With only two days remaining until the official kick-off of the American Hockey League’s (AHL) All-Star Classic, The Calder Times is taking a closer look into each division’s roster and how the lines may shake up in the 3-on-3 round-robin tournament.
All on-ice events will take place at Tech CU Arena in San Jose, CA, home of the San Jose Barracuda.
For now, we will focus on the North Division, half of the AHL’s Eastern Conference. Included in the North Division are the Belleville Senators, Cleveland Monsters, Laval Rocket, Rochester Americans, Syracuse Crunch, Toronto Marlies, and Utica Comets. Each team has at least one player representative, with the Monsters leading the pack with three players and one coach.
Last Time at the All-Star Classic
The North Division played a heavy role in seeing the Eastern Conference dominate the 2023 All-Star Classic Skills Competition. Syracuse’s Alex Barre-Boulet sealed the deal in the Puck Control Relay, while Toronto’s Joseph Woll tied for the highest number of saves in the Rapid Fire event.
In the Hardest Shot competition, the East cleaned up again, with Syacuse’s Darren Raddysh clocked in with a 102.0 MPH shot, and their remaining shooters all tallied speeds of 95.5 MPH or higher.
All told, the Eastern Conference ran away with the Skills Competition 16-10.
However, the North Division didn’t fare so well in the round-robin games, finishing in a tie against both the Pacific and Central Divisions before dropping their final round to the Atlantic Division in a memorable 11-round shootout.
Meet The Roster
The North Division roster looks to be one of the more well-balanced of the four divisions. While it sports some skaters known for scoring goals, the number of playmakers on this squad should lean towards high-scoring with a flair for excitement.
After all, isn’t entertainment what the All-Star Classic is known for?
Let’s look deeper into the 12 players set to take the ice as North Division representatives in San Jose for this year’s iteration of the AHL All-Star Classic.
Forwards
Graeme Clarke, Utica Comets
Clarke makes his first All-Star appearance as Utica’s leading scorer.
He has 34 points (17 goals, 17 assists) in 38 games. One interesting fact about Clarke is that he takes a lot of shots on goal, ranking 11th in the AHL with 122. He’s tallied four goals on the power play and features a plus-four rating.
Angus Crookshank, Belleville Senators
Crookshank leads the Belleville Senators in scoring with 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists) in 33 games played. He has two streaks of points in five straight games. On special teams, he has three power-play goals and one shorthanded goal, including two power-play goals in his last three games.
Trey Fix-Wolansky, Cleveland Monsters
This is Fix-Wolansky’s first All-Star nod, with 37 points (12 goals, 25 assists) in 36 games played this season. His point count brings him into a tie for tenth in AHL scoring.
The mark leads all Cleveland skaters in points. Fix-Wolansky boasts eight multi-point games, including a four-point performance in Cleveland’s first game on October 14. This nod also comes in the middle of a career and franchise-defining season for Fix-Wolansky, as he now holds multiple Cleveland franchise scoring records.
Gage Goncalves, Syracuse Crunch
Goncalves makes his first appearance in the All-Star Classic in his third season. He leads all Syracuse skaters with 36 points (seven goals, 29 assists) in 39 games played, which is good for him to be tied for 14th in the league in points.
Jiri Kulich, Rochester Americans
Rochester’s sophomore sensation leads the team in goals with 16 and boasts 24 points in 31 games played. Kulich is a machine on the power play with six, the second-highest count among North Division totals.
Isak Rosen, Rochester Americans
Rosen leads Rochester with 26 points (ten goals, 16 assists) in 35 games played as the team’s co-leader. His goal count includes a power-play goal and a shorthanded tally.
Rosen opened the season with a six-game point streak, racking up nine points (four goals, five assists) in that stretch.
Alex Steeves, Toronto Marlies
Steeves makes his first-ever All-Star appearance in his third AHL season. He raced out of the gate this season, earning points in 16 consecutive games. During that stretch, he tallied 11 goals and 11 assists. In total, he has 34 points (16 goals, 18 assists) in 34 games played. He has four power-play goals and is a perfect two-for-two in shootout attempts.
