SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that St. John’s IceCaps defenseman Brenden Kichton, Albany Devils forward Joe Whitney and Hamilton Bulldogs goaltender Dustin Tokarski have been added to the AHL All-Star roster for the 2014 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Assante Wealth Management, scheduled for next month at Mile One Centre in St. John’s, N.L.
Taking place just prior to the start of the men’s Olympic hockey tournament, the 2014 AHL All-Star Classic will see a team of American Hockey League All-Stars face off against Färjestad BK, one of the top professional teams in the Swedish Hockey League, in an internationally televised two-day event including a Skills Competition on Tuesday, Feb. 11 and the All-Star Game on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
Kichton ranks third among all AHL rookies and second among all AHL defensemen in scoring this season with 35 points (eight goals, 27 assists) in 43 games for St. John’s. The 21-year-old native of Edmonton, Alta., made the WHL West First All-Star Team in 2011-12 and 2012-13 while playing for Spokane in the Western Hockey League.
Whitney has recorded 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points in 42 games for Albany in 2013-14, his third pro campaign out of Boston College. A native of Reading, Mass., Whitney, 25, led the AHL Devils in scoring in each of his first two seasons, and made his National Hockey League debut with New Jersey on Jan. 24.
Tokarski ranks third in the AHL with a 2.09 goals-against average and fourth with a .928 save percentage while posting a 15-9-2 record in 28 appearances for Hamilton this season. The 24-year-old from Humboldt, Sask., won a Calder Cup championship with Norfolk in 2012 and has a mark of 119-81-13 with 18 shutouts in 222 games over his five AHL seasons.
Tokarski replaces Martin Jones, who will miss the All-Star Classic due to his NHL recall to Los Angeles.
The AHL All-Star team roster now stands at 22 players – 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders – selected by a committee of AHL coaches and general managers. The AHL All-Stars will be led in St. John’s by Jeff Blashill, head coach of the 2013 Calder Cup champion Grand Rapids Griffins, and Rob Zettler, head coach of the defending Eastern Conference champion Syracuse Crunch.
2014 AHL All-Star Team
Forwards
Brett Connolly, Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay)
Brian Gibbons, W-B/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh)
Mike Hoffman, Binghamton Senators (Ottawa)
Jason Jaffray, St. John’s IceCaps (Winnipeg)
Travis Morin, Texas Stars (Dallas)
Brandon Pirri, Rockford IceHogs (Chicago)
Colton Sceviour, Texas Stars (Dallas)
Colton Sissons, Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville)
Ryan Spooner, Providence Bruins (Boston)
Ben Street, Abbotsford Heat (Calgary)
Ryan Strome, Bridgeport Sound Tigers (N.Y. Islanders)
Linden Vey, Manchester Monarchs (Los Angeles)
Joe Whitney, Albany Devils (New Jersey)
Defensemen
Chad Billins, Abbotsford Heat (Calgary)
T.J. Brennan, Toronto Marlies (Toronto)
Cody Goloubef, Springfield Falcons (Columbus)
Brenden Kichton, St. John’s IceCaps (Winnipeg)
Alexey Marchenko, Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit)
Brayden McNabb, Rochester Americans (Buffalo)
Frederic St. Denis, Springfield Falcons (Columbus)
Goaltenders
Jake Allen, Chicago Wolves (St. Louis)
Dustin Tokarski, Hamilton Bulldogs (Montreal)
The 2014 AHL All-Star Classic will mark the first time ever that a Swedish Hockey League team has competed in North America. Founded in 1932 and based in the city of Karlstad, Sweden, Färjestad BK – led by team CEO Håkan Loob – is one of the most successful franchises in all of European hockey, playing in 19 league finals and winning nine Swedish league championships, including four since 2002.
The international telecast of the 2014 AHL All-Star Classic in St. John’s will be produced and broadcast live by Sportsnet. In addition to the Skills Competition and All-Star Game, the 2014 AHL All-Star Classic will also include social events as well as the 2014 AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony.
A limited number of tickets remain available for the 2014 AHL All-Star Classic. They can be purchase in person in person at the Mile One Centre box office (12-5 NT), by phone at 709-576-7657 (9:30-5:30 NT), or online at mileonecentre.com. Tickets for the two-day event are $100 (plus taxes and surcharges) and include admission to both the All-Star Skills Competition on Feb. 11 and the All-Star Game on Feb. 12.
The 2014 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Assante Wealth Management will be the 20th edition of the modern AHL All-Star event, and the first to feature an international opponent. Of the 630 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since the event was reinstated in 1995, more than 93 percent have competed in the National Hockey League, including Patrice Bergeron, Daniel Briere, Ryan Callahan, Zdeno Chara, Jimmy Howard, Niklas Kronwall, Chris Kunitz, Ryan Miller, Zach Parise, Tuukka Rask, Pekka Rinne, Bobby Ryan, Martin St. Louis, Cory Schneider, Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza and Eric Staal.
