Athletic Trainer, Equipment Manager named for 2023 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic

The ECHL announced on Thursday that Brian DeAlmeida of the Orlando Solar Bears has been named the athletic trainer and Travis Ward of the South Carolina Stingrays has been named the equipment manager for the 2023 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic presented by Optima Health and Sentara Healthcare, on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 at Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The game will air LIVE exclusively on NHL Network and be streamed via FloHockey. DeAlmeida and Ward will be joined by D'Arcy Wiart (athletic trainer) and Garett Hoglund (equipment manager) of the host Norfolk Admirals. The 2023 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic presented by Optima Health and Sentara Healthcare will consist of a tournament featuring the ECHL All-Stars and the Norfolk Admirals, with an integrated skills competition with points counting towards each team’s score. A player from each organization will participate on each of the teams for the All-Star Classic. Each team will also have a representative from the Premier Hockey Federation and Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association. DeAlmeida is in his third season as the Solar Bears’ head athletic trainer. Prior to joining the Solar Bears, DeAlmeida functioned as a supervising athletic trainer at the ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World. He was responsible for coordinating medical coverage for multiple sporting events as well as overseeing a staff of 100+ athletic trainers. He was also a member of the team that was responsible for the 2020 NBA Season Restart Bubble as a care advocate. A 2018 graduate of Boston University, DeAlmeida received a Bachelor’s of Science in Athletic Training. While at B.U. he worked with both the Harvard University and B.U. men’s hockey teams.Ward joined the Stingrays prior to the 2021-22 season as the equipment manager. A native of Washington, D.C., he started his career in 2015 with the Washington Capitals organization as the equipment manager for the MedStar Capitals Iceplex. There, he assisted the Capitals with Training Camp, Rookie Camp and managed all equipment for the Washington Little Capitals of the AYHL/NAPHL. In addition, he worked in the Pro Shop that provided for the Little Capitals and recreational leagues. Prior to joining the Stingrays, Ward served as the head equipment manager for the University of Alaska-Anchorage men’s hockey team from 2019-21. The 15th class of the ECHL Hall of Fame will be officially inducted at a luncheon, presented by BFL CANADA and Sutton Special Risk, on Monday, January 16 at 12:00 p.m. at the Hilton Norfolk The Main, the Official Host Hotel of the 2023 ECHL All-Star Classic. Tickets for the 2023 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic presented by Optima Health and Sentara Healthcare are now available. CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets today! For more information on the 2023 ECHL All-Star Classic, visit. ECHL.com/allstar. About the ECHLFormed in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 28 teams in 20 states and two Canadian provinces for its 35th season in 2022-23. There have been 731 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including four who have made their NHL debut in the 2022-23 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 28 of the 32 NHL teams in 2022-23, marking the 26th 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.