Teemu Pulkkinen has spent most of the past three months with the Detroit Red Wings, but his time in the American Hockey League this season was prolific to the point where he was named to the First All-Star Team on Thursday.

The AHL announced its First and Second All-Star Teams, naming six forwards, four defensemen, and two goaltenders.

Pulkkinen was one of two players from Grand Rapids selected to the First Team. A right wing, he leads the AHL with 34 goals in 46 games; he's played 29 games for the Detroit Red Wings.

Matthew Murray of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins was named the First Team goalie. In 38 games played this season Murray has a 24-9-3 record with a 1.50 goals-against average, a .943 save percentage, and 12 shutouts. Murray set an AHL rookie record with his 12 shutouts and was in goal when Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had the second-longest shutout streak in AHL history of 304 minutes. Murray was a third-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2012 NHL Draft.

Brad Hunt of the Oklahoma City Barons was named as one of the First Team defenseman. Hunt has 48 points in 57 games for Oklahoma City, and played in his second AHL All-Star Classic. Hunt received Second Team all-star honors last year.

Chris Wideman of the Binghamton Senators was the other First Team selection on defense. Wideman has scored 17 goals and had 54 points in 70 games this season and is the leading scorer among AHL defensemen. Wideman also led all defensemen with 213 shots on goal. Wideman was a fourth-round pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2009.

Chris Bourque of the Hartford Wolf Pack was the First Team selection for left wing. In his first season playing for the New York Rangers affiliate, Bourque has 27 goals (10 on the power play) and 59 points. Bourque has 492 points in 504 AHL games over eight seasons. This is the second time Bourque has been selected to the AHL First All-Star Team in his career.

Andy Miele of Grand Rapids was selected as the center for the First Team. Miele is second in the AHL scoring race with 67 points. Miele was named to the AHL Second All-Star Team in 2013-14. Miele, the 2011 Hobey Baker winner at the University of Miami (Ohio), had a five-point game against the Toronto Marlies on Dec. 19.

The AHL Second All-Star Team was made up by goalie Jacob Markstrom of the Utica Comets (Vancouver Canucks); defenseman Colin Miller of the Manchester Monarchs (Los Angeles Kings); defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti of the Utica Comets (Canucks); left wing Shane Prince of the Binghamton Senators (Ottawa Senators); center Jordan Weal of the Manchester Monarchs (Kings); and right wing Brian O'Neil of the Manchester Monarchs (Kings).