There will be a healthy Canadian presence when the American Hockey League All-Star Classic gets underway Sunday.
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms will host the two-day event at PPL Center in Allentown, Pa. For the second consecutive season the AHL will use a format similar to the one used by the NHL. Each of the AHL’s four divisions will be represented by a team in a round-robin 3-on-3 tournament of 10-minute games. The top two teams after the six-game tournament will meet for a six-minute 3-on-3 championship game.
Sportsnet will televise the AHL All-Star Skills Competition Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The AHL All-Star Challenge will be on Sportsnet ONE on Monday at 7 p.m. ET.
The 2017 all-star rosters will feature 14 first- and second-round NHL Draft choices. So far 27 participants have spent time on NHL rosters this season as well. Here is a team-by-team look at who will be representing the seven AHL affiliates of Canadian NHL clubs.
Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton) – The Condors sit in last place in the Pacific Division, but winger Taylor Beck has been a very bright spot for head coach Gerry Fleming’s team. Beck, 25, signed with the Oilers this past summer after a 2015-16 season disrupted by two trades and an injury. The move has paid off for Edmonton. He brings the solid pedigree of a player who learned the pro game in the Nashville Predators organization, one of the NHL’s top talent pipelines. His time in Bakersfield has been interrupted by recall duty with Edmonton, but in his 27 games with the Condors he is 12-29-41. Those 41 points put him third in AHL scoring.
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Binghamton Senators (Ottawa) – The Senators are hovering in the North Division playoff race as they begin to wind down their final season in Binghamton before next season’s move to Belleville, Ont. Binghamton begins the weekend four points out of a playoff spot. Winger Casey Bailey has become a top recall option for Ottawa and has 10-5-15 in 33 games with Binghamton. Ottawa acquired him from Toronto in last season’s Dion Phaneuf deal, and he has turned into a pleasant surprise for the organization.
Manitoba Moose (Winnipeg) – Centre Jack Roslovic has packed a lot into his first pro season at age 19. He is back with the Moose after winning a gold medal with Team USA at the world junior championship earlier this month. He leads the Moose with 9-15-24 in 32 games. The Jets made him a first-round selection in the 2015 NHL Draft. He needed only one season of NCAA hockey last season, going 10-16-26 in 36 games with Miami-Ohio and earning a spot on the National Collegiate Hockey Conference all-rookie team. He is right on track for eventual duty with the Jets.
St. John’s IceCaps (Montreal) – The much-touted Zach Fucale began the season with the IceCaps’ number-one goaltending job, but his early struggles opened the door for Charlie Lindgren. The 23-year-old has taken full advantage of the opportunity. Lindgren has gone 14-10-3 with a 2.73 goals-against average and .913 save percentage, playing 27 games so far in a pairing with dependable veteran Yann Danis. Lindgren was undrafted, but he has emerged as Montreal’s top goaltending prospect and has the IceCaps in contention in the North Division. Defenceman Mark Barberio is on recall with the Canadiens and will miss the event.
Stockton Heat (Calgary) – Centre Mark Jankowski is beginning to live up to the promise that prompted the Flames to select him in the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft. His 13 goals lead a solid Stockton club, and he had a hat trick against Bakersfield this past weekend. He offers size at 6-foot-4 and can dish the puck well. His 29 points lead the Heat as he edged out several quality Stockton forwards to earn a spot at the All-Star Classic.
Toronto Marlies (Toronto) – This season, winger Kerby Rychel will finally get a crack at all-star play after missing last season’s event because of an NHL recall. A fast start to the season for the Marlies has deteriorated into a slog that has them in a four-team race for the North Division’s final playoff spot. An off-season acquisition from the Columbus Blue Jackets, the 22-year-old Rychel is a sturdy 6-foot-1, 210-pounder who is 8-18-26 in 38 AHL games for the Marlies. Rychel replaces injured forward Brendan Leipsic. Forward Kasperi Kapanen was also originally selected, but he is out with an injury as well.
