Thursday, January 7, 2016
AHL All-Stars Feature 16 Alums
Pacific Division features six former NCAA stars as 14 schools are represented in lineups.
Sixteen former NCAA hockey players have been named to the rosters for the 2016 AHL All-Star Classic, set for Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 in Syracuse, N.Y.
Fourteen schools have alumni in the event, led by Massachusetts and Miami with two each.
Each of the AHL’s four divisions will be represented by 13 players: seven forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders. Rosters were determined by committees of AHL coaches, and all 30 AHL teams are represented by at least one All-Star. Each division has at least two NCAA alums on its roster, led by the Pacific Division with six:
| Atlantic Division | ||
| Chris Bourque (F) | Hershey | Boston University |
| Joe Whitney (F) | Bridgeport | Boston College |
| North Division | ||
| Yann Danis (G) | Albany | Brown |
| Michael Kostka (D) | Binghamton | Massachusetts |
| Matt Taormina (D) | Syracuse | Providence |
| Mike Sislo (F) | Albany | New Hampshire |
| Central Division | ||
| Connor Hellebuyck (G) | Manitoba | UMass Lowell |
| Gustav Olofsson (D) | Iowa | Colorado College |
| Pat Cannone (F) | Chicago | Miami |
| Jeff Hoggan (F) | Grand Rapids | Omaha |
| Pacific Division | ||
| Brad Hunt (D) | Bakersfield | Bemidji State |
| Vincent LoVerde (D) | Ontario | Miami |
| Brandon Montour (D) | San Diego | Massachusetts |
| Derek Grant (F) | Stockton | Michigan State |
| Michael Mersch (F) | Ontario | Wisconsin |
| Travis Morin (F) | Texas | Minnesota State |
The2016 AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 31 (8 p.m. ET) will keep its traditional format, with All-Stars from the Eastern Conference squaring off against All-Stars from the Western Conference in seven skills events.
The2016 AHL All-Star Challenge will take place on the evening of Feb. 1 (7 p.m. ET); instead of a traditional 60-minute game, the AHL’s All-Stars will be divided into four teams, one representing each of the league’s divisions (Atlantic, North, Central, Pacific). The teams will then play a round-robin tournament featuring six games of nine minutes each; the first half of each game will be played at 4-on-4, and the second half at 3-on-3. The two teams with the best records at the end of the round-robin tournament will face off for the championship, a six-minute game played at 3-on-3.