Sportsnet is reporting that the NHL has named the first 16 selections from the Eastern Conference. These players will appear in the NHL All-Star Game that will take place February 3rd in Toronto.
The game will be held in Canada for the first time since 2012 when it was held in Ottawa. Toronto hasn’t hosted the game since 2000 and it will be highlighted by Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews who was named alongside 15 other Eastern Conference players.
The league names one player to represent each team at the game, all of whom will be named this evening. After which the final 12 players will be decided by a fan vote on NHL.com as well as several of the NHL’s social media platforms.
The initial Eastern Conference players are as follows:
Atlantic Division
Boston: RW David Pastrnak (3rd appearance)
Buffalo: D Rasmus Dahlin (1st appearance)
Detroit: RW Alex DeBrincat (1st appearance)
Florida: C Sam Reinhart (1st appearance)
Montreal: C Nick Suzuki (3rd appearance)
Ottawa: LW Brady Tkachuk (4th appearance)
Tampa Bay: RW Nikita Kucherov (5th appearance)
Toronto: C Auston Matthews (3rd appearance)
Metropolitan Division
Carolina: F Sebastian Aho (1st appearance)
Columbus: C Boone Jenner (1st appearance)
New Jersey: C Jack Hughes (3rd appearance)
NY Islanders: C Mathew Barzal (1st appearance)
NY Rangers: G Igor Shesterkin (2nd appearance)
Philadelphia: C Travis Konecny (1st appearance)
Pittsburgh: C Sidney Crosby (6th appearance)
Washington: LW Tom Wilson (1st appearance)
The first 16 Western Conference all-stars will be named during the first intermission of tonight’s matchup between the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
More to come…
Seems strange to announce the western all stars during the intermission of an all Eastern Conference game?
Why not announce the west during the AVS/Stars intermission?
Also, why is NHL showing Larkin as a skater for the East, but sportsnet is showing DeBrincat?
Panarin should have been the easy choice for NYR.
He was, but is expecting a baby so declined the offer. I wonder who would have been cut had he gone. Wilson is my guess.
Panarin asked for fans to vote for teammates instead. His wife’s due date is during all star break
why would a ranger going effect Wilson, who is his team’s chosen rep? it would have impacted any of the next batch of guys named, and shersterkin (though he would have been named in the next 12 anyway)
It wouldn’t. I’ve been up early with the kids and it’s clearly affecting my thinking.
Nick Suzuki is a three-time all-star already? Seems generous.
One player from every team is a joke. Jenner, suzuki, wilson & no panarin, nylander or barkov. Almost makes being named an all-star irrelevant. Not farfetched to see a player enter HOF one day with no all-star appearances lol.
while I agree with the one per team (though it’s obviously to ensure all markets feel an investment in the weekend), Panarin asked not to be voted for since he won’t be attending and Nylander will likely be named in the next batch of players. Barkov probably won’t since I can see Bobrovsky and/or Reinhart being named ahead.or do you think the East will only have one goalie and no one from the Atlantic… ie Boston
I think this is Sebastian Aho’s third All-Star appearance, not his first.