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Heat news and notes: Kolanos, Wilson picked for AHL all-star game

Atlantic City will be the next stop on the Krys Kolanos comeback tour.
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Heat forward Krys Kolanos hydrates during a recent game against the Texas Stars. Kolanos and teammate Clay Wilson were named to the AHL all-star game on Wednesday.

Atlantic City will be the next stop on the Krys Kolanos comeback tour.

The high-scoring winger was one of two members of the Abbotsford Heat, along with blueliner Clay Wilson, to be named to the AHL all-star classic, which runs Jan. 29-30 at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall.

When the news came down on Wednesday, Kolanos was in a thankful mood. And understandably so – after sitting out a season and a half due to major hip surgery, simply being back on the ice is extremely satisfying.

"I'm very blessed," he asserted with a smile. "I've got to thank the good Lord first and foremost, then secondly all the great people around me – my fiance, my family, my teammates, my linemates, my coaches, the equipment staff. None of this would be possible without all them. I'm very humbled."

As grateful as Kolanos is, the Heat might be even more thankful for the Calgary native. The sniper has had a transformative impact on the squad – in nine games without him in the lineup, the Heat scored an average of 1.67 goals per game. In 24 games with him, they've averaged 3.04.

With 16 goals and 18 assists, Kolanos is eighth in AHL scoring, despite playing only 24 games. His points-per-game (1.42) is third-best in the league.

Kolanos has found great chemistry with playmaking centre Ben Walter on the Heat's top line, with a rotating cast of wingers on the left side.

"He (Walter) was the first guy to congratulate me (on the all-star berth), and I told him, 'I wouldn't even be close without you,'" Kolanos said. "He's that special a player. He sees the ice so well and gets me the puck even more than I expected. I wish I could take a guy like that with me, because he's been that important."

As for Wilson (pictured right), the all-star nod was the second element of recognition he's received in the past week – last Friday, he was recalled by the Calgary Flames, and he's still up with the NHL parent club. Both honours are well-deserved – the veteran defenceman has been a rock for the Heat this season, and currently sits eighth among AHL defencemen in scoring with 20 points in 32 games.

Heat head coach Troy Ward said that while Wilson's offensive abilities are more eye-catching, he's been most impressed with the 28-year-old's dedication to tightening up his defensive game.

"As his coach, I feel he's embraced the defensive side," Ward said of Wilson, who was an AHL all-star last season as a member of the Rochester Americans. "And while he's tried to do that, he's still an all-star, and I think that's a credit to him.

"Change is tough for all of us in life regardless of our age, but I think it's tougher for older people. I think he's trying to embrace how he can play longer in the NHL, as opposed to a shorter stint."

This is the first year the Heat have sent multiple players to the all-star game. Jason Jaffray and T.J. Brodie were the team's lone representatives in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

Until Jan. 23, fans can vote on the all-star game starting lineups at theahl.com.

BANCKS READY TO RETURN

Barring a late setback, forward Carter Bancks is poised to return to the lineup for the first time in over a month when the Heat host the Grand Rapids Griffins this weekend (Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. both nights at the AESC).

The sophomore sparkplug hasn't played since Nov. 19 due to a hand injury, but he was a full participant in practice Wednesday.

Bancks has been nicked up for much of his Heat tenure – he missed all but 29 games last season with recurring concussion symptoms – and Ward said they'll handle him with kid gloves to minimize the injury risk.

"The history of Carter and Abbotsford is, I think, that he was always rushed too fast," Ward said. "He played too many minutes, and he hasn't been healthy. So I'm going to manage his minutes – you probably won't see him in a penalty-killing role at all. We've got to keep this guy healthy. We're glad to have him back."

Bancks was skating on a line with Gaelan Patterson and Ryan Howse on Wednesday. Other forward units included Ben Walter between Jon Rheault and Krys Kolanos; Justin Dowling flanked by Judd Blackwater and Guillaume Desbiens; and Quintin Laing between Lance Bouma and Akim Aliu.

Laing also figures to return to the lineup – the Heat captain sat out last Friday's game vs. the Texas Stars with a lower-body injury. Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond did not dress for Wednesday's practice, but Ward said he's nursing a minor hand injury and should be ready to go for Friday.

IVANANS RECALLED

Among a flurry of midweek player moves, veteran enforcer Raitis Ivanans was recalled by the Flames on Wednesday morning after clearing re-entry waivers. He's expected to dress for the Flames' Thursday night road game against the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins.

"Calgary felt they needed to get some toughness in their lineup going into Boston, and that's his calling," Ward said.

Ivanans, who turned 33 on Tuesday, missed virtually the entire 2010-11 season after suffering a concussion in a fight with Steven MacIntyre of the Edmonton Oilers on opening night.

The native of Riga, Latvia told the Calgary Sun it "feels great" to be back in the NHL.

“You realize you take it for granted when you’re here,” Ivanans said. “And then when you’re down and come back, you just want to grab it and never let it go.”

In light of the adversity he's worked through, Ward was particularly happy for Ivanans.

"In this game, you never know if there's going to be another chance (in the NHL)," Ward noted. "Good for him. It gives you hope, and it's a good story."

On Wednesday afternoon, the Flames sent forward Greg Nemisz and defenceman Brett Carson to Abbotsford. Nemisz has been a key cog for the Heat this season, with 18 points in 28 games. Carson is on a two-week conditioning stint, his second of the season, as he works his way back from a back injury.

WORKING ON SCORING

Ward brought in Ron Johnson, a shooting specialist from Delta, to give the Heat some goal-scoring pointers at Wednesday's practice.

"He works with a lot of NHL players, and he's a biomechanic guy by nature," Ward explained. "Ron is a real scientist. He's teaching guys about techniques for goal-scoring – what to do and when to do it – and things like how to change your blade. We have a hard enough time scoring goals as it is, and I thought he could help our guys. I'll probably bring him back a couple more times."