Connor Hellebuyck an AHL All-Star, will likely miss event

January 26, 2016

One of the hottest goalies in the National Hockey League has been named to the American Hockey League All-Star team.

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has been selected to represent the Manitoba Moose on the Central Division Team at the 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Classic, which takes place Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 in Syracuse, NY.

Hellebuyck, 22, played only 10 games for the Moose this season posting a 2.41 goals against average along with a .927 save percentage.

However, he has played 13 games with the Winnipeg Jets and has been nothing short of sensational.

He has a 1.93 goals against average and a .935 save percentage. The Jets called him up on Nov. 22, after the injury to Ondrej Pavelec, and he just might have won the Jets’ No. 1 job.

In fact, there is even talk that if he keeps playing the way he’s been playing, he’ll have a shot at the Calder Trophy, emblematic of the National Hockey League’s rookie of the year.

Should Hellebuyck play, which seems unlikely although not impossible, it would be his second AHL All-Star game. He played last year in Utica, N.Y. as a representative of the St. John’s IceCaps.

The All-Star Weekend ends Feb. 1, and the Jets play host to the Dallas Stars at MTS Centre on Feb. 2.

CHRIS WHITE’S NOTEBOOK

Each of the American Hockey League’s four divisions will be represented by 13 players: seven forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders.

The rosters were determined by committees of AHL coaches and all 30 AHL teams will be represented by at least one All-Star.

The 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. CST, 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, at 6 p.m. CST.

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 four-on-four, and the second half at three-on-three.

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 three-on-three.

Related Articles

The Professional Hockey Players’ Association, through superior preparedness and experience, is committed to the enhancement and protection of Players’ rights.
Official Bargaining Unit for all professional players in the AHL and ECHL

Copyright © 2026. Professional Hockey Players' Association. All rights reserved.