Format announced for 2019 CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic

The ECHL, in conjunction with the Toledo Walleye, announced on Tuesday the game format for the 2019 CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic, taking place at Huntington Center on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019.

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 featuring players from the Eastern and Western Conference All-Star teams.

All-Star players will be announced in January 2019 via a vote of ECHL coaching staffs, captains and media.

In a format similar to those adapted by the NHL and AHL All-Star Game, the four teams will compete in a three-round tournament to crown a winner. Rally scoring will be featured, pitting all four teams against each other.  Each team will consist of 10 players - five forwards, four defensemen and a goaltender.

“This unique format showcases our League’s continued innovation to create entertaining events for fans both in-arena and our television audience,” said ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna. “This event should be an amazing experience to keep our audience engaged, while also allowing our players the best opportunity to display their skills. It is going to be a great day in Toledo.”

The 3-on-3 Tournament

The first round will be round-robin style, with each team competing against each other in six consecutive eight-minute running clock games. All four teams will advance to the second round and will be re-seeded based on total score. The second round will feature two eight-minute running clock games with the #1 vs. #4 seeds and the #2 vs. #3 seeds. The top two highest scoring teams after Round 1 and Round 2 will meet in the third round for the final matchup. The finals will feature the #1 vs. #2 seed in a 10-minute running clock game to determine the tournament champion.  

The 2019 CCM/ECHL All-Star Skills Competition will take place during the intermission break between both the 1st and 2nd round and the 2nd and 3rd round. Additional details regarding the 2019 CCM/ECHL Skills Competition will be announced at a later date.

All-Star Weekend presented by ProMedica

All-Star Weekend festivities kick off on Friday, Jan. 18 with the Opening Night of All-Star Fanfest at the Hensville Winter Park. The four-day event will feature the Fanfest in Hensville, the Walleye Winterfest Youth Hockey Tournament, the 5th Annual Winter Brewfest, the ECHL Hall of Fame and Toledo Hockey Hall of Fame luncheon and the CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic & Skills Competition on Monday, Jan. 21. Hensville will feature live music and the popular Hensville Lights display each night during All-Star Weekend.

FINatic Members can reserve their tickets now for the CCM/ECHL All-Star Weekend.  Ticket Packages will go on sale at a later date.  For ticket information visit the website at www.toledowalleye.com.

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 21 states and one Canadian province for its 30th season in 2017-18. There have been  who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including 13 who have made their NHL debuts in the 2017-18 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 31 NHL teams in 2017-18, marking the 21st consecutive season that the league had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com as well as on Twitter and Facebook.