BROOKLYN, NY, January 6, 2017 – Forward Kelly Babstock of the Connecticut Whale and defender Ashley Johnston of the New York Riveters have been chosen by a select panel of reporters to participate in the NWHL’s 2017 All-Star Weekend in Pittsburgh on Feb. 11-12.
Babstock leads the NWHL in scoring with 6 goals and 6 assists for 12 points. Johnston is the captain of the Riveters and is regarded as one of the top all-around defenders in the league. Babstock and Johnston are both Canadians who played college hockey in the U.S. – Babstock at Quinnipiac and Johnston at Union.
Fifteen members of the media each submitted two nominees during the two-way voting process, with Babstock and Johnston receiving the most votes. Eleven additional players received at least one vote from the media, with Emily Janiga, Shiann Darkangelo and Nicole Stock generating especially strong consideration from the press.
The 2017 NWHL Skills Showdown will take place on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 4:00 pm, and the NWHL All-Star Game will begin at 3:00 pm on Sunday, Feb. 12. Both events will be at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, the state-of-the-art practice facility of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
All-Star captains Amanda Kessel and Kelley Steadman are meeting next week to select eight players each and begin to build their team rosters in a draft. The final four All-Star choices will be made by the league’s four head coaches. Complete rosters are expected to be announced by the end of next week. Each team will have two goaltenders, four defenders and eight forwards.
