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Cameron Hebig at the 2025 AHL All-Star Game (Mike Zitek/AHL)

Utah’s Cameron Hebig’s AHL All-Star Selection Was Earned

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Chase Beardsley | Last updated Feb 8, 2025 8:55 AM ET

Cameron Hebig probably isn’t the first player you think of when you think of the Tucson Roadrunners. He’s probably a player that isn’t on most people’s minds. However, if you ask around the American Hockey League (AHL) and the entire hockey world, he is a favorite to play alongside, and his skill is very underrated.

The 2025 AHL All-Star weekend provided a stage for Hebig to shine after he was selected as the Roadrunners’ representative. The “Mayor of Tucson” sure didn’t disappoint as he had a weekend he’ll cherish forever while he continues to have a career year in his longtime home.

A Well-Deserved All-Star Selection

At the age of 28, Hebig has had a great hockey career. After starting his AHL career with the Bakersfield Condors, he later joined the Roadrunners during the 2020-21 season. In five seasons with the Roadrunners, Hebig has 112 points. This ties him with Kyle Capobianco for fifth place all-time in franchise history in that category.

Where Hebig ranks in most of the all-time stats in franchise history is what has earned him the nickname: “the Mayor of Tucson.” In four and a half seasons with the Roadrunners, he’s fourth all-time in goals with 51 and third all-time in games played with 254. Barring anything crazy happening to him, he is set to pass Dysin Mayo to become the leader in that category this season.

This season with the Roadrunners, Hebig has broken out and has had a career season. He currently has 16 goals and 14 assists for 30 points in 36 games. This puts him first in goal-scoring for the Roadrunners and third on the team for points. He is only two points away from tying his career high in points, which he set last season, and he’s already surpassed his career high in goals. However, Hebig’s career year isn’t surprising to those who have watched him. Those who have played with him knew it was coming, and it was only a matter of opportunity and time to see a big season come from him. That includes former teammate Josh Doan who is now with the Utah Hockey Club.

“He’s got sick hands, and he skates really well,” Doan said. “He’s someone that I think it was just a matter of opportunity. He’s taking full advantage of that, and he’s having a great year.”

Doan was the original selection from the Roadrunners to attend the weekend event. However, an injury to Dylan Guenther forced Utah to call him up to the NHL, opening up an opportunity for Hebig to get his first AHL All-Star selection. No one was more happy than Doan to hear that Hebig was going in place of him.

“When I found out he was going, I was ecstatic, and probably happier that he was going than when I found out the news for myself,” Doan said. “It’s one of those things where there’s no one more deserving of that honor, and that he’s someone that’s going to go and have fun there.”

An Impressive Weekend

It was indeed a fun weekend for Hebig. The first event he participated in was the Inglassco Puck Control Relay Race. He was the first player from the Western Conference to be selected to participate in the solo part of the challenge. He faced Owen Pickering who is seven years younger than him and was selected in the first round in the 2022 Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Hebig ended up not just beating Pickering but beating him pretty cleanly in the competition. The puck control relay race was one of the competitions Hebig wanted to do most. He ended up being a great fit for the challenge.

“I put puck control pretty high up on my list,” Hebig said. “I wanted to do that one. I thought I could benefit from that one. It was fun to take part in that one. I wasn’t sure about the ice and I didn’t get much of a warm-up, but it was just so fun to be here and take part in any event.”

For his next event, Hebig teamed up with Colorado Eagles defenseman Jacob MacDonald and Rockford IceHogs forward Cole Guttman in the Silvercrest Pass and Score challenge. While the trio only went one for three, it provided another opportunity for Hebig to play alongside some of the best players in the AHL.

Hebig loved meeting most of the players during the event, but MacDonald and Texas Stars forward Curtis McKenzie were notable ones he got to team up with. McKenzie was the Western Conference captain and helped lead the Central Division to a 2-1 shootout win over the Atlantic Division to win the entire AHL All-Star Challenge.

“Meeting a lot of these guys was cool,” Hebig said. “I didn’t know a whole lot of these guys. Curtis McKenzie, our captain, was fun to chat with. It was great to meet him, really good guy. MacDonald who is on Colorado is a good guy too.”

