This year’s NHL All-Star Game will take place in Tampa, Florida, and it will be the 63rd All-Star Game in league history. Last week the NHL unveiled the four captains for this year’s game and they followed that up by revealing the four rosters on Wednesday afternoon.
Plenty of the players participating in this year’s game have been there before, but there are 12 players who will be making their NHL All-Star Game debuts this season.
Alex Pietrangelo & Brayden Schenn
The St. Louis Blues are currently in the middle of the race in the hectic Central Division and sit four points back of the Winnipeg Jets as of January 10, 2018. One of the biggest surprises in the entire league this year has been the play of Brayden Schenn. In 46 games, the 26-year-old has 17 goals and 44 points and will get to play in his first NHL All-Star Game later this month. As for Alex Pietrangelo, he sits fifth in points by a defencemen in the Western Conference with seven goals and 22 assists for 29 points in 42 games.
Blake Wheeler and Connor Hellebuyck
The Winnipeg Jets have been one of the most surprising and consistent teams this season. Through 44 games, the Jets sit atop the Central Division with 59 points and hold a three-point lead over the Nashville Predators. Despite losing Mark Scheifele to an upper-body injury late last month, the Jets have continued to keep rolling thanks in part to Blake Wheeler and Connor Hellebuyck. The Jets captain currently sits tied for second in the entire league with 52 points, while Hellebuyck sits third in wins with 23 and owns a .923 save percentage and a 2.36 goals against average in 35 apperances.
Brock Boeser
It's no surprise that Brock Boeser is representing the Vancouver Canucks in this year’s NHL All-Star Game. Despite serving some time as a healthy scratch earlier this season, the 20-year-old still leads his team in goals (22) and points (40), while Thomas Vanek sits second in both categories with 12 goals and 29 points.
Rickard Rakell
The Anaheim Ducks have dealt with their fair share of injuries this season, but they’ve managed to stay in the hunt in the Western Conference. Representing the Ducks in this year’s NHL All-Star Game will be 24-year-old Rickard Rakell. Coming off a career-season where he put up 33 goals and 51 points in 71 games, Rakell has picked up where he left off with 15 goals and 31 points through 38 games.
John Klingberg
It's no surprise that John Klingberg will be playing in his first NHL All-Star Game this year. Through 43 games, the 25-year-old has six goals and 33 assists to lead all defencemen with 39 points. On top of leading the league in points by a defencemen, he also owns a plus-12 rating.
Noah Hanifin
Noah Hanifin is another defenceman who will be making his NHL All-Star Game debut this season. Through 42 games, the 20-year-old Boston, Massachusetts native has already set a new career-high with seven goals and is on pace for a career-year across the board with seven goals and 14 assists for 21 points.
Josh Bailey
Josh Bailey has been playing like a man possessed this season and he’s been rewarded for his outstanding performance with his first selection to the NHL All-Star Game. Last season, Bailey posted a career-high 43 assists and 56 points in 82 games and he’s well on his way to crushing those numbers. Through 42 games, the 28-year-old already has 12 goals and 38 assists for 50 points and is one of just eight players to hit the 50-point mark by January 10.
Jack Eichel
The Buffalo Sabres haven’t had much to cheer about this season, but Jack Eichel continues to put up numbers for the team despite how poorly they are doing in the standings. In 43 games, the 21-year-old leads the team across the board with 17 goals, 22 assists and 39 points.
Aleksander Barkov
Aleksander Barkov has dealt with injury issues over the course of his NHL career, but this year everything seems to be working out in his favour. Through 41 games, Barkov has 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points and is six assists shy of setting a new personal high. While the Florida Panthers have appeared to taken a step backwards this season, Barkov continues to be as consistent as ever and will get to show off his moves in this year’s NHL All-Star Game.
Andrei Vasilevskiy
The Tampa Bay Lightning traded Ben Bishop in order to move forward with Andrei Vasilevskiy as their No. 1 goalie and it has certainly worked out in their favour. In 36 games, the 23-year-old pretty much leads the league in every category as he owns a 27-6-2 record to go along with six shutouts, a .933 save percentage and a 2.10 goals against average.
