Barracuda forward, Gilroy native both selected for AHL All-Star Classic in San Jose

Barracuda forward Danil Gushchin has been chosen to play in the AHL All-Star Classic next month in San Jose.

Gushchin, a third-round draft pick by the Sharks in 2020, leads the Barracuda this season with 29 points in 31 games, including 14 points in his last 13 games.

Gushchin, listed at 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, was one of 48 players selected Wednesday to participate in the event from Feb. 4-5 at Tech CU Arena in San Jose. There are 12 players each on the Atlantic, North, Central and Pacific division teams. Rosters were determined by committees of AHL coaches.

Joining Gushchin on the Pacific Division team is Gilroy native Dustin Wolf, goalie for the Calgary Wranglers. Wolf is the AHL’s reigning Most Valuable Player, is 15-5-1 with a stellar .930 save percentage for the Wranglers this season. Wolf’s career AHL record over two-plus seasons is 90-24-7.

Gushchin is in his second full season with the Barracuda and had 74 points, including 34 goals, in 101 AHL games.  He has three points in four career games with the Sharks, including one point in two games this season.

AHL All-Star weekend starts with a skills competition on Feb. 4 with players from the Atlantic and North divisions competing against those from the Central and Pacific divisions in seven skills events.

In the AHL All-Star Challenge on Feb. 5, the four teams will participate in a 3-on-3, round-robin tournament featuring six games of 10 minutes each. The two teams with the best records at the end of the round-robin will face off for the championship, a six-minute, 3-on-3 game.

This is the first time San Jose has hosted the AHL’s all-star festivities. Ticket packages start as low as $56, and include admission to both the Skills Competition and the Challenge. For more information, fans can visit sjbarracuda.com/allstar.