Gerbe will chat live with fans at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday

Portland, Maine - Portland forward and AHL Rookie of the Year Nathan Gerbe will enter the AHL Chat Room to answer fans’ questions on Wednesday, April 22nd. Visit www.theahl.com to join the chat.

Gerbe led all AHL rookies with 30 goals and registered 56 points in just 57 games for the Pirates this season, and on Apr. 8 was named the winner of the Dudley “Red” Garrett Award as the league’s outstanding rookie.

He recorded two assists in his professional debut on Oct. 11 vs. Manchester and scored his first two pro goals on Oct. 18 at Springfield, and soon notched his first hat trick on Nov. 5 at Worcester – the beginning of an eight-game scoring streak. Gerbe was voted into the starting lineup for the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic but missed the event due to injury.

Gerbe was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round of the 2005 NHL draft and played three seasons at Boston College, reaching the NCAA title game each year. Last season, he led the nation in scoring and was named the MVP of both the Hockey East tournament and the Frozen Four as he powered the Eagles to an NCAA championship.

He was joined on the 2008-09 AHL All-Rookie Team by current Pirates teammate Tim Kennedy and Grand Rapids’ Justin Abdelkader, both of whom were on the Michigan State squad that defeated Gerbe’s Eagles in the 2007 NCAA championship game.

Gerbe made his National Hockey League debut with Buffalo on Dec. 6, 2008, and has tallied one assist in 10 NHL games.