Cossa Leads AHL Prospects to Watch at Rockford All‑Star Classic

Sebastian Cossa of the Grand Rapids Griffins served as the marquee name at the 2026 AHL All‑Star Classic presented by BMO, a two‑day showcase at Rockford’s BMO Center that put top NHL prospects on national television and streaming platforms. The event featured the AHL All‑Star Skills Competition Tuesday evening, where the Eastern Conference prevailed 18-15, and a 3-on-3 All‑Star Challenge round robin Wednesday with eight-minute games to determine the finalists.

Cossa, the Detroit Red Wings’ prospect in Grand Rapids, was promoted as a high-end draft pick and a 2025-26 season standout, drawing attention alongside a roster that totals 48 players, including 12 first‑round draft picks and seven second‑rounders. Grand Rapids was represented by Cossa plus forwards John Leonard and Dominik Shine, with coach Dan Watson among the four All‑Star coaches named for the event. The other coaches were Ryan Mougenel, Pascal Vincent, and Mark Letestu.

The prospects list read like a who’s who of near-NHL talent. Defenseman Tyson Jugnauth of the Coachella Valley Firebirds brought an unusual scoring resume to the blue line, coming off an 89-point WHL season in 2024-25 and sitting third among AHL defensemen with 33 points. Bakersfield’s Quinn Hutson led AHL rookies with 38 points, including 23 goals, while Jagger Firkus of Coachella Valley had 37 points and was tied for eighth in league scoring. Forwards Denver Barkey and Gabe Perreault had already made NHL appearances this season, with Barkey appearing in 11 games for Philadelphia and Perreault skating in 15 games for New York.

Goaltending depth was another storyline. Laval’s Jacob Fowler posted a 2.09 goals-against average, the best among rookies, while Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Sergei Murashov recorded a 2.14 GAA and a .923 save percentage, the latter described as best among rookies. San Diego’s Calle Clang was added to the Pacific Division roster, along with other late additions including Rockford’s Brett Seney, San Jose’s Cam Lund, and Abbotsford’s Ben Berard as part of five roster changes announced by the league.

Broadcast partners amplified the event’s reach: NHL Network in the United States and TSN in Canada carried the action live, with streaming available on AHLTV via FloHockey. FloHockey flagged the timing as advantageous, noting the NHL pause for the Olympics created added eyeballs on AHL talent.

The Classic blended on-ice evaluation with local outreach: former NHL players Georges Laraque and Andrew Ference joined All‑Stars for a community visit at Conklin Academy Elementary School, underscoring Rockford’s months of planning for the event. With the 3-on-3 format producing quick shifts and high-possession play, the All‑Star Classic offered a condensed scouting session for NHL clubs and a chance for prospects such as Cossa, Jugnauth, Hutson, and Firkus to boost their profiles ahead of midseason roster decisions and potential call-ups. Wednesday’s round robin and the subsequent final will determine the All‑Star champion and leave NHL watchers with fresh evaluations to carry into the second half of the season.