Zach O’Brien to Represent Newfoundland at ECHL All-Star Classic

ST. JOHN’S, NL – The Newfoundland Growlers, ECHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, are proud to announce that forward Zach O’Brien will join Head Coach Eric Wellwood to represent the club at the upcoming 2022 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic, to be hosted at the home of the Jacksonville Icemen, the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022.

The ECHL All-Star team will square off against the host club, the Jacksonville Icemen, in a mixed-format event that features a combination of traditional gameplay, as well as several Skills events which will count as a goal towards the winning Player’s team score.

The roster for the ECHL All-Stars has been determined by the ECHL based on a combination of votes from coaches, team captains, club public relations staff, radio broadcasters as well as members of the media.

Wellwood, whose appointment was announced last week, will serve as the Coach of the ECHL All-Star team alongside Toledo’s Dan Watson, while O’Brien represents the club as the lone on-ice participant.

O’Brien, a 29-year-old St. John’s native, will make his first appearance at an ECHL All-Star Classic thanks to his blazing start to the season, which includes a team-leading 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points.

While this may be his first playing in an ECHL All-Star Classic, it is not his first time earning ECHL accolades. In 2018-19, the 5’11” right-winger was named to the ECHL All-Second Team, won the league’s Sportsmanship Award as well as the June M. Kelly Award as Playoff MVP en route to winning the Kelly Cup.

O’Brien joins former Growlers Giorgio Estephan and Joe Duszak as the only players in club history to participate in the ECHL’s annual All-Star Classic. Wellwood is the first coach in franchise history to represent the Growlers in this prestigious All-Star event.