The American Hockey League announced Thursday that Chicago Wolves forward Brandon Pirri has been selected to participate in the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic on Jan. 28-29 at Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York.
This marks the third AHL All-Star honor for the 26-year-old Toronto native, who earned Most Valuable Player honors in 2014 when he scored two goals and handed out one assist to lead the AHL All-Stars to a 7-2 victory over Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League. He posted one assist for the Western Conference All-Stars during his All-Star debut in 2012.
“It’s special to be picked as one of the best players in the league up to this point,” Pirri said. “I’m fortunate to play with good players. They’ve made my life a lot easier here. To go represent the Wolves is a big honor and I’m going to go and have fun with it.”
Pirri paces the Wolves this season in goals and shares the lead in points with 12 goals and 27 points in 29 games. He has produced five goals and five assists during the Wolves’ current 12-game point streak (10-0-1-1).
For his career, Pirri owns 80 goals and 147 assists in 267 AHL games along with 57 goals and 41 assists in 226 NHL games split between the Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Anaheim Ducks and New York Rangers.
The 2018 AHL All-Star Challenge on Monday, Jan. 29, marks the third year in a row for the four-team format that allows the All-Stars to represent their division in a round-robin, 3-on-3 tournament. The Central Division won this event the first two years. The traditional All-Star Skills Competition will be held Sunday, Jan. 28.
Pirri and the Wolves return to the Allstate Arena ice at 7 p.m. Friday for a showdown against the Central Division-leading Manitoba Moose. The game will be broadcast on The U Too.
