The American Hockey League announced Thursday that Tyler Ennis of the Portland Pirates has been named the league’s outstanding rookie for the 2009-10 season.

Ennis, a forward from Edmonton, Alberta, is Portland’s second consecutive winner of the Dudley “Red” Garrett Award, given to the AHL’s outstanding rookie. Nathan Gerbe won the award last year. It’s the first time in 32 years that a team has had back-to-back rookie of the year winners.

Ennis, who was called up by the Buffalo Sabres on March 27, leads AHL rookies in scoring with 23 goals and 42 assists in 69 games. He’s second among rookies with six game-winning goals and third with nine power-play goals.

Ennis, 20, was Buffalo’s first-round pick in the 2008 NHL draft. He was named most valuable player of the AHL All-Star Game in January at the Cumberland County Civic Center after scoring a goal and two assists in Canada’s 10-9 win over the PlanetUSA squad.

In seven games with Buffalo, Ennis has three goals and five assists, including a goal and two assists Tuesday in a 5-2 win over the New York Rangers.

The Dudley Award is voted on by the league’s coaches, players and media in each of the 29 AHL cities.

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NOTES: The Sabres have recalled Pirates forward Mark Mancari. This is the fourth recall of the season for Mancari, who leads Portland in scoring with 27 goals and 44 assists in 72 games.

Mancari, 24, has a goal and an assists in five games with the Sabres this season. …

Buffalo signed its 2008 second-round draft pick, Luke Adam, to a three-year contract and assigned him to the Pirates.

Adam, a 19-year-old forward, is coming off a season in which he finished second in voting for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s MVP award. He finished with career highs of 49 goals and 41 assists in 56 games with Cape Breton. …

The Pirates have signed Jacob Lagace to an amateur tryout contract. Lagace, a 20-year-old forward, was the Sabres’ fifth-round pick in the 2008 NHL draft and recently completed his third season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He split the season between Chicoutimi and Cape Breton, scoring 35 goals and 38 assists in 70 games.

 


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