NEWS Michael Leighton Selected to AHL All-Star Classic
January 5, 2017 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
CHARLOTTE, NC - Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable The American Hockey League today announced that it has selected goaltender Michael Leighton to represent the Charlotte Checkers at the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic in Lehigh Valley, PA.
This marks the fifth career selection and second in as many years for the 35-year-old Leighton, who is tied for sixth on the AHL's all-time list with 229 career victories and holds the league's all-time record with 48 shutouts. The native of Petrolia, Ontario, also earned All-Star honors in 2002 (Norfolk), 2008 (Albany), 2012 (Adirondack) and 2016 (Rockford). Of those selected to the 2017 All-Star Classic, Leighton's five career selections tie him with Hershey's Chris Bourque for the most of any player.
Leighton, who is currently on NHL recall with the Carolina Hurricanes, is 8-5-2 in 16 appearances for the Checkers this season. He ranks eighth in the AHL with a 2.17 goals-against average and is tied for eighth with a .923 save percentage.
The AHL named Leighton to the Central Division team for the event, which begins the All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, Jan. 29, and continues with the All-Star Challenge on Monday, Jan. 30. For the second consecutive year, the All-Star Challenge will feature a round-robin, 3-on-3 tournament between its four divisions.
Charlotte concludes a six-game road trip with games against the Grand Rapids Griffins, Chicago Wolves and Milwaukee Admirals on Friday, Saturday and Tuesday, respectively. They then begin a season-long, eight-game home stand at Bojangles' Coliseum beginning Friday, Jan. 13.
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