SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today the 2023-24 AHL First and Second All-Star Teams, as voted by AHL coaches, players and media in each of the league’s 32 member cities.
2023-24 AHL First All-Star Team
Goaltender ― Hunter Shepard, Hershey Bears (33 GP, 27-3-3, 1.75 GAA, .929 SV%, 5 SO)
Defenseman ― Kyle Capobianco, Manitoba Moose (68 GP, 12-40-52, +29, 6 PPG, 1 SHG)
Defenseman ― Brad Hunt, Colorado Eagles (70 GP, 16-33-49, +3, 5 PPG)
Forward ― Mavrik Bourque, Texas Stars (69 GP, 26-49-75, 4 PPG, 1 SHG, 2 GWG)
Forward ― Adam Gaudette, Springfield Thunderbirds (65 GP, 44-25-69, +10, 15 PPG, 7 GWG)
Forward ― Logan Stankoven, Texas Stars (47 GP, 24-33-57, +9, 6 PPG, 3 GWG)
2023-24 AHL Second All-Star Team
Goaltender ― Joel Blomqvist, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (44 GP, 25-11-6, 2.14 GAA, .921 SV%, 1 SO)
Defenseman ― Jake Christiansen, Cleveland Monsters (59 GP, 13-30-43, +6, 4 PPG)
Defenseman ― Brandt Clarke, Ontario Reign (48 GP, 10-34-44, 3 PPG)
Forward ― Samuel Fagemo, Ontario Reign (49 GP, 42-18-60, +9, 19 PPG, 10 GWG)
Forward ― Trey Fix-Wolansky, Cleveland Monsters (55 GP, 24-34-58, +17, 3 PPG, 5 GWG)
Forward ― Rocco Grimaldi, Chicago Wolves (69 GP, 34-36-70, 10 PPG, 2 SHG, 6 GWG)
Each All-Star Team member will receive a custom-designed crystal award in recognition of his selection to the 2023-24 AHL First and Second All-Star Teams.
Recent AHL All-Star Team selections include Kyle Palmieri (2012), Tyler Johnson (2013), Jonathan Marchessault (2013), Justin Schultz (2013), Gustav Nyquist (2013), Jake Allen (2014), Mike Hoffman (2014), Petr Mrazek (2014), Matt Murray (2015, 2016), Jacob Markstrom (2015), Colin Miller (2015), Brandon Montour (2016), Frank Vatrano (2016), Mikko Rantanen (2016), Travis Boyd (2017), Mason Appleton (2018), Carter Verhaeghe (2019), Alex Nedeljkovic (2019), Kaapo Kahkonen (2020), Jake Bean (2020), Josh Norris (2020), Drake Batherson (2020), Jeremy Swayman (2021), Morgan Barron (2021), Connor McMichael (2021), Taylor Raddysh (2021), Cayden Primeau (2021), Calen Addison (2021), Logan Thompson (2021), Josh Mahura (2021), Stefan Noesen (2022), Dustin Wolf (2022, 2023), Jordan Spence (2022), Darren Raddysh (2023), Michael Carcone (2023) and Joel Hofer (2023).
The winner of the 2023-24 Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award (sportsmanship, determination, dedication to hockey) will be announced Friday.
2023-24 AHL First All-Star Team
Hunter Shepard, Goaltender (Hershey Bears):
Winner of the Jack Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs, Hunter Shepard has followed up by challenging the AHL record books in 2023-24, posting a record of 27-3-3 in 33 appearances while leading the league with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage and ranking tied for third with five shutouts. The native of Cohasset, Minn., has allowed one goal or fewer in 17 of his 33 starts, helping the Bears capture the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the league’s regular-season champions, and has also appeared in four NHL games with the Washington Capitals this season.
Kyle Capobianco, Defenseman (Manitoba Moose):
A postseason All-Star selection for the first time in his seven-year career, Kyle Capobianco has set personal bests with 12 goals, 40 assists, 52 points and a plus-29 rating in 68 games with Manitoba in 2023-24, his second season in the Winnipeg Jets organization. The Mississauga, Ont., native leads all AHL defensemen in scoring and is tied for fourth overall in plus/minus rating, and participated in his fourth AHL career All-Star Classic in February.
Brad Hunt, Defenseman (Colorado Eagles):
The leading scorer and captain of the Colorado Eagles, Brad Hunt has tallied 16 goals and 33 assists for 49 points, second among all AHL defensemen, in his second season with the club. The 12th-year pro is also first among rearguards with 218 shots on goal, and one off the league lead with five power-play goals from the blue line. This is the third career All-Star Team selection for the Ridge Meadows, B.C., native; he was voted to the Second Team in 2013-14 and the First Team in 2014-15.
