The American Hockey League announced Thursday that Chicago Wolves forwards Brandon Pirri and Daniel Carr and defenseman Erik Brännström have been selected to participate in the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic.
The Wolves join the San Jose Barracuda as the only teams to have three players named to be part of the festivities Jan. 27-28 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. Pirri, Carr and Brannstrom will represent the Western Conference during the All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 27 and battle for the Central Division All-Stars during the 3-on-3 round-robin tournament on Jan. 28.
Pirri, who was honored Wednesday as the AHL’s Player of the Month for December, leads the league in scoring with 41 points (17G, 24A) in just 28 games. The 27-year Toronto native also has notched six goals and three assists in seven games for the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights since being recalled from loan on Dec. 19. Pirri has been named to the AHL All-Star roster three times and earned the MVP award in the 2014 All-Star Game.
Carr ranks second among AHL scorers with 40 points (17G, 23A) in 29 games. The 27-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alberta, stands as the only player in the league this season to rack up four goals in a game, which he accomplished on Nov. 7 at Milwaukee. He also has appeared in six games for Vegas and contributed one goal.
Brännström has compiled 4 goals and 16 assists in 24 games during his first season as a professional in North America. The 19-year-old from Eksjo, Sweden, led AHL rookie defensemen and shared fifth among all AHL defensemen in scoring when he was recalled from loan by Vegas (NHL) on Dec. 16. That’s when Brännström joined Team Sweden for the World Junior Championship. He captained the squad that went 4-1-0 and tied for the team lead with four goals in five games.
The Wolves return to action at 7 p.m. Friday when they host the San Antonio Rampage at Allstate Arena.
