Syracuse Crunch AHL All-Stars Kristers Gudlevskis and Matt Taormina will be at Destiny USA for a meet-and-greet and autograph session tonight from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Food Court on the second level.
Gudlevskis and Taormina will meet with fans and be available for autographs and photos. Additionally, fans will have the opportunity to enter to win VIP tickets to the 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Classic, along with other prizes courtesy of the Crunch and Destiny USA.
“As New York’s largest shopping, dining and entertainment destination, Destiny USA is excited and incredibly proud to host the Syracuse Crunch and its All-Stars in advance of the upcoming AHL All-Star Classic,” said Aiden McGuire, director of marketing, Destiny USA. “The very best our region has to offer will be on display for thousands of tourists traveling to Central New York for the All-Star Game, and we are incredibly excited to welcome them to Destiny USA to create an unforgettable fan experience.”
A limited number of tickets for the 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Classic are still available. They can be purchased either in person at the Syracuse Crunch office located in the War Memorial Arena at 800 South State Street in Syracuse or by calling (315) 473-4444, through all Ticketmaster outlets or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
Complimentary tickets for the AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony are available by visiting the Syracuse Crunch office or by phone at (315) 473-4444. The AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony, to be held at the Crouse Hinds Theater at 11 a.m. on Feb. 1, will feature the induction of Bruce Cline, Ralph Keller, Jean-Francois Labbe and Bruce Landon as the AHL Hall of Fame Class of 2016 and will also celebrate honorary All-Star Classic captains Michael Peca and Scott Walker.
The 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 31 (8 p.m. ET) will keep its traditional format, with All-Stars from the Eastern Conference squaring off against All-Stars from the Western Conference in seven skills events. The 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Challenge will take place on the evening of Feb. 1 (7 p.m. ET) and instead of a traditional 60-minute game, the AHL’s All-Stars will be divided into four teams, one representing each of the league’s divisions (Atlantic, North, Central, Pacific). The teams will then play a round-robin tournament featuring six games of nine minutes each; the first half of each game will be played at 4-on-4, and the second half at 3-on-3. The two teams with the best records at the end of the round-robin tournament will face off for the championship, a six-minute game played at 3-on-3.
The 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Classic in Syracuse will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League: Of the 679 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, more than 93 percent have competed in the National Hockey League, including Patrice Bergeron, Ben Bishop, Troy Brouwer, Ryan Callahan, Zdeno Chara, Logan Couture, Jiri Hudler, Tyler Johnson, Chris Kunitz, Ryan Miller, Gustav Nyquist, Zach Parise, Tuukka Rask, Pekka Rinne, Bobby Ryan, Cory Schneider, Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal, P.K. Subban and Mats Zuccarello.
In operation since 1936 and celebrating its 80th-anniversary season in 2015-16, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 88 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and for the 14th year in a row, more than 6 million fans attended AHL games across North America in 2014-15.
Syracuse Crunch single game and season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased either in person at the Crunch Box Office located in the War Memorial at 800 South State Street in Syracuse or by calling the office at 315-473-4444. For the latest Crunch news, visit www.syracusecrunch.com or follow the club on Facebook (www.facebook.com/syracusecrunch), Twitter (@SyracuseCrunch) and Instagram (@officialsyracusecrunch) using #SyrCrunch and #BelieveInBlue.
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Destiny USA is a 2.4 million square foot tourist destination in Syracuse, NY that includes a strong mix of luxury outlet tenants, restaurants and entertainment. New brands are continuing to open to create a unique and dynamic consumer shopping experience. A stunning three-story glass atrium provides perfect weather year round. Oxford Economics has projected an annual visitation rate of over 25 million visitors from throughout the U.S. and Canada. Destiny USA is expected to be the second most visited shopping center in the country, according to Travel and Leisure magazine. It is the largest LEED® Gold certified retail commercial building in the world.