AHL American Hockey League

Nedeljkovic, Vanecek, Lettieri, Norris, Clendening Added to Rosters for 2020 AHL All-Star Classic

Published on January 21, 2020 under American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League today announced changes to the playing rosters for the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Ontario International Airport, to be held this Sunday and Monday, January 26-27 in Ontario, Calif.

Charlotte Checkers goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, Hershey Bears goaltender Vitek Vanecek and Hartford Wolf Pack forward Vinni Lettieri have been added to the Atlantic Division team roster; and Belleville Senators forward Josh Norris and Cleveland Monsters defenseman Adam Clendening have been added to the North Division roster for the event.

Nedeljkovic, last year's winner of the Baz Bastien Award as the AHL's top goaltender and a 2019 Calder Cup champion with Charlotte, is 12-8-1 with a 2.49 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage in 21 games this season.

Vanecek, 13-7-1 (2.37, .910) for Hershey this year, will be heading to his second consecutive All-Star Classic.

Third-year pro Lettieri leads Hartford in goals (18) and points (35) through 42 games this season and has already appeared in 46 NHL contests in his career.

Norris, a first-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, is the top-scoring rookie in the AHL with 22 goals and 40 points in 41 games for Belleville. Norris's father, Dwayne, was an AHL All-Star in 1995 and 1996.

Clendening, a second-time AHL All-Star, ranks fourth among AHL defensemen in scoring with 29 points for Cleveland this season.

In addition, the AHL announced that Hartford's Igor Shesterkin, Springfield's Chris Driedger, Hershey's Mike Sgarbossa, Cleveland's Nathan Gerbe and Toronto's Rasmus Sandin will be unavailable for the event.

Tickets for the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Ontario International Airport, which include admission to both the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, Jan. 26, and the AHL All-Star Challenge on Monday, Jan. 27, are available now by visiting ontarioreign.com/allstar.

The 2020 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Ontario International Airport will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League: since 1995, more than 95 percent of All-Star Classic participants have gone on to compete in the National Hockey League, including Cam Atkinson, Patrice Bergeron, Jordan Binnington, Ben Bishop, John Carlson, Zdeno Chara, Logan Couture, Connor Hellebuyck, Braden Holtby, Tyler Johnson, Andreas Johnsson, Martin Jones, Jonathan Marchessault, Brandon Montour, William Nylander, Kyle Palmieri, Zach Parise, Mikko Rantanen, Tuukka Rask, Pekka Rinne, Dylan Strome, 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. 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. In 2018-19, over 7 million fans attended AHL regular-season and playoff games across North America.

Rosters as of Jan. 21:

Atlantic Division All-Stars

F Andrew Agozzino, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (3rd appearance)

D Sebastian Aho, Bridgeport Sound Tigers (2nd)

D Jake Bean, Charlotte Checkers (1st)

F Paul Carey, Providence Bruins (1st)

F Morgan Frost, Lehigh Valley Phantoms (1st)

D Joey Keane, Hartford Wolf Pack (1st)

F Vinni Lettieri, Hartford Wolf Pack (1st)

F Matt Moulson ("C"), Hershey Bears (1st)

G Alex Nedeljkovic, Charlotte Checkers (1st)

F Jack Studnicka, Providence Bruins (1st)

F Owen Tippett, Springfield Thunderbirds (1st)

G Vitek Vanecek, Hershey Bears (2nd)

Coach: Kris Knoblauch, Hartford Wolf Pack (1st)

North Division All-Stars

F Joey Anderson, Binghamton Devils (1st appearance)

F Rudolfs Balcers, Belleville Senators (2nd)

F Alex Barre-Boulet, Syracuse Crunch (1st)

F Drake Batherson, Belleville Senators (2nd)

F Reid Boucher, Utica Comets (3rd)

D Adam Clendening, Cleveland Monsters (2nd)

F Charles Hudon, Laval Rocket (2nd)

G Jonas Johansson, Rochester Americans (1st)

G Kasimir Kaskisuo, Toronto Marlies (1st)

F Josh Norris, Belleville Senators (1st)

D Lawrence Pilut, Rochester Americans (1st)

D Brogan Rafferty, Utica Comets (1st)

Coach: Chris Taylor, Rochester Americans (1st)

Central Division All-Stars

D Alexandre Carrier, Milwaukee Admirals (2nd appearance)

F Lucas Elvenes, Chicago Wolves (1st)

F Matthew Ford ("C"), Grand Rapids Griffins (1st)

F Jansen Harkins, Manitoba Moose (1st)

G Connor Ingram, Milwaukee Admirals (2nd)

G Kevin Lankinen, Rockford IceHogs (1st)

F Joel L'Esperance, Texas Stars (2nd)

F Gerald Mayhew, Iowa Wild (1st)

D Brennan Menell, Iowa Wild (1st)

D Derrick Pouliot, San Antonio Rampage (2nd)

F Chris Terry, Grand Rapids Griffins (5th)

F Yakov Trenin, Milwaukee Admirals (1st)

Coach: Karl Taylor, Milwaukee Admirals (1st)

Pacific Division All-Stars

F Tyler Benson, Bakersfield Condors (1st appearance)

F Joachim Blichfeld, San Jose Barracuda (1st)

F Brayden Burke, Tucson Roadrunners (1st)

D Kyle Capobianco, Tucson Roadrunners (3rd)

D Kale Clague, Ontario Reign (1st)

F Martin Frk, Ontario Reign (1st)

F Glenn Gawdin, Stockton Heat (1st)

F Lane Pederson, Tucson Roadrunners (1st)

G Cal Petersen, Ontario Reign (2nd)

G Anthony Stolarz, San Diego Gulls (2nd)

F T.J. Tynan, Colorado Eagles (3rd)

D Chris Wideman, San Diego Gulls (2nd)

Coach: Jay Varady, Tucson Roadrunners (1st)

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American Hockey League Stories from January 21, 2020


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