Plante progresses into AHL all-star

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This article was published 31/01/2012 (5214 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Alex Plante had no idea he was so popular.

Not only did the 22-year-old Brandonite play in the American Hockey League all-star game for the first time on Monday night in Atlantic City, N.J., the Oklahoma City Barons defenceman was also in the starting lineup for the Western Conference based on fan voting.

“I’m definitely not a highlight-reel type player,” the 6-foot-4, 230-pound bruiser chuckled last week. “I don’t know what the fans based their voting on, but … it’s just nice to be a part of that amazing event.”

Plante is happy to be playing at all after suffering a concussion Dec. 27 during a call-up to the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. Plante went head first into the boards on a hit from Vancouver Canuck Dale Weise and the concussion and associated whiplash kept him out of the lineup until he returned to action with the Barons on Friday, just three days before the all-star game. Plante admits the downtime was tough to handle.

“I get a little stir crazy, just sitting around doing nothing,” he said.

What Plante had been doing prior to the injury was turning in his best campaign as a pro so far.

In 30 games with the Barons, Plante has produced a goal and 11 assists, with a plus/minus of +14 and 67 penalty minutes. He’s on pace to easily exceed his previous career high of 17 points, set last season, as long as he stays in the AHL.

“I’m a little bit more confident of a player this year,” said Plante, who has also gotten into three NHL games with the Oilers this season, picking up one assist and a minor penalty. “I had a pretty good summer training on- and off-ice, and right from the get-go, I’ve had a lot of opportunities. It is a good sign, but it’s not a sign to take your foot off the gas. I want to keep going and not stop until I’m an established NHL player.”

Oilers fans have been waiting for the same thing since Plante was drafted by the team 15th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft when he was a member of the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen.

Now in his third professional season, Plante said he is starting to understand the game better than before. He said he has also benefited from playing for a strong Barons team that went into the all-star break leading the AHL’s overall standings with a 29-11-2-3 record.

“If you’re a part of a good team, it sets you up for personal success, while you’re down here,” he said. “I think that’s the one thing that I’ve learned is you don’t really take things upon yourself. You’re just trying to play your role and do what you do best and if everybody does that, it definitely helps your team out and it helps you get noticed individually as well. I think we have good group of guys that are doing that this year and that’s a big reason for our success so far.”

ONE-TIMERS: One of Plante’s Oklahoma City teammates is LW Triston Grant of Neepawa, who has picked up eight goals, 12 points and 74 penalty minutes in 26 games, with a plus/minus rating of +12 … After starting the season in the AHL, Plante’s older brother, Tyler, has moved from Mora IK in Sweden’s second division to Djurgardens in the Swedish Elite League. The former Brandon Wheat Kings goaltender has a 3.00 goals-against average and .899 save percentage in six games in Sweden … Brandon native Brett Skinner has moved from Tampere in Finland to MODO in the Swedish Elite League.

» rhenders@brandonsun.com