Morin, Ranford & Lindell Named to All-Star Game
Jan 7, 2016Players will Represent Texas in Syracuse, N.Y.
CEDAR PARK, Texas – The Texas Stars, American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars, announced today that forwards Travis Morin, Brendan Ranford and defenseman Esa Lindell have all been selected to represent the team at the AHL’s All-Star Classic.
Morin, 31, is receiving his third AHL All-Star Selection (2011, 2014) and currently leads the league with 35 points this season (10-25=35). The Stars’ captain has skated in a 445 games over the seven-year history of the franchise with 393 career points (131-262=393).
Ranford, 23, is currently in his third AHL season, all with Texas, and making his first career All-Star appearance. The Edmonton, Alberta native is second on the team and tied for 12th overall in the league with 28 points this season (10-18=28).
Lindell, 21, is in his rookie season and sits tied for third among AHL defensemen with 24 points this year (7-17=24). The Vantaa, Finland native is also eighth among all AHL rookies in points. Lindell was a third-round selection of the Dallas Stars (74th overall) in 2013.
The 2016 AHL All-Star Classic will be hosted in Syracuse, N.Y. from Jan. 31-Feb. 2. The Texas Stars are one of just five teams in the league to send three representatives to this year’s game. Each of the AHL’s four divisions will be represented by 13 players: seven forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders. Rosters were determined by committees of AHL coaches, and all 30 AHL teams are represented by at least one All-Star.
The 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 31 (8 p.m. ET) 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 (7 p.m. ET); 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 Texas Stars are the primary development affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars and currently in their seventh season at Cedar Park Center. Full season, 24-game and 12-game ticket packages for the 2015-16 campaign are on sale now. For more information, call (512) GO-STARS (467-8277) or visit TexasStars.com.