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Kearns, Sutter Named Playing Captains for 2018 AHL All-Star Classic

Published on December 21, 2017 under American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - American Hockey League President and Chief Executive Officer David Andrews announced today that Binghamton Devils forward Bracken Kearns and Ontario Reign forward Brett Sutter have been selected as the playing captains for the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino, to be held January 28-29 in Utica, N.Y.

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.

Bracken Kearns is in his 13th professional season in 2017-18 and his first in the New Jersey Devils organization after signing as a free agent on July 1, 2017. Kearns leads Binghamton with 15 assists and ranks second on the club with 20 points in 27 games this season, and has totaled 167 goals and 248 assists for 415 points in 692 career regular-season games in the American Hockey League. The 36-year-old native of West Vancouver, B.C., was undrafted but has gone on to appear in 35 regular-season games and seven playoff contests in the National Hockey League with Florida, San Jose and the New York Islanders. This will be Kearns's second career AHL All-Star appearance.

Brett Sutter has played 702 games in the AHL over his 11-year pro career, totaling 123 goals and 174 assists for 297 points - including five goals and five assists in 24 games with Ontario this season. The son of former AHL rookie of the year (1979-80) and two-time Stanley Cup champion coach Darryl Sutter, Brett was drafted by the Calgary Flames in 2005 and has played 60 National Hockey League games with Calgary, Carolina and Minnesota. A 30-year-old native of Viking, Alta., Sutter is wearing the captain's "C" this season for the fourth time in his AHL career (Charlotte, 2011-14). He will be making first trip to the AHL All-Star Classic.

Tickets for the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino are priced at $39, $49, $69, $89 and $99, and include admission to both the Skills Competition on Jan. 28 and the All-Star Challenge on Jan. 29 . To purchase event tickets, visit the Adirondack Bank Center box office or go online to www.empirestatetix.com.

The 2018 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino 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.

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 31 National Hockey League teams. More than 88 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. In 2016-17, over 6 million fans attended AHL regular-season and playoff games across North America for the 16th year in a row.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 21, 2017


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