Defensemen
Jake Christiansen, Cleveland Monsters
Christiansen makes his second appearance in the AHL All-Star Classic, earning a last-minute nod in 2023 as David Jiricek could not appear. He ranks fifth in the AHL for points among defensemen with 30, and his 10 goals are tied for third from the blue line.
Christiansen had a stretch of eight consecutive games with a point from November 18 through December 6. In 36 games, he has 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists) and a plus-five rating.
Logan Mailloux, Laval Rocket
Mailloux earns a trip to the All-Star Classic in his first AHL season. He is tied with Christiansen for goals among defenders with 10, and his point count is tied for eighth from blue-liners. He had a streak of seven straight games with a point (four goals, four assists) leading up to the competition. In 41 games, Mailloux has tallied 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists).
Jack Thompson, Syracuse Crunch
Thompson was added in place of Belleville’s Max Guenette. The sophomore defender has been on fire lately, recently tallying a streak of eight consecutive games with a point (two goals, eight assists).
In 39 games played, Thompson has tallied 28 points (four goals, 24 assists).
Goaltenders
Jet Greaves, Cleveland Monsters
It’s Greaves’ first All-Star appearance in his third season in the AHL. Greaves boasts a record of 19-8-1-1 with a 2.88 goals-against average and a 0.906 save percentage in 28 games played. He’s tallied one shutout this season, a 27-save clean sheet on November 16. His win count is the second-highest in the AHL.
Dennis Hildeby, Toronto Marlies
The rookie sensation from Toronto adds an All-Star appearance to his electric first season. He ranks ninth in the AHL among goaltenders and third among rookie netminders.
He boasts a 2.42 goals against average, a 0.910 save percentage, and a record of 10-7-4-3 in 21 games played. He’s tied for third in the AHL with three shutouts.
Meet The Coach
A second-year head coach will be behind the bench representing the North Division. Cleveland’s Trent Vogelhuber will be the Monsters’ fourth representative at this year’s All-Star Classic.
A true player’s coach, Vogelhuber uses his recent AHL playing experience (2012-2018) and Calder Cup-winning experience (2016 with the Lake Erie Monsters) to connect with this generation of players. His “heart on his sleeve” demeanor seems to endear and motivate his players through any ups and downs.
Bouncing back from a seventh-place finish in the North Division in 2022-23 to a first-place standing at the end of the 2023 calendar year speaks to his and his team’s growth. Prior to being promoted to his head coaching position, he served as an assistant coach of the Monsters for four years: one under John Madden and three under Mike Eaves.
Expect an energetic, fun, and creative spin on his coaching tactics this weekend. Vogelhuber’s youth (he is 35 years old) and joy for the game will lend themselves nicely to the All-Star atmosphere.
Potential Lineup
In the All-Star Challenge, each division will compete in 3-on-3 action. Here’s how I see the North Division lineup shaking out:
Kulich – Fix-Wolansky – Christiansen
Steeves – Clarke – Mailloux
Crookshank – Rosen – Thompson
Goncalves
Greaves
Hildeby
Granted, with the odd number of skaters, these lines will be blended more thoroughly than your favorite smoothie or protein shake! However, these pairings are hand-picked to pair the playmakers with the scorers and let the ones that shine in both areas learn from others who play the same style.
Bold Prediction(s)
At the AHL All-Star Classic, literally anything can happen! From goalies doing the wave to shots so hard that the radar can’t even pick them up, expect the unexpected. But what do I foresee out of this roster?
- With essentially all but one first-timer to the All-Star Classic, the North’s excitement leads them to win at least two rounds of the round-robin tournament.
- Alex Steeves is named an MVP.
- In the Shootout Showcase, someone in the North (likely Fix-Wolansky) uses a costume or does something hilarious.
How To Watch the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic
The 2024 AHL All-Star Classic, presented by Tech CU, will be televised live on the NHL Network in the United States and TSN in Canada. Viewers can also view the events free on the league’s streaming platform, AHLtv.
The Skills Competition will take place on Sunday, Feb 4, at 8 pm ET, and the 3-on-3 Tournament will take place on Monday, Feb 5, at 9 PM ET.
