The Toronto Marlies will have three representatives hitting the ice during the AHL All-Star events taking place on January 31 and February 1.
William Nylander, Josh Leivo and T.J Brennan will suit up for the Eastern Conference during the skills competition and then represent the North Division in the All-Star Challenge.
William Nylander may not have played in the AHL since December 15, but remains second in scoring despite having played six-to-eight games fewer compared to the many of others among the top 10 in scoring. Still the Marlies leading scorer despite his absence, Nylander has recorded ten multi-point games this season and owns the second best points streak of ten games through October 30-November 22.
Josh Leivo is having himself a bounce back year after a quiet sophomore season that was sidetracked by injury. Currently ranked 13th in the AHL the scoring and third on the Marlies, 21 of Leivo’s 28 points have been registered at even strength. He’s leading the Marlies in even strength assists with fifteen, 13 of which are primary helpers.
This is the third straight season that T.J Brennan has been selected as an AHL Star.
Fifth overall in scoring and second on the Marlies, he continues to lead defenseman in goals and points.The former Eddie Shore Award winner is well on target to reclaim his crown, currently on pace for a 66-point season.
The North Division team will be coached by Sheldon Keefe and features a familiar name to Toronto fans in defenseman Mike Kostka, who now plays for the Binghamton Senators. Kristers Gudlevskis, who has performed excellently between the pipes against Toronto in recent weeks, will be representing Syracuse while the veteran goaltender Yann Danis (Albany) will be making his first appearance as an All-Star.
Mike Sislo, the leading power play goal scorer with nine goals this season, is Albany’s second representative.
Mark Barberio and Michael McCarron have been selected from the St. John’s IceCaps, with the latter currently fifth in rookie scoring. Barberio is currently in his first NHL stint for Montreal, having put up 20 points from the blue line for St. John’s.
AHL North Division All-Star Roster
Coach:
Sheldon Keefe, Toronto Marlies
Goaltenders:
Yann Danis, Albany Devils
Kristers Gudlevskis, Syracuse Crunch
Defensemen:
Mark Barberio, St. John’s Icecaps
T.J. Brennan, Toronto Marlies
Michael Kostka, Binghamton Senators
Matt Taormina, Syracuse Crunch
Forwards:
Mike Angelidis, Syracuse Crunch
Josh Leivo, Toronto Marlies
Michael McCarron, St. John’s IceCaps
William Nylander, Toronto Marlies
Cal O’Reilly, Rochester Americans
Hunter Shinkaruk, Utica Comets
Mike Sislo, Albany Devils
Each of the AHL’s four divisions are represented by 13 players including seven forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders. All AHL teams have at least one All-Star.The 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Challenge will take place on the evening of February 1. The four teams representing each division will play a round-robin tournament featuring six games of nine minutes each; the first half of each game will be played at 4-on-4, and the second half at 3-on-3. The two teams with the best records at the end of the round-robin tournament will face off for the championship, a six-minute game played at 3-on-3.
