AHL Iowa Wild

Alex Tuch Named 2017 Western Conference All Star

Published on January 26, 2017 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Iowa Wild News Release


DES MOINES, IA - The American Hockey League announced Thursday a change to the playing rosters for the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Capital BlueCross, to be held January 29-30 at PPL Center in Allentown, Pa., home of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Iowa Wild forward Alex Tuch (32gp, 8-10-18) has been added to the Central Division All-Star team. He replaces Wild teammate Teemu Pulkkinen, who will be unavailable for the event.

The 2017 All-Star rosters now feature 41 first-time participants, 13 AHL rookies and 14 former first- and second-round NHL draft choices. In addition, 27 of this year's All-Stars have been recalled to the National Hockey League already this season.

The 2017 AHL All-Star Skills Competition presented by Giant Food Stores and Velaspan on Sunday will pit the All-Stars from the two Eastern Conference divisions against those from the two Western Conference divisions in seven skills events. In the 2017 AHL All-Star Challenge on Monday, the four teams will participate in a round-robin tournament featuring six games of 10 minutes each, played entirely at 3-on-3. The two teams with the best records at the end of the round-robin will face off for the championship, a six-minute game also played at 3-on-3.

The All-Star Classic festivities also include the AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony, to be held at Miller Symphony Hall at 11 a.m. on Jan. 30. The ceremony will feature the induction of Billy Dea, Bryan Helmer, Rob Murray and Doug Yingst as the AHL Hall of Fame Class of 2017 and will also celebrate honorary All-Star Classic captains Daniel Briere and Terry Murray.

The 2017 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Capital BlueCross will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League: since 1995, more than 93 percent of All-Star Classic participants have gone on to compete in the National Hockey League, including Jake Allen, Artem Anisimov, Patrice Bergeron, Ben Bishop, Troy Brouwer, Ryan Callahan, Zdeno Chara, Logan Couture, Braden Holtby, Tyler Johnson, Martin Jones, Chris Kunitz, Zach Parise, Tuukka Rask, Pekka Rinne, Bobby Ryan, Cory Schneider, Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza, P.K. Subban and Mats Zuccarello, as well as former Lehigh Valley Phantoms representatives Nick Cousins, Brandon Manning and Anthony Stolarz.

In operation since 1936, the American Hockey League continues to serve as the top development league for the players, coaches, managers, trainers, executives and broadcasters of all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 88 percent of NHL players last season were AHL graduates, and more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame spent time in the AHL in their careers. In 2015-16, over 7.1 million fans attended AHL regular-season and playoff games across North America, the highest total attendance in league history.

Iowa continues on a lengthy road trip and returns home on Wednesday, Feb. 8 to play the Cleveland Monsters. The game is part of Winning Wednesdays. If the Wild wins, all fans in attendance receive a free ticket to Fan Appreciation on April 14. Fans 21 and older may purchase two tallboys for $10. Fans may also bring a Subway receipt to purchase a ticket for only $5.

Iowa welcomes the Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday, Feb. 10 at 7 PM at Wells Fargo Arena. The Wild celebrates Local Heroes Night with a salute to the Des Moines Police Department and the Urbandale Police Department. Fans may enjoy a $2 Beer Night, presented by 100.3 The Bus. There will also be Barefoot Wine specials at the game. Collegeville packs are also available for purchase for the game. The Wild is hosting a food drive, presented by Billion Buick GMC and Barilla.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 26, 2017


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