Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
The Coachella Valley has long been a winter home for movie stars and snowbirds drawn to its balmy weather and striking mountain views.
Now some of hockey’s best young prospects are also making this sunny, scenic slice of California their winter home, at least for a couple of days. The put on a show in the 2025 AHL All-Star Skills Competition presented by Spotlight 29 Casino and Silvercrest on Sunday evening at Acrisure Arena, home of the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference, 19-13.
They’re also getting to know each other. Some know each other a bit from growing up together, international competitions, or past AHL on-ice battles. Now they can put those battles aside, disconnect from the building pressure of the second-half stretch drive to the Calder Cup Playoffs, and just relax.
After another busy day featuring a community event and the AHL Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the players reconvene tonight for the 2025 AHL All-Star Challenge presented by Spotlight 29 Casino at 9 ET/6 PT. It’s 3-on-3 hockey in a round-robin format between the league’s four divisions. Fans can tune in from the United States on NHL Network, from Canada on TSN5 and RDS, and online at AHLTV on FloHockey as well as FloHockey’s social platforms.
AHL leading scorer Andrew Poturalski of the San Jose Barracuda is quite familiar with this booming AHL market. He was a part of the first two seasons of the expansion franchise, reaching the Calder Cup Finals in both years. After signing a two-year deal with the San Jose Sharks last summer, he has already made a couple of returns to his old rink as a visitor, a Firebirds fan favorite who quickly became a Pacific Division rival nemesis.
But this time around, he is once again popular with the locals.
“I don’t think you could pick a better venue for the AHL to have an All-Star game,” Poturalski said. “The environment, the arena, the fans, the weather, you name it, this place has got it. I think it’s just perfect, some of the best fans in the league, for sure. They’re awesome.”
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defenseman Owen Pickering hustled out to the West Coast after being named as a late addition. The 21-year-old rookie, taken in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft by Pittsburgh, has made a smooth transition to the pro game and has already played 25 games in the NHL. After a first half of buckling down to build out an NHL-capable two-way game, the All-Star events afford him a chance to go offense-first. His Skills Competition included the Inglasco Puck Control Relay and the Upper Deck Breakaway Relay. And in the Silvercrest Pass and Score event, he teamed up with Hershey’s Alex Limoges and Simon Nemec of Utica.
“My teammates were great,” Pickering said of the trio converting on two of three chances. “We had plans. Didn’t follow them at all. Just let instincts take over.”
When you have first-round pick talent, letting those instincts take over is a good plan. Just like Pickering, Springfield Thunderbirds forward Dalibor Dvorsky had a stellar night Sunday. Dvorsky, a 19-year-old who went to the St. Louis Blues as the 10th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, took the Silvercrest Accuracy Shooting event with four strikes on six attempts. Then teaming up with Belleville’s Jeremy Davies and Toronto’s Alex Steeves, they went 3-for-3 in the Silvercrest Pass and Score. Dvorsky capped the night by scoring in the Upper Deck Breakaway Relay.
“It was fun,” Dvorsky said. “It’s always fun to shoot some pucks. Overall a great experience, and I’m happy I am here.”
On the American Hockey League beat for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.