AHL American Hockey League

Cracknell, McIlrath Named Playing Captains for 2024 AHL All-Star Classic

January 3, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... American Hockey League President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Howson announced today that Henderson Silver Knights forward Adam Cracknell and Hershey Bears defenseman Dylan McIlrath have been selected as the playing captains for the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Tech CU, to be held February 4-5 in San Jose, Calif.

Captains for the American Hockey League All-Star teams are selected by the league president each year in recognition of their outstanding leadership and service.

Cracknell has played in 1,094 games over 18 seasons of professional hockey since debuting with the AHL's Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights in 2006, and has totaled 209 goals and 252 assists for 461 points in 723 contests for 12 teams in the American Hockey League. He is in his first season with the Henderson Silver Knights after recording a career-high 53 points in 64 games for Tucson in 2022-23. Cracknell was originally a ninth-round pick by Calgary in the 2004 National Hockey League Draft and has played 210 games in the NHL with St. Louis, Columbus, Vancouver, Edmonton, Dallas, the New York Rangers and Anaheim. The native of Prince Albert, Sask., also represented Canada at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. This will be his first AHL All-Star Classic.

McIlrath is in his second season as captain of the Hershey Bears after helping the team to the Calder Cup championship in 2023, the second of his career. The 12th-year pro has played 586 regular-season games in the AHL with Hershey, Grand Rapids, Springfield and Hartford/Connecticut, tallying 30 goals and 90 assists. McIlrath has also played 73 games in the NHL with the N.Y. Rangers, Florida, Detroit and Washington - including a recall by the Capitals earlier this season - and was a first-round pick by the Rangers in the 2010 NHL Draft. The Winnipeg, Man., native will be participating in his first AHL All-Star Classic.

The 2024 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Tech CU will include the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, February 4, followed by the AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony on Monday, February 5 and the 2024 AHL All-Star Challenge that evening. Ticket packages start as low as $56, and include admission to both the Skills Competition and the Challenge. For more information, fans can visit sjbarracuda.com/allstar.

The 2024 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Tech CU will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League: since 1995, more than 94 percent of All-Star Classic participants have gone on to compete in the National Hockey League, including Cam Atkinson, Drake Batherson, Jordan Binnington, Thomas Bordeleau, John Carlson, Thatcher Demko, Lukas Dostal, Connor Hellebuyck, Tristan Jarry, Jordan Kyrou, Jonathan Marchessault, Jacob Markstrom, J.T. Miller, Brandon Montour, William Nylander, Kyle Palmieri, Mikko Rantanen, Dylan Strome, Tyler Toffoli, Linus Ullmark, Vitek Vanecek and Mats Zuccarello, as well as current San Jose Sharks Logan Couture, Mike Hoffman, Luke Kunin, Kaapo Kahkonen, Mackenzie Blackwood and Jacob MacDonald.

In operation since 1936, the American Hockey League serves as the top development league for the players, coaches, managers, executives, broadcasters and staff of all 32 National Hockey League teams. Nearly 90 percent of today's NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame spent time in the AHL in their careers.

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