Laval Rocket hockey players Anthony Richard and Justin Barron were selected for the American Hockey League (AHL) All-Star Classic on Wednesday.
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The two athletes will be part of the Atlantic section squad during the celebrations taking place on February 5th and 6th at the Place Bell in Laval.
Barron currently plays with the Montreal Canadiens in the National League. The defender was recalled by the big club on December 27. He has played four games since then and is still looking for his first point of the season.
The Halifax native previously had seven goals and nine assists for 16 points in 25 games with Rocket.
For his part, Richard has just returned to the AHL school club after picking up two points in seven games with the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge. The 26-year-old forward shines with the Rocket in 2022-23. He hit the target 18 times and provided 13 assists for 31 points in 27 games on the development track.
There will also be five other Quebecers in action at the All-Star Classic, including former Rocket captain Xavier Ouellet. The defenseman now plays for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The other skaters from La Belle Province are Samuel Bolduc (Bridgeport Islanders), Alex Barré-Boulet (Syracuse Crunch), Gabriel Dumont (Crunch) and Maxime Lajoie (Chicago Wolves).
Also attending the event will be US-born Thomas Bordeleau, son of former Canadiens player Sébastien Bordeleau. The San Jose Sharks second-round pick (38th overall) had 25 points, including 17 goals, in 36 games with the San Jose Barracuda in 2022-23.
CH Laval fans will also reconnect with Riley Smith (Texas Stars). The latter played 39 games with Rocket and nine games with the Canadiens in 2019-2020.
Remember that each of LAH’s four divisions is represented by 12 players. The rosters were set by the circuit’s coaching committees, and its 32 teams are represented by at least one hockey player.