At noon on Tuesday, the NHL released the rosters for the 2017 All-Star Game which will be held in Los Angeles on Jan 29 with the Annual Skills Competition taking place the night before. The 3-on-3 tournament will be making its return as the format for the game. Each roster includes eleven players-two goaltenders, three defensemen, and six forwards.
The rosters have been announced for the 2017 NHL All-Star Game. pic.twitter.com/pebHTW8K41
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 10, 2017
NHL Announces 2017 All-Star Game Rosters
Atlantic Division
The division is highlighted by stars such as Auston Matthews, who is having an exemplary rookie season with 21 goals and 35 assists in 39 games played, including his four goal debut back in October. Shea Weber has earned his All-Star spot back after being traded from the Nashville Predators this off-season. Weber plays top pair minutes with the Habs and has tallied 26 points this season. Carey Price, who missed almost all of last season with a knee injury and consequently his all-star slot, is back and better than ever this year, going 20-6-4 with a .928 save percentage and two shutouts. Kyle Okposo, who may be considered a surprise by many here, has scored 12 goals and 27 points for the Sabres after joining them this summer when he and the New York Islanders could not negotiate a contract extension.
Central Division
The Blackhawks have yet again a large presence in the All-Star tournament. Patrick Kane (44 points), Jonathan Toews (20 points), Duncan Keith (29 points), and Corey Crawford (15-8-3, .925 SV%) all make another consecutive All-Star appearance. Toews missed last year’s tournament with injury and will finally be able to play this year. Laine has had an awesome year this year, his first in the NHL, scoring 37 points in 42 games, but may miss the All-Star weekend due to a concussion suffered last weekend.
Metropolitan Division
The Metropolitan Division has four teams (CBJ, PIT, WSH, and NYR) in the top five currently in the NHL, so there is no doubt the stars here, with Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and John Tavares, would be riding heavy. Wayne Simmonds will be making his All-Star debut, having scored 17 goals and 15 assists in 42 games played with the Flyers as one of the best power play net front presences in the League. Hall, who is currently in his first season with the Devils after being dealt by Edmonton this summer, has 25 points in 32 games.
Pacific Division
Connor McDavid ran away with the voting to be captain of the team, and was voted captain of the Oilers by his teammates this season as well. The sophomore player had an excellent year last season, ending up with 48 points. This season, he has a total of 48 points as well and is on route to possibly reaching 100 on the year. Martin Jones must be eager to make his All-Star appearance. He lead the Sharks to the Stanley Cup Final last season, and this year is 20-13-2 with 2.21 goals averaged against and a .917 save percentage. Bo Horvat leads the Canucks in points this season, also having a current seven game point streak.
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