Following a final slate of games on Saturday, February 3, it’s time for the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic Skills Competition, AHL Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, and All-Star Classic round-robin tournament. All taking place in San Jose, CA., the Skills Competition and round-robin tournament will take place at the Tech CU Arena, home of the San Jose Barracuda.
In the round-robin tournament, there are four teams that represent each division: the Atlantic Division, the North Division, the Central Division, and the Pacific Division. This is all about the Atlantic Division.
The Atlantic Division is the second largest in the American Hockey League with eight teams. Those teams are the Hershey Bears, Springfield Thunderbirds, Hartford Wolf Pack, Providence Bruins, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Charlotte Checkers, Bridgeport Islanders, and Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Previously at the All-Star Classic
In the 2023 All-Star Classic at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, the Atlantic Division rode two shootout victories, including an 11-round contest against the North Division, to a spot in the championship where they ultimately fell to the Pacific Division 1-0.
The only victory the Atlantic has picked up previously was in 2020, when it won 3-1 over the Central Division in the final round. The victory broke a streak of four straight games (since the beginning of the round-robin tournament’s inception) that were won by either the Central or North Division.
Meet The Roster
Forwards (6)
Ethen Frank, Hershey Bears (20G, 14A, 34P, 2nd All Star appearance)
In his three years in the AHL, there is only one thing that stepped between Frank and three All-Star appearances: time played. In his first season with the Bears, Frank played just five games, but since then he has played over 110 (including playoffs), has reached the 50 goals mark, and eclipsed the 30 assist mark.
Adam Gaudette, Springfield Thunderbirds (24G, 12A, 36P, 1st All Star appearance)
Firstly, how this is Gaudette’s first appearance in an All-Star Game is beyond me. The former Hobey Baker Award-winner currently leads the AHL in scoring with 24 goals, a career-high up from his 20 in the 2022-23 season. The Braintree, Mass. native sits three games behind his career-high in games played and two behind his high in assists. If he continues to play the way he has thus far, he has the potential to match his career-high in games played this week, and exceed his assist total.
Ruslan Iskhakov, Bridgeport Islanders (13G, 20A, 33P, 2nd All Star appearance)
In two seasons with the Islanders, Iskhakov has made a name for himself. Through two seasons, he has, at the time of publishing, racked up over 80 points. In that span he has also scored five power play goals – three of them coming this season.
Georgii Merkulov, Providence Bruins (16G, 23A, 39P, 1st All Star appearance)
In his second full season with the Bruins, it’s hard to not look at Merkulov’s season and think about how much he has developed his game. Through his first 39 games, Merkulov has already eclipsed the 15 goal and 20 assist margin. He will be a force be reckoned with in San Jose.
Brennan Othmann, Hartford Wolf Pack (10G, 20A, 30P, 1st All Star appearance)
Much like Merkulov, Othmann has been on fire thus far. In fact, he is in a position where he could eclipse the 30 point mark soon. During the All-Star Classic, Othmann will be celebrating his 21st birthday – watch him to play as if he has something to celebrate.
Samu Tuomaala, Lehigh Valley Phantoms (12G, 22A, 34P, 1st All Star appearance)
Despite having the coolest name on the roster (sorry Ruslan), Tuomaala is really at the ASC due to his stellar play in his first full season as a member of the Phantoms. So far this season he has played in 40 games, scoring 12 goals while also adding 22 assists, giving him nearly a point per game. Tuomaala should not be long for the AHL given the Philadelphia Flyers need for offense, but let’s just enjoy it while he’s here.
Defensemen (4)
Lucas Carlsson, Charlotte Checkers (13G, 16A, 29P, 1st All Star appearance)
Much like Gaudette, how Carlsson is not making a second (or third, or fourth) appearance at this the All-Star Classic is absolutely baffling. As a six-year veteran, Carlsson, is coming off his career-best season in 2022-23 when he racked up 54 points (20 goals, 34 assists) in 61 regular season games. This season he has 12 goals and 16 assists (28 points), a tally that is one tick below the league-lead for defensemen.
Dylan Coghlan, Springfield Thunderbirds (10G, 16A, 26P, 1st All Star appearance)
Coghlan has been a clutch player for the Thunderbirds, and the best part is that he didn’t start the season with them. In fact, he began the season with the Carolina Hurricanes and came to Springfield on a loan. Coghlan has since exceeded the 25 point plateau in just 39 games played. Among those 25-plus points, are four game-winning goals.
Mac Hollowell, Hartford Wolf Pack (2G, 29A, 31P, 1st All Star appearance)
In his first season with the Wolf Pack, Hollowell has put up a career-high in points already and it’s only the All-Star break. On the season, he has two goals and 29 assists. He also has a career-high 72 shots. Hollowell will most likely play along with some of the more dominant goal-scorers, given his ability to distribute the puck.
Dylan McIlrath (“C”), Hershey Bears (3G, 5A, 8P, 1st All Star appearance)
McIlrath hasn’t put up the flashiest numbers this season, but he is valuable as a puck protector. On the season for the Bears, he has collected a +5 plus/minus rating. He has also been very precise with his shooting, with just 32 shots all year, giving him a 9.4 shot percentage.
Goaltenders (2)
Clay Stevenson, Hershey Bears (1st All Star appearance)
For the mid-season classic, either goalie from the Bears would have been a good choice, but I guess going with the one with the lower GAA and the higher SV% is the way to go. Yes, Hunter Shepard has had an excellent season (17-2-1) for Hershey, but there’s no denying that Stevenson has been more lights out. Stevenson has compiled a 16-5-1 record with five shutouts. He holds a 1.69 GAA, and league-leading .938 SV%. He should start most games in the tournament.
Joel Blomqvist, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (1st All Star appearance)
Much like Tuomaala, Iskhakov, Merkulov, and Carlsson, Blomqvist is the only representative from his team. That’s not to say that he hasn’t had a great season, however, as he carries with him the second best GAA in the league at 2.13. He also holds a 13-7-3 record with a .921 SV%. Watch for Blomqvist to play backup to Stevenson.
Meet The Coach
Todd Nelson, Hershey Bears (4th Appearance)
In 2024, Nelson becomes the first coach in AHL history to take command behind the bench in league history with his last appearance coming as recent as 2023. At the time of publishing, he has led the Bears to a league-leading 35-7-2 record and is coming off a Calder Cup Championship-winning run in 2023. Nelson is looking to lead the Atlantic to their first victory since 2020.
Potential Lineup
Line 1: Frank-Othmann-Hollowell
Line 2: Merkulov-Gaudette-Carlsson
Line 3: Tuomaala-Ishkakov-Coghlan/McIlrath
Goaltender order: Stevenson (starter), Blomqvist (backup/will play second half of games)
Bold Predictions
This Atlantic Division squad has plenty of depth at each position, and that will play well both during the skills showcase and the round-robin tournament. Don’t be surprised to see Merkulov show off in the fastest skater competition, or Gaudette during the accuracy contest, but given the depth at the goaltending position and goal-scoring prowess of this squad look for them to go far in the round-robin. My biggest bold prediction is that the Atlantic wins the round-robin.
When does it all begin/how do I watch it?
While the activities all begin on Sunday afternoon in San Jose, all the fanfare starts on Friday, Feb. 2 and Saturday, Feb. 3 when all the fans start arriving. It will be available for viewing on TSN, NHL Network and on AHLTV. The skills competition will take place at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, and the All-Star Classic will take place on Monday at 9 p.m. ET.
