SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … American Hockey League President and CEO David Andrews announced today the selection of John Anderson of the Chicago Wolves and Roy Sommer of the Worcester Sharks to join the coaching staffs for the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino, to be held January 25-26 in Utica, N.Y.
Anderson will join Utica Comets head coach Travis Green in the Western Conference, while Sommer will work with Manchester Monarchs head coach Mike Stothers on the Eastern Conference bench. Green and Stothers earned coaching berths when their teams owned the best record in their respective conference at the pre-determined deadline: the end of play on Dec. 31.
Anderson, 57, is in his 13th season as head coach of the Wolves, and has guided the team to four league championships – including the Calder Cup in 2002 and 2008. Anderson owns a record of 369-254-48 (.586) in nine AHL seasons with Chicago, ranking fifth on the league’s all-time victories list. Prior to his coaching career, Anderson was a first-round draft pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1977 and played 17 professional seasons, including an MVP campaign with the AHL’s New Haven Nighthawks in 1991-92. The Toronto native will be appearing in his second AHL All-Star Classic; he coached the Canadian All-Star team in 2003.
Sommer, 57, is in his ninth season as Worcester’s head coach and his 17th campaign leading San Jose’s top affiliate in the AHL. The all-time leader in games by an AHL coach (1,301), Sommer ranks third with 590 career victories, trailing only Hockey Hall of Famers Fred “Bun” Cook (636) and Frank Mathers (610). Also a 1977 draft pick by Toronto, Sommer played 10 professional seasons and won a Calder Cup with the Maine Mariners in 1984, where his teammates included his Eastern Conference co-coach Mike Stothers. A native of Oakland, Calif., Sommer will be making his second AHL All-Star Classic appearance and first since 2000.
A very limited number of tickets remain available for the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino. They can be purchased in person at the Utica Memorial Auditorium box office (10-4 ET), by phone at 800-693-8000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets for the two-day event are priced as low as $69 and include admission to both the All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 25 and the All-Star Game on Jan. 26.
The 2015 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League: Of the 644 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, more than 94 percent have competed in the National Hockey League, including Patrice Bergeron, Ben Bishop, Ryan Callahan, Zdeno Chara, Logan Couture, Jimmy Howard, Chris Kunitz, Ryan Miller, Gustav Nyquist, Zach Parise, Tuukka Rask, Pekka Rinne, Bobby Ryan,Martin St. Louis, Cory Schneider, Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal and P.K. Subban.
