Rob Murray Named Head Coach; Larry Courville Asst. Coach for 2013 All-Star Game

[chilly666]

PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL on Friday announced that the coaches for the 2013 ECHL All-Star Game presented by University of Colorado Health will be Rob Murray of the Alaska Aces and Larry Courville of the Reading Royals.

The 2013 ECHL All-Star Week, presented by CCM, begins on Tuesday, Jan. 22 with the ECHL All-Star Skills Competition, presented by OtterBox, and continues with the ECHL All-Star Game, featuring the Colorado Eagles taking on the ECHL All-Stars, on Wednesday, Jan. 23. Both events begin at 7:05 p.m. MT at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colo.

Murray will serve as head coach for the game by virtue of the Aces having the ECHL’s top winning percentage through games of Dec. 30, 2012. Courville is the assistant coach for the game by virtue of the Royals having the top winning percentage in the opposite conference through games of Dec. 30, 2012.

Nine coaches from the ECHL All-Star Game have gone on to coach in the National Hockey League while more than 50 players from the contest have gone on to play in the NHL, including 36 since 2002 when the lineups began having players who coaches felt were prospects to move up to a higher level.

Alaska is 26-8-0, and leads the ECHL with 52 points and 26 wins while Reading is 23-7-2 for 48 points, which leads the Eastern Conference.

It is the first All-Star coaching appearance for both Murray and Courville. The record for All-Star appearances is three by Chris Cichocki, Glen Gulutzan, Davis Payne and Jeff Pyle.