SPRINGFIELD, MA – Albany Devils forwards Joe Blandisi and John Quenneville have been selected to participate in the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Capital BlueCross. Blandisi and Quenneville are among 48 players to participate in the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 29 and the All-Star Challenge on Jan. 30 in Allentown, PA.
Blandisi, 22, ranks fourth on the Devils in points with 20 (6g, 14a) in 24 games played. Last year, in his rookie season, Blandisi produced 23 points (9g, 14a) in 27 games. He also spent 41 games in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils where he tallied 17 points (5g, 12a). The Scarborough, ON native won the Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy in 2015 as the OHL Overage Player of the Year when he registered a league high 112 points (52g, 60a) for the Barrie Colts.
Quenneville, 20, currently leads Albany with 27 points (10g, 17a). The rookie is third on the team in goals, while leading Albany in helpers. He also leads the club in power play goals, assists and points (5-9-14). The Devil’s first round pick in 2014 (30th overall) made his NHL debut this year playing in two games with the New Jersey Devils. The Edmonton, AB native played four years with the Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) and set career highs in goals (31), assists (42), points (73) and plus/minus (+28) last season in 57 games.
The AHL’s All-Stars will be divided into four teams, one representing each of the league’s four divisions, for the 2017 AHL All-Star Challenge on Jan. 30. The teams will participate in a round-robin tournament featuring six games of 10 minutes each, played entirely at 3-on-3. The two teams with the best records at the end of the round-robin will face off for the championship, a six-minute game also played at 3-on-3.
