The ECHL announced Thursday that Indy Fuel defenseman Alex Brooks has been selected to the 2019 CCM/All-Star Classic roster, replacing former Fuel defender Neil Manning. Manning was released from his contract with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs on Tuesday, leaving the organization to play in Europe.
Brooks, 27, will be making his first All-Star appearance this Monday night, joining the Western Conference All-Stars for the league’s midseason showcase in Toledo, Ohio. The 6-foot, 195-pound defenseman leads all active Indy blueliners with 15 points (5g, 10a) in 35 games this season, while his +12 rating is tops on the Fuel roster. A native of Walker, Mich., Brooks has scored four goals and four assists over Indy’s 11 previous games since returning from the ECHL’s holiday break.
In his third year as a professional, Brooks has collected 55 points (12g, 43a) in 149 career ECHL contests with the Fuel, Kansas City Mavericks and the South Carolina Stingrays, while also tallying 11 points in 15 games spent with the Southern Professional Hockey League’s Fayetteville FireAntz from 2015-17. A four-year product of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (NCAA III), Brooks compiled 18 goals and 86 assists over 114 career games with the Pointers.
For the second consecutive year, the CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic will feature a 3-on-3 tournament with four teams competing for the top spot. New in 2019, the host team will make up two of the four teams and face-off against the other two teams made up of All-Star players from the Eastern and Western Conference. These four teams will compete in a 3-on-3 tournament with rally scoring in order to crown a winner. The 2019 CCM/ECHL All-Star Skills Competition will take place in between rounds of the tournament, highlighting the talents of the ECHL Players, and showcasing the future of hockey as they develop in the League.
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