Broadcasters named for 2023 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic

SHREWSBURY, N.J. – The ECHL announced on Monday the broadcasters 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.

Mark Shelley of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits and Weston DeWitt of the Norfolk Admirals will provide play-by-play and color commentary for the event, while Mike Kelly of the Florida Everblades will serve as rinkside reporter/interviewer. Local channel listings are available at  NHL Network.com.

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.

Shelley is currently in his second season as the play-by-play voice of the Swamp Rabbits, having joined the organization as the Manager of Media Relations/Broadcaster prior to the 2021-22 season. Before joining the ECHL ranks, Shelley spent two seasons in the North American Hockey League with the Amarillo Bulls and the St. Cloud Norsemen and was selected to broadcast two NAHL Top Prospect Showcase tournaments. Shelley began his career in hockey as a fill-in broadcaster for Cornell University's Women’s Hockey team while serving as the play-by-play voice for the Cornell Wrestling team for WPIE-AM ESPN Ithaca. While with ESPN Ithaca, Shelley, along with his co-host, was awarded the New York State Broadcasters Association award for Outstanding Radio Show. A native of Landisburg, Pennsylvania, Shelley graduated in 2017 from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Mass Communication - Electronic Media, gaining experience in play-by-play broadcasting, both as a student and alumnus, for the school's athletic programs. 

DeWitt is in his third season as the Admirals’ Director of Communications and Broadcasting. The Phoenix native graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University in 2018. From 2015-18, he broadcasted numerous athletics for ASU’s student broadcast station, Blaze Radio, including hockey, football, and baseball. He was the Sports Director in 2018 and was named “Best Sports Director” by the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System. Before joining the Admirals in 2019, DeWitt was a Broadcast Associate at NHL/MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey, and was also a contributing writer to Sports Illustrated covering Mixed Martial Arts. 

Kelly is in his eighth season with the Everblades after spending the previous eight seasons in the American Hockey League with Syracuse and Springfield in broadcasting and sales roles. A dual citizen of Canada and the United States, he has previous ECHL experience with South Carolina and Mississippi, highlighted by being selected for two previous ECHL All-Star Game broadcasts in 2003 and 2007. Kelly has also been awarded the ECHL Sales Professional of the Year, Ticket Executive of the Year, and Media Relations Director of the Year.

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 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.

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