PHF and PWHPA members to participate in Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic

SHREWSBURY, N.J. – The ECHL, in partnership with the Premier Hockey Federation and Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association, announced on Wednesday that two members from each organization will participate in 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.

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.

Taking part in the All-Star festivities will be the PHF’s Ann-Sophie Bettez of the Montreal Force and Sydney (Syd) Brodt of the Minnesota Whitecaps and the PWHPA’s Emily Brown and Sam Cogan. This marks the second consecutive All-Star event that PHF and PWHPA members will participate. Four players from the PWHPA also participated in the 2020 event in Wichita.

“It is an honor to be welcoming back players from both the PHF and PWHPA to participate in the Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic for the third consecutive season,” said ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin. “The FanFest and All-Star Classic are about bringing everyone together to showcase our game of hockey, and adding these players alongside our ECHL athletes will heighten the experience as we embark on Norfolk.”

“Ann-Sophie Bettez and Sydney Brodt are highly skilled athletes, tremendous leaders, and fitting representatives to showcase the new era of the Premier Hockey Federation at the 2023 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic," said PHF Commissioner Reagan Carey. “This event will be a special experience for the players and our league, as we continue to grow the game and move professional women's hockey forward. We are always appreciative of opportunities to collaborate in the spirit of bringing hockey’s best together, and look forward to joining the ECHL in Norfolk for this exciting event.”

“We’re excited to have PWHPA players take part in the ECHL All-Star Game for a third straight year,” said Jayna Hefford, PWHPA Operations Consultant. “This crossover provides our players with a fun opportunity to reach a new audience.”

Bettez is in her first season with Montreal, serving as the Force’s captain. During her career at McGill University, she captured three Canadian University National Championships while being named to the All-Canadian First Team in 2008-09 and 2011-12 and the All-Canadian Second Team in 2007-08 and 2009-10. Bettez also has international experience, skating with Team Canada at the World Championship in 2019.

Brodt, who is the Whitecaps’ captain, is in her first season with the team after capturing league Most Valuable Player honors last season with the Linkoping Hockey Club in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League (SDHL). The North Oaks, Minnesota native was a three-time team captain at the University of Minnesota-Duluth from 2016-20. Internationally, Brodt won gold with the U.S. National Women’s Team at the 2019 World Championship.

Brown is in her first season with the PWHPA after completing her collegiate career at the University of Minnesota. She completed her career with the Golden Gophers second in program history in games played (167), ninth in points by a defender (86), and 10th in goals by a defender (20). Brown was named to either the All-WCHA Second Team or Third Team in each of her final four seasons.

The 2022-23 season is Cogan’s third with the PWHPA. During her collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin, she was a part of the Badgers’ 2019 National Championship team while earning a spot on the WCHA All-Rookie Team in 2015-16 and the WCHA All-Academic Team in 2017-18.

Tickets for the 2023 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic presented by Sentara Healthcare and Optima Health 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 ECHL

Formed in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 26 teams in 19 states and two Canadian provinces for its 32nd season in 2019-20. 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.

About the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF)

The PHF is the home of professional women’s hockey in North America. Established in 2015 as the National Women’s Hockey League, the NWHL rebranded to become the PHF in 2021 and provide opportunities for elite athletes to earn a living playing the game they love while fueling the continued growth of the sport. The league is made up of the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, Minnesota Whitecaps, Montreal Force, and the Toronto Six who all compete annually for the Isobel Cup. As part of a two-year agreement with ESPN, live coverage of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 PHF seasons is available exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States, and provides international rights for games which includes TSN in Canada. For more information visit premierhockeyfederation.com.

About Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) 

Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association’s (PWHPA) mission is to promote, advance and support a viable professional women’s ice hockey league in North America that showcases the greatest product of women’s professional ice hockey in the world. The organization aims to provide a united voice to players advocating for the creation of a sustainable professional league. PWHPA is working to accomplish its mission by coordinating training needs and programming opportunities and collaborating with like-minded organizations to make hockey more inclusive for women and future generations. To learn more about PWHPA and the Secret Dream Gap Tour, visit pwhpa.com.