Trevor Carrick, Derek Ryan help Central win AHL All-Star Challenge

The Central Division, featuring Charlotte Checkers players Trevor Carrick and Derek Ryan, captured the championship at the AHL All-Star Challenge on Monday.

Carrick and Ryan, each of whom was playing in his first AHL All-Star event, emerged triumphant from the first attempt at an all-new format that pitted the league’s four divisions against each other in a round-robin tournament. The Central finished with a 2-1-0 record, including a 4-0 win over the Atlantic Division in final game.

Ryan highlighted the Checkers’ individual efforts with a beautiful goal in the championship game: Meanwhile, Carrick was able to pose for a championship photo for the second time in a little over a month, as he earlier captured the Spengler Cup with Team Canada in Switzerland: Even the mascot got in on the fun as Chubby took home the mascots’ musical chairs competition: Chubby is day-to-day with an upper-body injury but probable for this Friday’s home game against Lake Erie. We are awaiting the results of a disciplinary hearing against Tux, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton mascot, for the play in question.

The Checkers' contingent also took home top honors at Sunday's skills competition, with the Western Conference winning by a 19-14 score. At the individual level, Ryan finished third in the fastest skater event, while Carrick was sixth in the hardest shot competition.