Utica Comets (Vancouver) – What was once looking like a bleak season for the Comets has blossomed this month, and they will have two representatives at the All-Star Classic, the only Canadian team to do so. Forward Alexandre Grenier’s 13-19-32 line in 39 games leads the Comets, and a five-game goal streak earlier this month was the longest of his pro career. His goal production this season has taken off after he had 50 goals in his first three full AHL seasons. Defenceman Jordan Subban continues his solid progression as a second-year pro. His 22 points (9-13-22) lead all Comets blueliners this season after he had 11-25-36 last season as a rookie.
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CANADIAN ROUND-UP
Bakersfield – The Condors’ road woes continued Wednesday in a 3-2 loss to the Ontario Reign. They have three wins in 17 road games and start back-to-back road dates with the Texas Stars on Friday. The Texas stop will end a seven-game road trip that is 1-4-0-0 so far. Beck is 6-18-24 in his past 14 games.
Binghamton – The Senators ran directly into the buzzsaw that is Lehigh Valley, taking a 7-2 road loss against the Phantoms on Wednesday. For their trouble, they get a return date with the Phantoms on Friday on home ice. The loss is a rare slip-up of late for the Senators, who have overcome a poor start to move back into North Division playoff contention. After they are done with the Phantoms, who are second overall in the AHL, they can look forward to hosting the AHL-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday.
Laval Rocket (Montreal – 2017-18 season) – The AHL will return to Quebec next season for the first time since 2002 when the Canadiens move their affiliate from St. John’s. Montreal is the latest NHL team to follow the recent trend of moving its AHL affiliate closer to home. Next Tuesday, Laval will unveil its logo and jersey as preparations for next season begin to intensify.
Manitoba – The Moose start the weekend six points out of a playoff spot in the Central Division. A two-game set with the Charlotte Checkers winds down a six-game road trip that is 2-2-0-0 so far. The Moose power play has been clicking lately, a big help as they try to barge back into a playoff spot. They have a power-play goal in six consecutive games and 11 of their past 13 games. In that 13-game span they have gone 13-for-53, a 24.5 per cent conversion rate. That success has put the Moose into 11th in the AHL on the man advantage. Veteran defenceman Brian Strait is back with the team after a brief recall to Winnipeg.
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St. John’s – An impressive 5-2-2-1 10-game road trip that spanned a month has given way to two wins through the first six games of lengthy homestand. The IceCaps wrap up that eight-game homestand with a two-game series against Toronto starting Friday. St. John’s holds third place in the North Division and is four points out of first place. Forward Chris Terry’s 10-game point streak ended this past Sunday. He had seven goals and 13 points during the streak. The IceCaps’ blue line took a hit with the departure of Jonathan Racine in a trade to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. After this weekend, a six-game road trip to start February awaits.
Stockton – A 3-6-1-0 slide has pushed the Heat down to fifth place in the Pacific Division. Their task will not get any easier this weekend, which begins Friday on the road against a strong Milwaukee Admirals team. Their trip through the U.S. Midwest continues Saturday against the Grand Rapids Griffins, who lead the Central Division. The road trip kicks off a run of five of six games on the road for the Heat, who have lost back-to-back games and have three wins in their past 13 games.
Toronto – The two-game series at St. John’s will wrap up a six-game road trip for the Marlies. So far it has been a success as the Marlies have taken three of four wins. They bring a two-game winning streak with them to St. John’s after knocking off the Rochester Americans in a 2-1 shootout victory on Wednesday. That win has the Marlies a point ahead of the last-place Amerks in the North Division playoff race. They trail Utica by four points for the fourth and final playoff spot in the division. The addition of forward Seth Griffith via waivers from the Florida Panthers could be a massive addition for the Marlies. He is 1-2-3 in his first three games with the Marlies and went 24-53-77 in 57 regular-season games with the Providence Bruins in 2015-16.
Utica – A six-game winning streak ended in a home loss Wednesday, and the Comets face the AHL’s best team when Wilkes-Barre/Scranton visits Friday. Veteran goaltender Richard Bachman has been excellent lately. He won the CCM/AHL Player of the Week after going 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and .963 save percentage in three games last week. Wednesday’s 2-1 overtime loss against the Springfield Thunderbirds ended his run of five consecutive victories.
