AMERKS DEFENSEMAN ZACH REDMOND NAMED TO 2018-19 AHL FIRST ALL-STAR TEAM
Veteran blueliner earns AHL year-end honors for second straight season
(Rochester, NY) – The American Hockey League announced that Rochester Americans defensemanZach Redmond has been named to the 2018-19 AHL First All-Star Team.
The 30-year-old Redmond earns year-end honors for the second straight season after being named to the AHL Second All-Star Team in 2017-18, becoming the first Amerks defenseman to be selected in back-to-back years since Terry Hollinger in 1995-96 and 1996-97.
Redmond surpassed his 47-point output from last season in 10 fewer games during the 2018-19 campaign, recording career-highs in goals (21) and points (50) while adding 29 assists and a plus-14 on-ice rating in 56 games for Rochester.
The eighth-year pro currently leads all AHL defensemen in goals (21) and power-play goals (10) and ranks third in points heading into the final weekend of the regular season. He’s also tied for the league lead with nine game-winning goals while his 196 shots are the most by an AHL blueliner this season.
Earlier this season, Redmond broke the 46-year-old franchise record for goals by a defenseman in a single season, surpassing Amerks Hall of Famer Rick Pagnutti, who set the original mark with 18 goals during the 1972-73 campaign. Since then, Redmond continued his record-setting season by becoming the first defenseman in team history – and first of six different Amerks skaters this season – to reach the 20-goal mark. Redmond, who is currently averaging just under a point-per-game and had an AHL-best nine-game point streak to end the month of October, reached the 50-point mark for the first time in his pro career with an assist Saturday in Syracuse.
Originally a seventh-round selection (184th overall) of the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Redmond has amassed 197 points (65+132) in 312 career AHL games with Rochester, St. John’s, San Antonio and Chicago. He’s also totaled 38 points (9+29) in 133 NHL appearances, including three last season with the Buffalo Sabres.
