Thursday, January 4, 2018
Alums Fill All-Star Rosters
AHL, ECHL to showcase dozens of former NCAA stars.
The AHL and ECHL will feature dozens of former NCAA players in their respective all-star games, as both leagues announced their rosters on Thursday.
Forty-one former NCAA players were selected between the two leagues – 21 in the AHL and 20 in the ECHL. Together they represent half of all Division I programs: 30 of 60.
Both leagues have four teams participating in their all-star games, organized by division and competing in a 3-on-3 format like the NHL All-Star Game.
AHL All-Star Classic
The AHL rosters feature five or six NCAA alumni on each of the four divisional teams, making up 44% of all players selected. Among the headliners are AHL leading scorer Chris Bourque (Boston University) and rookies Cal Petersen (Notre Dame) and C.J. Smith (UMass Lowell).
Miami leads all schools with four alumni named to the AHL All-Star Classic, which will be held Jan. 28-29 in Utica, N.Y. North Dakota, Notre Dame and Providence each had two representatives selected.
ECHL All-Star Classic
The ECHL All-Star Classic, set for Jan. 15 in Indianapolis, will feature 20 NCAA alumni, making up 71% of all players. Selections include top rookie scorer Justin Danforth (Sacred Heart) and fellow rookie Shane Starrett (Air Force).
Denver and Minnesota Duluth each have two former players selected to the ECHL All-Star Classic; sixteen other schools have one representative each.
Cornell, Minnesota Duluth and Wisconsin are the three schools with former players selected in both the AHL and ECHL all-star games.
| Alumni in AHL All-Star Classic | ||
| Atlantic Division | ||
| Chris Bourque | Hershey Bears | Boston University |
| Austin Czarnik | Providence Bruins | Miami |
| Tanner Fritz | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | Ohio State |
| John Gilmour | Hartford Wolf Pack | Providence |
| Casey DeSmith | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | New Hampshire |
North Division |
||
| Matthew Peca | Syracuse Crunch | Quinnipiac |
| C.J. Smith | Rochester Americans | UMass Lowell |
| Jacob MacDonald | Binghamton Devils | Cornell |
| Matt Taormina | Laval Rocket | Providence |
| Thatcher Demko | Utica Comets | Boston College |
Central Division |
||
| Vinnie Hinostroza | Rockford IceHogs | Notre Dame |
| Luke Kunin | Iowa Wild | Wisconsin |
| Matt Lorito | Grand Rapids Griffins | Brown |
| Brandon Pirri | Chicago Wolves | Rensselaer |
| Jack Roslovic | Manitoba Moose | Miami |
| Cameron Schilling | Manitoba Moose | Miami |
Pacific Division |
||
| Rocco Grimaldi | San Antonio Rampage | North Dakota |
| Curtis McKenzie | Texas Stars | Miami |
| Jordan Schmaltz | San Antonio Rampage | North Dakota |
| Andy Welinski | San Diego Gulls | Minnesota Duluth |
| Cal Petersen | Ontario Reign | Notre Dame |
| Alumni in ECHL All-Star Classic | ||
| North Division | ||
| Woody Hudson | Worcester Railers | St. Lawrence |
| Alex Krushelnyski | Reading Royals | Colorado College |
| Ty Loney | Adirondack Thunder | Denver |
| Joel Lowry | Manchester Monarchs | Cornell |
| Cody Wydo | Wheeling Nailers | Robert Morris |
South Division |
||
| Martin Ouellette | Florida Everblades | Maine |
| Christopher Dienes | Jacksonville Icemen | Western Michigan |
| Nolan Valleau | Orlando Solar Bears | Bowling Green |
| Grant Besse | Norfolk Admirals | Wisconsin |
| Taylor Cammarata | South Carolina Stingrays | Minnesota |
| Caleb Herbert | Greenville Swamp Rabbits | Minnesota Duluth |
Central Division |
||
| Pat Nagle | Toledo Walleye | Ferris State |
| Kyle Bushee | Kalamazoo Wings | Canisius |
| Willie Raskob | Quad City Mallards | Minnesota Duluth |
| Justin Danforth | Cincinnati Cyclones | Sacred Heart |
| Mike McMurtry | Kansas City Mavericks | Northeastern |
Mountain Division |
||
| Shane Starrett | Wichita Thunder | Air Force |
| David Makowski | Allen Americans | Denver |
| Cliff Watson | Utah Grizzlies | Michigan Tech |
| Justin Parizek | Idaho Steelheads | Omaha |