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<p>SPRINGFIELD, Mass. &#8212; David Andrews is aware of the ongoing negotiations between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Luzerne County Convention Center Authority (LCCCA), which owns Mohegan Sun Arena, on a new lease.</p><p>But the American Hockey League President and CEO said Monday that the the league doesn&#8217;t see the talks as a concern for the future of pro hockey in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>Giving his annual state of the league address before the AHL&#8217;s All-Star Classic, Andrews spoke of his knowledge of the many lease negotiations that every AHL team faces in his 25 years leading the league.</p><p>What the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are going through right now &#8212; their lease with the LCCCA at the arena expires on June 30 &#8212; is par for the course, according to Andrews.</p><p>&#8220;I would hope that that&#8217;s going to work out,&#8221; Andrews said of the Penguins remaining in Wilkes-Barre. &#8220;It hasn&#8217;t been brought to our attention as something we should be (concerned about). I mean, I&#8217;m aware of it, but we are not involved in it.&#8221;</p><p>Andrews said he didn&#8217;t recall an AHL team ever relocating because of a lease dispute and that the league is not mediating or facilitating the talks between the two sides.</p><p>&#8220;Every team in our league goes through lease negotiations, and any time you&#8217;re in a negotiation like that, there&#8217;s a concern that you&#8217;re not going to reach a deal depending on how far apart you are in the provisional stages of any negotiation,&#8221; Andrews said, adding, &#8220;If they&#8217;re far apart, then you begin to get nervous about what the future holds.&#8221;</p><p>When asked about Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s location and its logistical fit in the AHL&#8217;s landscape, Andrews thought it a &#8220;little disingenous&#8221; to talk about geographic points when the league stretches from as far west as San Diego all the way across to New England, where the All-Star festivities concluded Monday night with a 3-on-3 round robin tournament.</p><p>He did, however, comment on the importance of keeping the Penguins in Wilkes-Barre for other logistical reasons.</p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;re important because it&#8217;s a successful franchise and it has been for a long time. And that Pennsylvania group of teams has been incredibly successful,&#8221; Andrews said, referring to the Penguins, Lehigh Valley Phantoms and Hershey Bears. &#8220;They are important to each other as rivals. Those are great rivalries and easy travel for the teams. It&#8217;s a pretty neat setup there, so I think the teams that are in these clusters are important to each other.&#8221;</p><p>A non-disclosure agreement has prevented any details of the ongoing negotiations from surfacing, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins CEO Jeff Barrett told the Times Leader on Jan. 9 that talks between the Pittsburgh organization and the LCCCA to keep the team at the Mohegan Sun Arena are taking place daily.</p><p>At the end of the day, it&#8217;s up to the Penguins and the LCCCA to come to an agreement on a new lease that makes sense for both sides. For now, the league remains uninvolved in the talks.</p><p>&#8220;(All of) those things are important, dont get me wrong, but in terms of importance of any one franchise to the league as a whole &#8212; not so much,&#8221; Andrews said. &#8220;It&#8217;s really about what they mean to their regional group of teams.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Prow, Atlantic team fall in finals</strong></p><p>Penguins defenseman Ethan Prow tallied a goal and aided the Atlantic Division All-Stars on their way to the championship game on Monday night. The Atlantic team ultimately fell short in a shootout after a scoreless six-minute final game, which showcased a goaltender&#8217;s duel between Vitek Vanecek (Hershey) and Mackenzie Blackwood (Binghamton).</p><p>&#8220;It was awesome,&#8221; Prow said of being selected and playing as the Penguins&#8217; lone representative. &#8220;It&#8217;s a great honor. So glad to be able to come here to Springfield, and they put on such a great All-Star event. It was a lot of fun.&#8221;</p><p>Belleville Senators forward Drake Batherson (five goals, shootout goal in final) was named the All-Star Challenge&#8217;s MVP for the victorious North Division All-Stars, who have now won the last two 3-on-3 tournaments at the AHL All-Star Classic.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Tony Androckitis</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

AHL president: League not concerned about Penguins’ ongoing lease talks