Excitement is in the air as the NHL All-Star Weekend is coming back to Toronto. Four of the Toronto Maple Leafs finest will participate in this year’s NHL All-Star event at their home arena. This is an extra special NHL All-Star year for Toronto as the first ever NHL All-Star Game was held 90 years ago at Maple Leaf Gardens on February 14, 1934. Furthermore, a lot has developed over that time period including the venue, the equipment, and the skills of today’s NHL All-Star players. Let’s take a look at Toronto’s 2024 All-Star Lineup:
William Nylander – RW – 47 GP – 23 G – 38 A – 61 PTS
Auston Matthews – C – 46 GP – 40 G – 18 A – 58 PTS
Mitch Marner – RW – 47 GP – 20 G – 33 A – 53 PTS
Morgan Rielly – D – 47 GP – 7 G – 33 A – 40 PTS
Leafs All-Star Team Matthews Captains and Celebrity Pairing
The NHL All-Star Player Draft will be captained by the NHL’s current goal leader Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews. Assistant captain for this team is none other than Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly. In addition, it is a first-ever appearance in the All-Star Game for Rielly. Each team also includes a celebrity captain. This year the Leaf captains will be teaming up with Canadian singer Justin Bieber. Also, Team Matthews will be wearing the Blue NHL All-Star jerseys which celebrity All-Star captain Justin Bieber’s company helped design.
Will All of the Maple Leafs Be on the Same All-Star Team?
It all comes down to Thursday’s NHL All-Star Player Draft, where the captains will select players for their respective All-Star Team. The 2024 All-Star Game will be played on Saturday, February 3rd. Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly may choose remaining teammates William Nylander and Mitch Marner to stack Team Matthews with as many Leafs as possible. They will be lucky if given the chance to pickup “Willy Styles” and “The Magician” before Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Jack Hughes, and Quinn Hughes make their picks. Note that as of publication, Hughes will remain a co-captain despite being replaced my Jesper Bratt to represent the New Jersey Devils in the game, and Barzal in the skills.
Leafs at NHL All-Star Skills Competition
Only 12 skaters are selected to participate in the NHL All-Star Skills Competition. Toronto’s Auston Matthews and William Nylander are among the 12 competitors in the event. Moreover, Nylander and Matthews are also among the top 12 point leaders in the NHL at this point in the 2023-2024 regular season. Here’s a look at the 2024 NHL All-Star Skills Competition Lineup:
Auston Matthews (TOR)
William Nylander (TOR)
Quinn Hughes (VAN)
J.T. Miller (VAN)
David Pastrnak (BOS)
Nathan MacKinnon (COL)
Cale Makar (COL)
Leon Draisaitl (EDM)
Connor McDavid (EDM)
Mathew Barzal (NYI)
Nikita Kucherov (TBL)
Elias Pettersson (VAN)
How Does the NHL All-Star Skills Competition Work?
There will be six skills events and the players will compete in 4 of the events. Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot, Stickhandling, One Timers, Passing Challenge, and Shooting Accuracy are all a part of the 2024 NHL All-Star Skills Competition. Additionally, points are awarded to the best-performing NHL players from each skill event. The top 8 players will move on to face the Goalie of their choice one on one. The top six point earners move on the obstacle course. Also, the player with the most points wins one million dollars for the charity of their choice.
The 2024 NHL All-Star Skills event will take place at 7 p.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 2 at Scotiabank Arena, live from Toronto, Ontario.
When Is the 2024 NHL All-Star Game?
At the All-Star Game, four teams (White, Yellow, Blue, and Red) will compete to see who is 2024’s NHL All-Star Game Champion Team. This exciting game will take place on Saturday, February 3rd, 2024 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario. Equally important, Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly are leading the charge for the blue team, most of the arena will be cheering for blue. Expect to see a spectacular performance by the Maple Leafs. Go Leafs Go!
Main photo: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
