The success of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms among their fans hasn't gone unnoticed by the folks in the AHL offices.

With strong attendance in each of their first two seasons and an award from the league in their inaugural season for providing an outstanding fan experience, the AHL didn't waste much time in awarding the 2017 All-Star Game to Lehigh Valley.The All-Star Game doesn't come with just a game-day event. Instead, it's been turned into a weekend of festivities, which will benefit the Lehigh Valley, with many fans coming to town for more than just the game. On Saturday, Jan. 27, the annual tailgate party and Phan Fest will be held, followed by the All-Star Skills competition on Sunday. The All-Star Game takes place on Monday, which will be nationally televised. Monday will also have the AHL Hall of Fame induction ceremony."We are proud of the success of the Phantoms in quickly building one of the strongest and most vibrant fan bases in the AHL. The beautiful PPL Center and the surrounding amenities will provide a fantastic home for the All-Star Classic," AHL president and CEO David Andrews said.Early estimates are that the game and other activities could add as much as $600,000 to the surrounding area for hotels, restaurants, shopping and other income."This will be great financially for the local community, with the hotels and restaurants and the retail and the airports, but also the platform and the spotlight that's it's going to be able to give the Lehigh Valley and the revitalization of Allentown is incredible," said Phantoms co-president Rob Brooks.The Phantoms have hosted the All-Star Game one other time, when they were playing in Philadelphia, back in 1999. The game this past February was hosted by Syracuse and drew 5,710 fans. The league and the Phantoms expect a much higher number for the game at the PPL Center, which seats 8,420, but can accommodate a few hundred more with standing room availability.Tickets for the event are on sale now, and can be purchased through the Phantoms website for admission to all three days of festivities.Phantom Facts:Goalie Martin Ouellette turned in back-to-back shutout performances, including a 40-save performance against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The 4-0 win also saw Adam Comrie add a hat trick for Lehigh Valley, leading them to their fifth straight victory ... The next day, Ouellette was shipped back to Reading when Anthony Stolarz was sent down from the Flyers ... Stolarz almost notched a shutout on Sunday in Bridgeport, but the Sound Tigers were able to sneak the puck into the net with :18.7 left in the game ... A couple of new guys left their mark over the weekend for Lehigh Valley. Oskar Lindblom, 19, had two goals and an assist in Saturday night's 6-4 loss to Bridgeport at home. Nic Aube-Kubel scored his first professional goal, and Travis Sonheim picked up his first assist as a professional, in a 4-1 win at Bridgeport. Twenty-two-year-old Taylor Leier also scored.