HOGGAN NAMED PLAYING CAPTAIN FOR 2016 TOYOTA AHL ALL-STAR CLASSIC

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – American Hockey League President and Chief Executive Officer David Andrews announced today that Grand Rapids Griffins forward Jeff Hoggan will serve as one of the two playing captains for the 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Classic, to be held Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 in Syracuse, N.Y. Syracuse Crunch forward Mike Angelidis was also selected.

Captains for the American Hockey League All-Star teams are selected by the league president in recognition of their outstanding leadership and service.

A 14th-year pro and in his fourth season as captain of the Griffins, Hoggan has skated in 653 regular-season AHL games, registering 163 goals and 159 assists for 322 points. The 37-year-old native of Hope, B.C., has won two Calder Cup championships in his career, with Grand Rapids in 2013 and Houston in 2003, and was the 2014-15 recipient of the AHL’s Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award for sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey. Hoggan has also appeared in 107 career games in the National Hockey League with St. Louis, Boston and Phoenix.

Hoggan, who will make his first AHL all-star appearance, becomes the third Griffin to be chosen as a playing captain for an AHL All-Star Classic, joining Kip Miller (2007, PlanetUSA) and Travis Richards (2004, PlanetUSA).

This season, Hoggan has accounted for four goals (4-0—4) and 10 PIM while appearing in all 30 games.

The All-Star Classic will be held at the War Memorial Arena, the same venue in which Hoggan hoisted the Calder Cup following Grand Rapids’ 4-2 series win over Syracuse in 2013.

Tickets for the two-day 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Classic are on sale now. Prices range from $40-60, and they can be purchased either in person at the Syracuse Crunch office located in the War Memorial Arena at 800 South State Street in Syracuse, by calling (315) 473-4444 or through all Ticketmaster outlets.

The 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 31 will keep its traditional format, with All-Stars from the Eastern Conference squaring off against All-Stars from the Western Conference in seven skills events.

The 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Challenge will take place on the evening of Feb. 1. Instead of a traditional 60-minute game, the AHL’s All-Stars will be divided into four teams, one representing each of the league’s divisions (Atlantic, North, Central, Pacific). The teams will then 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.

The 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Classic in Syracuse will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League: Of the 679 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, more than 93 percent have competed in the National Hockey League, including Patrice Bergeron, Ben Bishop, Troy Brouwer, Ryan Callahan, Zdeno Chara, Logan Couture, Jiri Hudler, Tyler Johnson, Chris Kunitz, Ryan Miller, Gustav Nyquist, Zach Parise, Tuukka Rask, Pekka Rinne, Bobby Ryan, Cory Schneider, Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal, P.K. Subban and Mats Zuccarello.

In operation since 1936 and celebrating its 80th-anniversary season in 2015-16, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 88 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and for the 14th year in a row, more than 6 million fans attended AHL games across North America in 2014-15.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – American Hockey League President and Chief Executive Officer David Andrews announced today that Grand Rapids Griffins forward Jeff Hoggan will serve as one of the two playing captains for the 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Classic, to be held Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 in Syracuse, N.Y. Syracuse Crunch forward Mike Angelidis was also selected.

Captains for the American Hockey League All-Star teams are selected by the league president in recognition of their outstanding leadership and service.

A 14th-year pro and in his fourth season as captain of the Griffins, Hoggan has skated in 653 regular-season AHL games, registering 163 goals and 159 assists for 322 points. The 37-year-old native of Hope, B.C., has won two Calder Cup championships in his career, with Grand Rapids in 2013 and Houston in 2003, and was the 2014-15 recipient of the AHL’s Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award for sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey. Hoggan has also appeared in 107 career games in the National Hockey League with St. Louis, Boston and Phoenix.

Hoggan, who will make his first AHL all-star appearance, becomes the third Griffin to be chosen as a playing captain for an AHL All-Star Classic, joining Kip Miller (2007, PlanetUSA) and Travis Richards (2004, PlanetUSA).

This season, Hoggan has accounted for four goals (4-0—4) and 10 PIM while appearing in all 30 games.

The All-Star Classic will be held at the War Memorial Arena, the same venue in which Hoggan hoisted the Calder Cup following Grand Rapids’ 4-2 series win over Syracuse in 2013.

Tickets for the two-day 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Classic are on sale now. Prices range from $40-60, and they can be purchased either in person at the Syracuse Crunch office located in the War Memorial Arena at 800 South State Street in Syracuse, by calling (315) 473-4444 or through all Ticketmaster outlets.

The 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 31 will keep its traditional format, with All-Stars from the Eastern Conference squaring off against All-Stars from the Western Conference in seven skills events.

The 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Challenge will take place on the evening of Feb. 1. Instead of a traditional 60-minute game, the AHL’s All-Stars will be divided into four teams, one representing each of the league’s divisions (Atlantic, North, Central, Pacific). The teams will then 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.

The 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Classic in Syracuse will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League: Of the 679 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, more than 93 percent have competed in the National Hockey League, including Patrice Bergeron, Ben Bishop, Troy Brouwer, Ryan Callahan, Zdeno Chara, Logan Couture, Jiri Hudler, Tyler Johnson, Chris Kunitz, Ryan Miller, Gustav Nyquist, Zach Parise, Tuukka Rask, Pekka Rinne, Bobby Ryan, Cory Schneider, Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal, P.K. Subban and Mats Zuccarello.

In operation since 1936 and celebrating its 80th-anniversary season in 2015-16, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 88 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and for the 14th year in a row, more than 6 million fans attended AHL games across North America in 2014-15.