Iacobellis Selected to CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic

Wichita, KS (Jan. 7th) - The Wichita Thunder, ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Edmonton Oilers, AHL's Bakersfield Condors and powered by Toyota, are excited to announce that forward Steven Iacobellis has been selected to represent the Thunder in the 2019 CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic.

Iacobellis, 25, leads the Thunder with 41 points (11g, 30a). He is tied for second in the league in scoring and tied for first in assists in the league. The rookie forward is also second in power play assists (15) and tied for first in power play points (19).

This year's game will be hosted by the Toledo Walleye on Monday, January 21st at 7 p.m. EST at the Huntington Center. The game will be live exclusively on the NHL Network.

For the second consecutive year, the CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic will feature a 3-on-3 tournament with four teams competing for the top spot. New in 2019, the host team will make up two of the four teams and face-off against the other two teams made up of All-Star players from the Eastern and Western Conference. These four teams will compete in a 3-on-3 tournament with rally scoring in order to crown a winner. The 2019 CCM/ECHL All-Star Skills Competition will take place in between rounds of the tournament, highlighting the talents of the ECHL Players, and showcasing the future of hockey as they develop in the League.

There have been 67 players from the ECHL All-Star Game have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, including 51 since 2002 when the lineups began having players who coaches felt were prospects to move up to a higher level.

The rosters for the Eastern Conference and Western Conference All-Stars were determined in a vote of coaches, team captains, media relations directors, broadcasters and members of the media.

Eastern Conference All-StarsG - Mitch Gillam, Worcester RailersD - Dajon Mingo, Jacksonville IcemenD - Sean Day, Maine MarinersD - David Kolomatis, Manchester MonarchsF - Mike Szmatula, Adirondack ThunderF - David Pacan, Brampton BeastF - Joe Cox, Florida EverbladesF - Johno May, Greenville Swamp RabbitsF - Giorgio Estephan, Newfoundland GrowlersF - Jonathan Charbonneau, South Carolina Stingrays

AlternatesF - Brett McKenzie, Atlanta GladiatorsD - Jalen Smereck, Norfolk AdmiralsF - Brent Pedersen, Orlando Solar BearsF - Steven Swavely, Reading Royals

Western Conference All-StarsG - Tomas Sholl, Idaho SteelheadsD - Alex Breton, Allen AmericansD - Neil Manning, Indy FuelD - Kevin Spinozzi, Wheeling NailersF - Vasili Glotov, Cincinnati CyclonesF - Justin Hodgman, Fort Wayne KometsF - Justin Taylor, Kalamazoo WingsF - Jared VanWormer, Kansas City MavericksF - Andrew Radjenovic, Rapid City RushF - Steven Iacobellis, Wichita Thunder

AlternatesG - Evan Fitzpatrick, Tulsa OilersF - Caleb Herbert, Utah Grizzlies

The 12th class of the ECHL Hall of Fame will be officially inducted at a luncheon, presented by BFL CANADA and Sutton Special Risk, on Sunday, January 20 at 1 p.m. at the SeaGate Center, in conjunction with the Toledo Hockey Hall of Fame, presented by Cooper Tire.

Anchored by the CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic, there will be multiple activities that showcase the Toledo community including the All-Star Fanfest in Hensville Park and All-Star Winter Brewfest at Fifth Third Field. The Hall of Fame luncheon will be followed by a regular-season matchup between the Walleye and the Fort Wayne Komets at the Huntington Center.

CCM/ECHL All-Star packages and individual tickets can be purchased by calling (419) 725-9255 or by visiting www.toledowalleye.com/allstar.

About the ECHL

Began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 27 teams in 20 states and two Canadian provinces for its 31st season in 2018-19. There have been 651 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after playing in the ECHL, including 10 who have made their NHL debuts in the 2018-19 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 25 of the 31 NHL teams in 2018-19, marking the 22nd consecutive season that the league has affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com.

-Thunder-