Thunderbirds’ Hofer and Highmore Named to AHL All-Star Classic Roster

The rosters for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic were announced on Wednesday and two members of the Springfield Thunderbirds, the American Hockey League affiliate of the St. Louis Blues were included on the Atlantic Division roster; goaltender Joel Hofer and forward Matthew Highmore. 

This will be Hofer’s first All-Star appearance and Highmore’s second. Highmore’s first all-star appearance came in the 2017-18 season as a rookie representing the Rockford Icehogs, the Chicago Blackhawks AHL affiliate. 

So far this season, Hofer is eighth among all American Hockey League goaltenders with a 2.41 GAA and  seventh in save percentage at .921% while Highmore leads all Thunderbirds skaters with 31 points (7 goals, 24 assists) in 34 games played this season. His 24 assists rank eighth among all AHL skaters. 

This year’s AHL All-Star Classic presented by Bell in collaboration with Manulife Bank takes place at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec which is home to the Laval Rocket, the Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate. 

The events begin on Sunday, February 5 with the  2023 Rona AHL All-Star Skills Competition at 6 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. CT. The skills competition pits the players from the two Western Conference divisions against the Eastern Conference All-Stars in seven different events including; Most Powerful Shot, Fastest Skater, and the Accuracy Contest. 

The All-Star “Weekend” concludes on Monday, February 6 at 7 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. CT with the 2023 Mise-o-jeu AHL All-Star Challenge. This year’s format features six 10-minute 3-on-3 round-robin games with the two teams with the best record following the round-robin facing off in a six-minute 3-on-3 championship game. 

Other events over the two days include the Tim Horton’s Minor Hockey Classic on Saturday, February 4, the Fan Jam Tailgate party on the Place Bell Concourse before each night’s main event, Molson Export All-Star Parties each night, and the Concert Series presented by Coke Studio featuring Fouki & Koriass during the All-Star challenge on February 6. 

Also as a part of the festivities is the annual American Hockey League Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Monday, February 6 at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT. This year’s inductees are; Keith Aucoin, Nolan Baumgartner, Dave Creighton, Bill Torrey, and David Andrews. 

If you’re in the Laval area or interested in booking a flight or taking a road trip to Laval, tickets are still available for both events and start at just $21.31 ($28.50 CAD) plus tax. You can purchase tickets for just one or both events here: https://www.rocketlaval.com/en/tickets/2023-ahl-all-star-classic/