AHL Hershey Bears

Hershey's Ethen Frank and Mike Vecchione Named to 2023 AHL All-Star Classic

Published on January 11, 2023 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


(Hershey, PA) - The American Hockey League announced today that Hershey's Ethen Frank and Mike Vecchione have been selected for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Bell in collaboration with Manulife Bank, set to take place Feb. 5-6, 2023, at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec.

Frank, 24, is tied for the team lead in goals for Hershey (13) and ranks third on the team in points (24). He leads the club with five power play goals and ranks second on the team in points per game (.89), plus/minus (+15), and shots (72).

Among AHL rookies, Frank is third in goals and sixth in points. The Papillion, Nebraska native was signed by Hershey to an AHL contract last April after leading the NCAA in goals (26) with Western Michigan University.

Vecchione, 29, was selected to the All-Star Classic for the first time in his six-year professional career. He leads Hershey in scoring with 29 points, sitting tied with Frank for the team-lead in goals (13), and tied with Mike Sgarbossa for the top spot in assists (16). Vecchione paces the Bears with five game-winning goals, a mark that is second in the AHL. He is also Hershey's plus/minus leader (+16), and ranks second on the club with four power play goals.

The Saugus, Mass. native is in his second season with Hershey after posting a career-best 44 points (16g, 28a) in 59 games with the Bears in 2021-22. He serves as an alternate captain and has 197 points (89g, 108a) in 303 career AHL games with Lehigh Valley, San Antonio, Colorado, and Hershey.

Frank and Vecchione will join Hershey head coach Todd Nelson to represent the Atlantic Division at the 2023 All-Star Classic. The Bears owned the best record in the Atlantic Division at the predetermined Jan. 1 deadline earning Nelson his third nod behind the bench as an All-Star Classic coach (2012, 2017).

Also representing the Atlantic Division are Bridgeport's Samuel Bolduc, Charlotte's Riley Nash, Hartford's Will Cuylle, Lehigh Valley's Tyson Foerster and Cam York, Providence's Brandon Bussi and Vinni Lettieri, Springfield's Matthew Highmore and Joel Hofer, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's Xavier Ouellet.

The AHL's All-Stars will be divided into four teams, one representing each of the league's four divisions, for the 2023 Mise-o-jeu AHL All-Star Challenge on Monday, Feb. 6. The teams will participate in a round-robin 3-on-3 tournament featuring six games of 10 minutes each. 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 2023 Rona AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, Feb. 5, will pit the All-Stars from the two Eastern Conference divisions against those from the two Western Conference divisions in seven skills events.

Tickets for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Bell in collaboration with Manulife Bank, which include admission to both the Skills Competition and the Challenge, start at only $39 and are available now by visiting rocketlaval.com.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 11, 2023


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