Utica Comets To Host 2015 AHL All-Star Game

The Utica Comets will host the 2015 AHL All-Star game.

Utica Comets co-owners Frank DuRoss and Rob Esche and AHL officials announced Tuesday that the 2015 AHL All-Star game will be played at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

Esche was joined by American Hockey League President and CEO David Andrews to make the announcement that the league's Board of Governors unanimously approved the selection of the Utica Comets as host of the 2015 All-Star Classic presented by the Turning Stone Resort Casino.

The event will take place on January 25 and 26, 2014.  The Skills Competition and the All-Star Game will take place at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.  All other events will take place at the Turning Stone in Verona, New York.

In a written release Andrews said, "The American Hockey League is thrilled to be bringing our showcase event to Utica this winter.  Each year, hockey’s brightest young stars shine on our All-Star stage in front of capacity crowds and international television audiences. Between the great fans in the Mohawk Valley, the rich history of the Aud and the world-class accommodations at Turning Stone, the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic is destined to be the most memorable All-Star Classic to date."

Rob Esche, President of the Utica Comets, said, "We couldn't be more thrilled to have been selected to host the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic.  It is a great honor to hold the event in the city of Utica, a community that has embraced hockey for years. We look forward to collaborating with the AHL and the Turning Stone Resort Casino to put on a spectacular weekend of events."

The AHL All-Star Classic will be televised on Sportsnet in Canada and on various networks in the United States in front of an estimated television audience of more than one hundred million households.

Tickets will be priced from $49 to $89 and will include admission to both the Skills Competition and the All-Star Game. Utica Comets season-ticket holders will have an opportunity to reserve their seats beginning on October 20, 2014.  Any tickets that remain will go on sale to the public on November 1, 2014.

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente says it is a great honor to be chosen as the host site.  "Oneida County and the City of Utica are honored to host the AHL All-Star Classic.  What a compliment it is to Rob Esche and what he has done to make Utica and the Comets a member of the AHL family. I also want to thank [Oneida] Nation Representative Ray Halbritter and the Oneida Indian Nation [which owns and operates the Turning Stone Resort and Casino] for their support in this endeavor. They continue to show what it means to be partners in the success of this region. When the County of Oneida invested millions of dollars into the historic Auditorium over the past two years this is the type of exciting attraction we envisioned taking place. The AHL All-Star Classic is another example of the turnaround we have seen in this region and the positivity that is embracing our future."

In the release Oneida Nation Representative Ray Halbritter said, "We thank Governor Cuomo, Oneida County Executive Picente and the American Hockey League for sharing our vision to bring diverse, world-class entertainment to our region and spotlighting Central New York as a major entertainment area of the state.  There is a tremendous amount of pride for the AHL and the Utica Comets in our region and we are honored to be a part of this unique event."