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Clark Donatelli to Lead Atlantic Division at 2017 AHL

January 2, 2017 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The American Hockey League announced today that Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach Clark Donatelli will coach the Atlantic Division at the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Capital BlueCross, to be held January 29-30 at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa.

Clark Donatelli will coach the Atlantic Division All-Star team after guiding Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to the best record in the AHL over the first three months of the season.

Donatelli, who was named head coach of the Penguins on Dec. 22, 2015, has led his squad to a 21-7-3-0 mark (.726) this year and is overseeing the league's top-ranked defense (2.26 goals against per game) and second-best penalty kill (86.4%). Furthermore, Donatelli's Penguins are seventh overall in offense (3.32 goals per game) and are one of the most disciplined teams in the league, ranking in the bottom-third of the league in penalty minutes per game (12.13).

This is the second-straight season that a coach for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will represent the Atlantic Division, and Donatelli becomes the fifth coach in Penguins history to lead an All-Star team. He joins Joe Mullen (2006), Todd Richards (2007), John Hynes (2011) and Jay Leach (2016) as Penguins coaches who have manned the bench at the AHL All-Star Classic.

Playing rosters for the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Capital BlueCross will be announced later this week.

The AHL's All-Stars will be divided into four teams, one representing each of the league's four divisions, for the 2017 AHL All-Star Challenge on Jan. 30. The 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 2017 AHL All-Star Skills Competition presented by Giant Food Stores and Velaspan on Jan. 29 will pit the All-Stars from the two Eastern Conference divisions against those from the two Western Conference divisions in seven skills events.

Starting at just $67, tickets for the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Capital BlueCross are on sale now and include admission to Saturday's Phan Fest & Tailgate Party, Sunday's AHL All-Star Skills Competition and Monday's AHL All-Star Challenge. To purchase event tickets, please visit www.phantomshockey.com or www.pplcenter.com .

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton season ticket packages, including Full Season, 22-game, 12-game and Flexbook plans, are available by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

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