Format Announced, Jerseys Unveiled for 2023 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic

SHREWSBURY, N.J. – The ECHL, in conjunction with the Norfolk Admirals, announced today the game format and unveiled the jerseys for the 2023 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic, presented by Optima Health and Sentara Healthcare. The event takes place at Norfolk Scope Arena on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023.

The event will feature four teams competing in a 3-on-3 tournament that features rally scoring for the top spot. The Destroyers and Cruisers will be two teams made up of the host Norfolk Admirals roster. They will face off against two additional teams comprised of All-Star players from the Eastern and Western Conferences. A total of 10 players—five forwards, four defensemen, and a goaltender—will make up each of the four teams.  

The 2023 ECHL All-Star Skills Competition will take place between rounds of the tournament with results counting towards the cumulative score. The format was used in Toledo in 2019 and in Wichita in 2020.

All-Star players will be announced in January 2023 following a vote of ECHL coaching staffs, captains, and media. 

The 3-on-3 Tournament

The first round will be round-robin style, with each team competing against the others in six consecutive eight-minute running clock games. All four teams will advance to the second round and will be re-seeded based on each team’s total score. The second round will feature two eight-minute running clock games with the #1 vs. #4 seeds and the #2 vs. #3 seeds. The top two highest-scoring teams after Round 1 and Round 2 will meet in the third round for the final matchup. The finals will feature the #1 vs. #2 seed in a 10-minute running clock game to determine the tournament champion.  

Tickets for the 2023 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic presented by Optima Health and Sentara Healthcare are on sale now. CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets today! For more information on the 2023 ECHL All-Star Classic, visit. ECHL.com/allstar.

The jerseys that each of the four teams will wear in the All-Star Classic were also unveiled on Wednesday. The Western Conference will wear white jerseys, the Eastern Conference will wear navy jerseys, the Cruisers will wear yellow jerseys and the Destroyers will wear red jerseys. All of the jerseys were produced by Athletic Knit, the exclusive jersey provider of the ECHL.

About the ECHL

Formed 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 729 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including two 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.