Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg Named 2026 AHL All-Star Classic Honorary Captains
AHL American Hockey League

Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg Named 2026 AHL All-Star Classic Honorary Captains

Published on December 11, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... American Hockey League President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Howson announced today that AHL and Chicago Blackhawks alumni Patrick Sharp and Kris Versteeg have been selected to serve as the honorary captains for the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic presented by BMO, to be held February 10-11 in Rockford, Ill.

Each year, the All-Star Classic honorary captains join the participating teams in the locker room and on the benches during the event, and are recognized for their careers at the annual AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony.

Patrick Sharp played 163 games with the Philadelphia Phantoms over his first three seasons as a pro, totaling 52 goals and 114 points. In 2004-05, he represented the Phantoms in the 2005 AHL All-Star Classic and later notched 21 points in 21 postseason contests - including a team-best four goals and six points in the Finals - as Philadelphia won the Calder Cup. Sharp would go on to skate in 939 regular-season games and 142 playoff games in the National Hockey League with Philadelphia, Chicago and Dallas, and was instrumental in the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He also captured a gold medal as a member of Team Canada at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Kris Versteeg skated in 145 games in the AHL with Providence, Norfolk and Rockford, including a stint as captain of the IceHogs in 2019-20. Versteeg tallied 26 goals and 72 points in 70 games to finish fourth among all AHL rookies in scoring in 2006-07 before graduating to the National Hockey League, where he would appear in 643 games over 11 seasons with Chicago, Toronto, Philadelphia, Florida, Carolina, Los Angeles and Calgary. Versteeg was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 2008-09 and won a pair of Stanley Cup titles with the Blackhawks, in 2010 and 2015.

The 2026 AHL All-Star Classic presented by BMO will include the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Tuesday, February 10, followed by the AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, February 11 and the 2026 AHL All-Star Challenge that evening. For ticket information, fans can visit icehogs.com/asc26.

The 2026 AHL All-Star Classic presented by BMO 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 Yaroslav Askarov, Drake Batherson, Jordan Binnington, John Carlson, Brandt Clarke, Thatcher Demko, Lukas Dostal, Ryker Evans, Thomas Harley, Connor Hellebuyck, Joel Hofer, 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, Dustin Wolf 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 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.

Check out the American Hockey League Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from December 11, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central