Kolesnik To Play In AHL All-Star Game

Kolesnik, 26, will join center Keith Aucoin (Carolina Hurricanes) as the two Lock Monsters on the team. In his rookie season in North America, Kolesnik has posted a 13-11-0 record with a 2.77 GAA and a .919 save percentage, which ranks sixth in the AHL. He earned a seven-game stint in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche, during which he went 3-3-0. Kolesnik was leading the AHL in minutes and saves and was among leaders in wins at the time of his recall in early December.

After the All-Star break, Kolesnik will travel to Italy to represent his native Kazakhstan at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. Undrafted, the Avalanche signed him as a free agent in August and he was assigned to the Lock Monsters during training camp.

The 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic will take place at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, home of the AHL's Manitoba Moose, and will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League. The event gets underway on Tuesday, January 31, with the 2006 CCM AHL All-Star Skills Competition at 7:00 p.m. (CT), and concludes with the annual All-Star Game at 7:00 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday, February 1.