Duluth, GA – The ECHL on Monday announced the rosters for the 2020 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic presented by Toyota, to be hosted by the Wichita Thunder on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. CT at INTRUST Bank Arena. The game will air LIVE exclusively on the NHL Network. The game will also feature a member of the Gladiators, as rookie forward Tommy Marchin has been selected to represent Atlanta.
Marchin, the Algonac, Michigan native, who played four years at Brown and was their team captain as a senior, went straight from the Bears’ campus last season, to the Providence Bruins where he played in seven games.
Tommy had a stellar season this year with the Gladiators before his call up. He was tied for the team lead in points (20) and was first on the club in goals (11). Marchin was also tied for sixth in the ECHL among rookies in points and tied for second in goals, before going to the Providence Bruins (AHL). Marchin, who is still currently at Providence, has two goals in five games played.
Following the format established last season, the Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic will feature a 3-on-3 tournament with four teams competing for the top spot. The host Wichita Thunder will make up two of the four teams and face-off against the other two teams made up of All-Star players from the Eastern and Western Conference. These four teams will compete in a 3-on-3 tournament with rally scoring to crown a winner. The 2020 Kansas Star Casino/ECHL All-Star Skills Competition will take place in between rounds of the tournament, with results counting towards the cumulative score.
There have been 68 players from the ECHL All-Star Game that have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, including 52 since 2002 when the lineups began having players who coaches felt were prospects to move up to a higher level.
The rosters for the Eastern Conference and Western Conference All-Stars were determined in a vote of coaches, team captains, media relations directors, broadcasters and members of the media.
Eastern Conference All-StarsG – Parker Milner, South Carolina StingraysD – Michael Brodzinski, Orlando Solar BearsD – Joseph Duszak, Newfoundland GrowlersD – T.J. Melancon, Brampton BeastD – Logan Roe, Florida EverbladesF –Roman Ammirato, Norfolk AdmiralsF – Ralph Cuddemi, Reading RoyalsF – Jake Elmer, Maine MarinersF – Tommy Marchin, Atlanta GladiatorsF – Robbie Payne, Adirondack ThunderF – Liam Pecararo, Greenville Swamp RabbitsF – Jordan Samuels-Thomas, Worcester RailersF – Brendan Warren, Jacksonville Icemen
Western Conference All-StarsG – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Cincinnati CyclonesD – Brady Norrish, Idaho SteelheadsD – Taylor Richart, Utah GrizzliesD – Justin Woods, Kansas City MavericksF – Cam Brown, Wheeling NailersF – Josh Kestner, Toledo WalleyeF – J.J. Piccinich, Tulsa OilersF – Peter Quenneville, Rapid City RushF – Dylan Sadowy, Kalamazoo WingsF – Tyler Sheehy, Allen AmericansF – Shawn St-Amant, Fort Wayne KometsF – Spencer Watson, Indy Fuel
The Wichita Thunder will host a draft party on Wednesday where the team will be split into Team Bolts and Team Hammers for the All-Star Classic.
In partnership with the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association, four members of the U.S. Women’s Ice Hockey Team will participate in the All-Star Classic as part of the PWHPA’s barnstorming “Dream Gap Tour” that is visiting several cities in Canada and the United States.
Taking part in the All-Star festivities will be three members of the 2018 U.S. Olympic Gold Medal squad – Dani Cameranesi, Kali Flanagan and Gigi Marvin – along with 3-Time World Champion Annie Pankowski. Each player will be assigned to one of the four All-Star Classic teams, as well as participating in the Kansas Star Casino/ECHL All-Star Skills Competition.
The 13th class of the ECHL Hall of Fame will be officially inducted at a banquet, presented by BFL CANADA and Sutton Special Risk, on Tuesday, January 21 at 5:30 p.m. at the Drury Plaza Hotel Broadview, the Official Host Hotel of the 2020 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic.
For more information on the Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic and to purchase tickets, please visit www.echlallstarclassic.com.
The Atlanta Gladiators are members of the ECHL, the nation’s premier "AA" hockey league and are the Affiliate of the Eastern Conference Champion Boston Bruins. All home games are played at the 9,119-seat Infinite Energy Arena, located just off I-85 on Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth, Georgia. The Gladiators have established an unrivaled commitment to excellence, maintaining a distinctive reputation for providing fun, friendly, family, affordable entertainment and are consistently ranked as one of the best “Things to Do” in the Atlanta Metro area and across the North Georgia region. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting www.atlantagladiators.com or by calling the front office at (770) 497-5100.