Dean Kukan selected to participate in the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic

Defenseman Dean Kukan from the Cleveland Monsters, Columbus' American Hockey League affiliate, has been selected to participate in the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino, the Monsters and AHL announced today. He is scheduled to represent the Monsters on the Central Division All-Star squad at the event to be held January 28-29 at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York, home of the Utica Comets.

Kukan, 24, who is currently with the Blue Jackets, has registered a goal and 11 assists for 12 points with 18 penalty minutes in 27 games with the Monsters this season. Scheduled to make his AHL All-Star Classic debut, he leads club defensemen in assists and points. The Volketswil, Switzerland native has posted 8-46-54 and 69 penalty minutes in 132 career AHL games with the Monsters since 2015-16 when he helped the club capture the Calder Cup championship. Signed by the Blue Jackets as a free agent in June 2015, he has a +9 plus/minus rating in eight career NHL games, all of which came during the 2015-16 season.
The 2018 AHL All-Star Skill Competition takes place on Jan. 28 (8 p.m. ET) and will pit the All-Stars from the two Eastern Conference divisions against the two from the two Western Conference divisions in seven skills events. The 2019 AHL All-Star Challenge features the four divisions in a 3-on-3 round-robin tournament on Jan. 29 (7 p.m. ET) with the two teams with the best records facing off for the championship.