SPRINGFIELD, Mass.- The American Hockey League announced that the 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic Fan Balloting will begin Friday, Dec. 9, at noon EST, exclusively on the official Web site of the AHL, theahl.com. 

Fans will have the opportunity to vote for the most deserving AHL players by visiting theahl.com and completing the official AHL All-Star Fan Ballot. The players receiving the most votes by position will earn berths in the starting lineups of both the Canadian AHL All-Star team and the PlanetUSA AHL All-Star team at the 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic, to be held Jan. 31-Feb. 1 in Winnipeg, Man. A committee of AHL coaches will select the remaining All-Stars, and all 27 clubs will be represented on the final rosters.

By completing the official ballot, fans will be entered to win various prizes, including the grand prize of a team-signed authentic 2006 AHL All-Star jersey. Ten second-prize winners will each win an autographed commemorative magazine from the event, and 10 third-prize winners will each receive an official 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic T-shirt.

On-line fan balloting at theahl.com will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, January 8, 2006.

Of the 364 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, more than 93 percent have competed in the National Hockey League, including Patrice Bergeron, Pavol Demitra, Rick DiPietro, Patrik Elias, Miikka Kiprusoff, Kari Lehtonen, Ryan Miller, Martin St. Louis, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal and Steve Sullivan.

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). The annual All-Star Game follows at 7:00 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday, February 1, and will be televised live in North America.