Athletic Trainer, Equipment Manager named for ECHL All-Star Classic

The ECHL  announced on Tuesday that Dan Barker of the Wheeling Nailers has been named the athletic trainer and Adam Dexter of the Orlando Solar Bears has been named the equipment manager for the 2022 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic, to be hosted by the Jacksonville Icemen on Monday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. ET at VyStar Veteran Memorial Arena. The game will air LIVE exclusively on NHL Network and be streamed via FloHockey. Barker and Dexter will be joined by Jake Reardon (athletic trainer) and Matt Conti (equipment manager) of the host Jacksonville Icemen. In this year’s All-Star event, the host Jacksonville Icemen will take on a team of ECHL All-Stars representing the other teams in the League, as well as feature several Skills events which will count as a goal towards the winning Player’s team score. Each team will also have a representative from the Premier Hockey Federation and Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association. Barker is in his third season as the Nailers’ Athletic Trainer. He attended Wheeling Jesuit University, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree, while taking steps toward his goal of working for a professional team, which he gets to do today. Barker graduated in 2018 with his Master’s of Science from California University of Pennsylvania. Additional certifications he holds include: National Registry EMT, Orthopedic Physician Extender, and NASM – Performance Enhancement Specialist. Dexter is in his seventh season as the head equipment manager of the Solar Bears over the course of two stints with the organization, returning to the team prior to the 2019-20 season. Dexter previously served as the team's head equipment manager from 2012-16, winning the ECHL’s Equipment Manager of the Year award following Orlando's inaugural 2012-13 season. A veteran of over 1,000 games in professional hockey, Dexter's career also includes equipment manager roles with Graz 99ers (Austria), San Jose Barracuda (AHL), Adirondack Phantoms (AHL), Mississippi RiverKings (CHL), Youngstown SteelHounds (CHL) and Charlotte Checkers (ECHL). A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Dexter began his career as an equipment manager working for the University of Alaska-Anchorage. The 14th class of the ECHL Hall of Fame will be officially inducted at a luncheon, presented by BFL CANADA and Sutton Special Risk, on Monday, Jan. 17 at 12:00 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Jacksonville Riverfront in Jacksonville, Florida, the Official Host Hotel of the 2022 ECHL All-Star Classic. For more information on the 2022 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.echlallstarclassic.com. About the ECHLBegan 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 34th season in 2021-22. There have been 718 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including 20 who have made their NHL debuts in the 2021-22 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 27 of the 32 NHL teams in 2021-22, marking the 25th 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 as well as on Twitter and Facebook.