Mavrik Bourque, Forward (Texas Stars):
Mavrik Bourque earns a First Team All-Star berth on the strength of an outstanding sophomore season that sees him lead the entire AHL in scoring with 75 points (26 goals, 49 assists) in 69 games for Texas. A 20-goal scorer as a rookie a year ago, Bourque is also first in the league with 248 shots on goal, and his 20 power-play assists are tied for third-most. The 22-year-old native of Plessisville, Que., was a first-round pick (30th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut with Dallas on Apr. 6.
Adam Gaudette, Forward (Springfield Thunderbirds):
Sixth-year pro Adam Gaudette is having a career year with the Thunderbirds, leading the AHL with 44 goals – tied for fourth-most ever by a Springfield skater in 80 seasons of AHL hockey in the city – and ranking third with 69 points in 65 contests. Gaudette also sits second with 15 power-play goals and 225 shots on goal, and his six-game goal-scoring streak in October is still tied for the longest in the league in 2023-24. The native of Braintree, Mass., has played 220 games in the NHL over his career, including two this season with the St. Louis Blues.
Logan Stankoven, Forward (Texas Stars):
Leading the entire AHL in scoring with 57 points (24 goals, 33 assists) in 47 games for Texas at the time of his recall to Dallas, Logan Stankoven still ranks first among league rookies despite spending the last two months in the National Hockey League. A 21-year-old native of Kamloops, B.C., Stankoven was chosen in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft, and has contributed six goals and eight assists in 24 games in the NHL since making his debut with the parent Stars on Feb. 24.
2023-24 AHL Second All-Star Team
Joel Blomqvist, Goaltender (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins):
A second-round pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2020 NHL Draft, Joel Blomqvist has excelled in his first full season of play in North America. The 22-year-old Finnish netminder has a record of 25-11-6 in 44 appearances for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, ranking third in the league in goals-against average (2.14) and fifth in both wins and save percentage (.921).
Jake Christiansen, Defenseman (Cleveland Monsters):
Jake Christiansen earns his second career Second Team All-Star nod as he ranks sixth among AHL defensemen in scoring with 43 points (13 goals, 30 assists) in 59 games heading into the final weekend of the regular season for Cleveland. The fourth-year pro from West Vancouver, B.C., has tied his career high in goals and leads all Monsters defensemen in plus/minus rating (+6). Christiansen has also appeared in 12 NHL games with Columbus this season, collecting two assists.
Brandt Clarke, Defenseman (Ontario Reign):
The eighth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Brandt Clarke has totaled 44 points in 48 games for Ontario this season, and is currently tied for the league lead among all rookie skaters in assists (34). The 21-year-old native of Ottawa, Ont., has also skated for the parent Los Angeles Kings, collecting two goals and four assists in 16 NHL games this season. Clarke represented the Reign at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic, where he went 4-for-4 in the accuracy shooting event at the Skills Competition.
Samuel Fagemo, Forward (Ontario Reign):
Samuel Fagemo has been the most prolific scorer in the AHL all season with 42 goals and 60 points in 49 games, a league-leading average of 1.22 points per game and an 0.86 goals-per-game average that is the highest by an AHL player since Frank Vatrano (1.00) in 2015-16. The 24-year-old native of Goteborg, Sweden, has notched three hat tricks among his 42 goals, and leads the league with 19 power-play tallies and 10 game-winners. Fagemo was a second-round pick by Los Angeles in the 2019 NHL Draft and has also skated in eight NHL games with the Kings and Nashville Predators this season, notching one goal.
Trey Fix-Wolansky, Forward (Cleveland Monsters):
A Second Team All-Star for the second consecutive season, Trey Fix-Wolansky leads the Monsters with 24 goals, 34 assists, 58 points and a plus-17 rating in 55 games. The 24-year-old native of Edmonton, Alta., has scored all but three of his goals at even strength, and his four overtime tallies have tied a single-season AHL record. Fix-Wolansky, a seventh-round pick by Columbus in the 2018 NHL Draft, has also registered two goals and one assist in 11 NHL games with the Blue Jackets in 2023-24.
Rocco Grimaldi, Forward (Chicago Wolves):
Tenth-year pro Rocco Grimaldi has set career highs with 34 goals, 36 assists and 70 points in 69 games with the Wolves in 2023-24, factoring in on the scoring of 37.6 percent of Chicago’s goals this season. Grimaldi, who ranks second in the league scoring race, has tallied 10 power-play goals, two shorthanded markers and six game-winning tallies, and participated in his second career AHL All-Star Classic in February.
