SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … American Hockey League President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Howson announced today that Syracuse Crunch forward Gabriel Dumont and Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman Brian Lashoff have been selected as the playing captains for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Bell in collaboration with Manulife Bank, to be held February 5-6 in Laval, Que.
Captains for the American Hockey League All-Star teams are selected by the league president each year in recognition of their outstanding leadership and service.
A 13th-year pro, Dumont is in his second stint with Syracuse and his third season overall wearing the captain’s “C” for the Crunch. He has appeared in 644 career games in the AHL, recording 172 goals and 222 assists for 394 points, including career highs of 30 goals, 32 assists and 62 points in 2021-22. Dumont was originally a 2009 draft pick by Montreal and played his first six seasons in the Canadiens organization, serving as their AHL team captain in Hamilton (2014-15) and St. John’s (2015-16). The native of Degelis, Que., has played 90 games in the NHL with Montreal, Tampa Bay, Ottawa and Minnesota. He will be appearing in his second AHL All-Star Classic.
Lashoff has played the entirety of his 13-year pro career in the Detroit Red Wings organization, making his debut as an 18-year-old with Grand Rapids in 2009. He has appeared in 605 regular-season games with the Griffins, tied for the third-most by any AHL player who has spent his entire career with one team. Lashoff has accumulated 32 goals and 95 assists for 127 points in the regular season and has also skated in 75 postseason games, winning Calder Cup championships with Grand Rapids in 2013 and 2017. A native of Albany, N.Y., Lashoff, who is in his third year as the Griffins’ captain, has also played 136 games in the NHL with the Red Wings. This will be his first AHL All-Star Classic.
Tickets for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Bell in collaboration with Manulife Bank, which include admission to both the 2023 Rona AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, Feb. 5, and the 2023 Mise-o-jeu AHL All-Star Challenge on Monday, Feb. 6, start at only $39 and are available now by visiting rocketlaval.com.
The 2023 AHL All-Star Classic will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League: since 1995, more than 94 percent of All-Star Classic participants have gone on to compete in the National Hockey League, including Cam Atkinson, Drake Batherson, Patrice Bergeron, Jordan Binnington, Jack Campbell, John Carlson, Logan Couture, Thatcher Demko, Denis Gurianov, Connor Hellebuyck, Tristan Jarry, Kaapo Kahkonen, Jordan Kyrou, Jonathan Marchessault, Jacob Markstrom, Brandon Montour, William Nylander, Kyle Palmieri, Mikko Rantanen, Dylan Strome, Linus Ullmark, Vitek Vanecek and Mats Zuccarello.
In operation since 1936, the American Hockey League serves as the top development league for the players, coaches, managers, executives, broadcasters and staff of all 32 National Hockey League teams. Nearly 90 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame spent time in the AHL in their careers.
