Penguins Kostopoulos, Pouliot & Zatkoff, Phantoms Manning Named 2015 AHL All-Stars

Tom Kostopoulos is the playing captain for the Eastern Conference All-Stars.

The American Hockey League announced the rosters for the Eastern and Western Conference All-Star teams this afternoon. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins team-captain Tom Kostopoulos will be the Eastern Conference's playing captain and Penguins defenseman Derrick Pouliot and goaltender Jeff Zatkoff will be joining him. Brandon Manning of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms was also named an Eastern Conference All-Star.

In all, three current Penguins will be represented at this year's 2015 AHL All-Star Classic in Utica, New York, to be held on January 25-26th. The full rosters for both teams are in the league's press release here.

Kostopoulos, 35, is in his 16th pro season and is playing where he began his pro career in 1999-00 with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In 33 games with the AHL Penguins this season, Kostopoulos has registered 17 points (six goals, 11 assists), 11 of which have come in the last 14 games. The WBS team captain is stepping up his game with much of the AHL roster called up and in the NHL with Pittsburgh.

Pouliot, 20, is enjoying success in his rookie season. Currently in the NHL with Pittsburgh, Pouliot has tallied his first NHL goal and two assists so far in 7 NHL games, while tallying 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in 23 AHL games with the WBS Penguins. While it's possible that Pouliot may still be in the NHL and miss the festivities, it's also possible that the Penguins could have another player added a replacement for an injured/called up player as well.

Zatkoff, 27, has been one of the keys to the AHL Penguins recent success on the ice. At 11-6-2 on the season, he boasts the league's best goals-against average (1.69 GAA) while also being tied for the best save percentage in the league (.932 SV%). Zatkoff is 6-1-1 in his last eight starts including two shutouts in late December.

Manning, 24, has been the leader on defense for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season. In his fourth year of pro hockey, Manning has 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) in 31 games this season playing top-pairing minutes in all situations. Manning served on the East's All-Star team two years ago during the 2013 All-Star Classic.