Center Pat Cannone and defenseman Andre Benoit will represent the Chicago Wolves at the 2016 AHL All-Star Classic today and Monday in Syracuse, N.Y., in an event that will be broadcast live across North America.
Cannone, who leads the Wolves in points (37), goals (16) and plus/minus rating (+14), and Benoit will compete for the Western Conference in Sunday’s AHL All-Star Skills Competition (7 p.m., Comcast SportsNet Chicago).
Cannone and Benoit, who shares the team lead in assists (21) and ranks third in points (26), will play for the Central Division in Monday’s AHL All-Star Challenge (6 p.m., Comcast SportsNet Chicago Plus). Both events will also be carried on AHL Live.
This marks the second AHL All-Star Game nod for the 32-year-old Benoit, who was named to the 2013 Eastern Conference team but had to withdraw when he joined the Ottawa Senators (NHL) shortly thereafter. This serves as the first AHL All-Star Game appearance for the 29-year-old Cannone. The Bayport, N.Y., native reeled off a career-best 10-game point streak to start the season and added an eight-game point streak Jan. 9-26. He registered hat tricks on Jan. 17 at Grand Rapids and Jan. 26 at Iowa.
The 2016 AHL All-Star Challenge features a new four-team format as the 52 All-Stars have been split up to represent the Central, Pacific, Atlantic and North Divisions. Each team will play three nine-minute games during the round-robin tournament as the first half of each game will be played 4-on-4 with the second half at 3-on-3. At the end of the round-robin, the top two teams will play a six-minute game for the championship.
The Wolves start the second half of the season on Friday, Feb. 5, at Iowa. The team returns to Allstate Arena at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6, to face the Iowa Wild on Military Appreciation Night, presented by Sears Home Services. To find the best ticket specials, call 1-800-THE-WOLVES or visit ChicagoWolves.com.
