The St. John's IceCaps, in conjunction with the American Hockey League, have announced that defenceman Derek Meech has been added to the Eastern Conference squad at the 2013 AHL All-Star Classic this weekend in Providence, RI.

In 36 games with St. John's this season, the Winnipeg native has recorded 18 points (3G, 15A) and leads the club in power play points with 11. All three of Meech’s goals have been game-winners, also a team-high.

This is the second AHL All-Star Classic appearance for the 28-year-old rearguard, who was selected to participate in the 2007 festivities at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto.

For his career, Meech has played in 345 AHL games with the IceCaps and Grand Rapids Griffins, tallying 121 points (30G, 91A) and 276 penalty minutes. Meech has also suited up in 128 NHL contests with the Detroit Red Wings and Winnipeg Jets, notching 16 points (4G, 12A) and 43 penalty minutes.

Zach Redmond, who was originally selected to play in the 2013 AHL All-Star Classic, will miss the two-day event. The sophomore defenceman is currently on recall to the IceCaps NHL club, the Winnipeg Jets.

A limited number of individual tickets remain available for the 2013 Pepsi AHL All-Star Skills Competition at 7 p.m. on Sunday, January 27 and the 2013 AHL All-Star Game at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 28. Call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or visit ticketmaster.com or the Dunkin’ Donuts Center box office to purchase.

The 2013 Dunkin’ Donuts AHL All-Star Classic in Providence will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League competing a two-day event to be televised nationally in the United States and Canada. Of the 597 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since the event was reinstated in 1995, nearly 93 percent have competed in the National Hockey League, including Patrice Bergeron, Daniel Briere, Dustin Brown, Ryan Callahan, Mike Cammalleri, Zdeno Chara, Miikka Kiprusoff, Ryan Miller, Zach Parise, Tuukka Rask, Pekka Rinne, Bobby Ryan, Martin St. Louis, Cory Schneider, Jason Spezza and Eric Staal.