To round out the skills competition, Hebig participated in the Upper Deck Breakaway Relay. Against Rochester Americans goaltender Devon Levi, who is one of the top goaltending prospects for the Buffalo Sabres, Hebig put on a clinic of dekes before finally sliding the puck past the goaltender. It shows why even NHL players like Doan are impressed with his hands.

“I just wanted to go out and do something, get the hands going a bit,” Hebig said. “It’s usually one of my staple moves. I thought I’d bring it out and try it out. It worked out good. It was nice to see that one go in.”

Hebig did get to bring a lot of his family with him, including his parents and girlfriend. It provided a time for them to make good memories amidst Hebig’s biggest achievement in his career up to this point.

“It’s great to have them here, and we can kind of enjoy it together and get some memories together with pictures,” Hebig said. “It’s just been a lot of fun. They’re having fun. It’s just been a great event.”

During the final event of the AHL All-Star Weekend, Hebig was impressive offensively. He ended the All-Star Challenge with three points in three games, including a breakaway goal against the Central Division. Unfortunately, the Pacific Division didn’t make it to the finals but to Hebig, it didn’t really matter. It was a weekend that he’ll cherish forever and an opportunity he’ll always be grateful for.

“It was awesome just to get this opportunity and experience this,” Hebig said. “It was such a great two days, and they put on such a great show for us. What an experience having the family here and all that goes with that. It was just so much fun and I’m just so thankful to be here.”

Tucson Is Home

Now, Hebig heads back to Tucson to help the Roadrunners make a playoff push. The team is currently in eighth place in the Pacific Division with a 19-19-3 record. They’ve been on a slump as of late, losing their past eight straight games. Hebig is hoping the Roadrunners can return from the All-Star Break as a team and make a strong push to clinch a playoff spot.

“We’re looking to come out of a bit of a funk right now,” Hebig said. “Hopefully this All-Star Break can give us a little bit of a break and we can come back and get rejuvenated and make a push here. I know every every point matters. It’s a tight division. We have to find a way as a team and have a good push in the second half. The goal is to make playoffs and see where we can go from there.”

While Hebig is focused on the Roadrunners and their playoff push, his individual play has to warrant some NHL eyes. If Utah deals with more injuries or trades some players come the trade deadline, he could be one of the next players called up to Salt Lake City. Even if none of those options happen, depending on where Utah stands closer to the end of the season, he could get a chance in the NHL similar to what Aku Räty and Maksymilian Szuber got last season with the Arizona Coyotes.

However, Hebig is all-in on Tucson as previously mentioned. There’s a reason why he’s spent the past five years there. It’s his home and it’s the place he wants to be.

“I just love it there,” Hebig said. “The fans and the city, It’s just such a good spot. The weather and the hockey side of it are great too. It’s just been a lot of fun and I’ve learned so much from the people there. It’s been a great five years, and hopefully, I can keep it going because Tucson has been nothing but great for me.”

The support has been nothing short of great for Hebig. Some even made the five-hour trek from Tucson to Coachella Valley for the weekend to watch the longtime Roadrunner. Fan support like that isn’t always recognized or acknowledged, but Hebig made sure to shout out the multiple fans who were at Acrisure Arena supporting him.

“They (the fans) come out every night in Tucson and cheer us on,” Hebig said. “There are such great fans in Tucson. To be able to have some of them down here in Palm Springs cheering us on, I was thankful for that. It was so nice to see some Tucson jerseys out there.”

Anyone who has met Hebig knows how great of a guy he is and how respected he is by anyone who has come through the Roadrunners’ locker room. That feeling has stuck with guys who have made it all the way to the NHL.

“I think, above all, he is one of the best guys I’ve ever played with and someone that I’ve gotten along with really well over the years,” Doan said.

There’s a reason why Hebig was selected to be an AHL All-Star. It’s not because he’s a feel-good story. It’s an opportunity he earned. Through his impressive play this season and the respect he’s garnered around the league, there was no one better to represent the Roadrunners than the “Mayor of Tucson” himself.