Kings, Ducks minor league affiliates send five players to AHL All-Star Classic
The Ontario Reign and San Diego Gulls have a combined five players headed to the AHL All-Star Classic in Syracuse, NY, starting Sunday with the All-Star Skills Competition on Prime Ticket at 5p.
Nick Ritchie and Brandon Montour will represent the Gulls, while Peter Budaj, Vincent Loverde and Sean Backman will attend the event from the Reign. Reign forward Michael Mersch was originally selected but it has been announced that he will not take part in the event.
Peter Budaj of the Ontario Reign will play in his first AHL All-Star Classic.
Budaj, a former NHL starting goalie for the Colorado Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens, joined the Reign following a professional try-out with the Los Angeles Kings in the summer of 2015. Sent to the Kings affiliate Ontario in October of 2015, Budaj has won 22 games for the Reign posting a 1.70 goals against average and five shutouts.
The Gulls' Ritchie had a brief stint 11-game with the Ducks in late 2015 collecting one assist.
Coverage of the AHL All-Star Challenge begins at 4p on Monday, Feb. 1.
