Some of the American Hockey League’s top young talent will come together next month.
The AHL All-Star Classic returns will be held Feb. 5-6 at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec. Each of the AHL’s four divisions will be represented in a round-robin 3-on-3 tournament.
Here is a look at some of the top NHL prospects who will represent the Atlantic and North Divisions in the Eastern Conference. A breakdown of selections from the Central and Pacific Divisions will follow in two weeks.
Brandon Biro, Rochester (Buffalo Sabres)
The undrafted Biro, a versatile forward who can fit into different lineup roles, has emerged as a candidate for the Sabres. He signed a two-year entry-level contract with Buffalo on March 18, 2020, following four NCAA seasons at Penn State. After breaking out last season with Rochester, he made his NHL debut on Feb. 23, 2022, with the Sabres. He finished his second pro season with 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) in 48 AHL games and then signed a two-year contract with the Sabers on July 8, 2022.
Part of a well-balanced Rochester offense, the 24-year-old led the team in scoring with 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) in 28 games.
Brandon Bussi, Providence (Boston Bruins)
Bussi, an undrafted 24-year-old rookie goalie out of Western Michigan University, has quickly put himself into the discussion as a top Boston prospect.
The Bruins signed Bussi to a one-year entry-level contract March 31, 2022. He began this season with their ECHL affiliate, Maine, but an injury to prospect Kyle Keyser in a Providence game Nov. 5 gave Bussi his AHL opportunity. Bussi has since gone 12-2-3 in 17 games. His .935 save percentage leads the AHL, and his 2.16 goals-against average ranks third.
This past weekend in his most recent start he ended a 12-game point streak for Utica (tied with Texas for the longest in the AHL this season) with a 35-save performance that gave Providence a 3-2 home win. Providence is 22-8-5-2, three points behind Hershey (Washington Capitals) for the Eastern Conference lead.
Samuel Bolduc, Bridgeport (New York Islanders)
Bolduc has steadily progressed to being a top defenseman with Bridgeport in his third pro season.
Selected by the Islanders in the second round (No. 57) of the 2019 NHL Draft, the 22-year-old has provided an offensive touch this season for Bridgeport as well. He has 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) through 38 games, good enough to tie him for ninth in scoring among AHL defensemen.
Tyson Foerster, Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia Flyers)
Foerster turned 21 on Wednesday and the forward has his career back on track as a top Flyers prospect.
After Philadelphia chose the forward 23rd in the 2020 NHL Draft, he had a nine-game taste of the AHL during the abbreviated 2020-21 season. He then returned to the Ontario Hockey League last season to complete his junior career there with Barrie but was limited to 13 games.
This season, he has 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) through 37 games.
David Jiricek, Cleveland (Columbus Blue Jackets)
The 19-year-old defenseman was selected by Columbus with the No. 6 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and has been everything they could have asked for in his first North American season.
He has 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) through 22 games with Cleveland and has taken on key minutes for the team. He was named the AHL Rookie of the Month in December after he had 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in nine games. He also played his first two NHL games with Columbus.
Columbus also allowed Jiricek to represent Czechia at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship. He finished that tournament with seven points (three goals, four assists) in seven games as Czechia won a silver medal. He was named the tournament’s Best Defenseman and all-star team.
Egor Sokolov, Belleville (Ottawa Senators)
Ottawa selected Sokolov in the second round (No. 61) of the 2020 draft and has taken a slow approach with the 22-year-old power forward.
Sokolov made a strong impression as a rookie with Belleville in 2020-21 when he had 25 points (15 goals, 10 assists) in 35 games and followed that up with 50 points (19 goals, 31 assists) last season. Part of a strong base of Ottawa prospects with Belleville, Sokolov leads the team in scoring with 36 points (11 goals, 25 assists) through 37 games.
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