Wednesday afternoon, the National Hockey League released the rosters for the 2018 All-Star Game, which will be held on Jan. 28 at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Florida. The teams will be split up by division (Atlantic, Metropolitan, Pacific, and Central), and will consist of eleven players (six forwards, three defensemen, and two goaltenders). The All-Star event will consist of a skills competition (Jan. 27), followed by the three-game tournament in a 3-on-3 fashion. Full rosters and coaches below:
NHL Announces 2018 All-Star Game Rosters
Complete 2018 NHL All-Star Game rosters: pic.twitter.com/7NF8565fCU
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) January 10, 2018
NHL Announces Rosters for 2018 All-Star Game
The Tampa Bay Lightning are well represented this year, with four players making the cut, which includes NHL point leader Nikita Kucherov, Atlantic team captain Steven Stamkos, defenseman Victor Hedman and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Los Angeles Kings follow up with three of their own on the Pacific Division squad (Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and Jonathan Quick).
Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser, who leads all NHL rookies with 22 goals and 18 assists secured a spot on the Pacific squad as well. He and eleven other players will be skating in their first ever NHL All-Star Game on the 28th. On the Metropolitan Team holds Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin, who, as well as Chicago Blackhawks Patrick Kane, is appearing in his seventh All-Star game, the most out of any other player selected. Representing the newest NHL franchise- the Vegas Golden Knights is forward James Neal and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
Seven of the top eight players in scoring this season were selected to the All-Star game. They are Kucherov, Stamkos, Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers), Blake Wheeler (Winnipeg Jets), and Josh Bailey and John Tavares (New York Islanders).
The 2018 NHL All-Star team captains have been announced!
Full details and jerseys here: https://t.co/7WDIQGTsRZ pic.twitter.com/JbpRWcRYtR
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 4, 2018
New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was named the representative for the New York Rangers, making this his fourth All-Star nomination, but this will be his first appearance since 2012. The 35 year old started the season out rough, but since November has rebounded nicely and has been excellent. Winnipeg net-minder Connor Hellebuyck will be making his first ever All-Star appearance, currently holding a record of 23-4-6.
The teams will be captained by Stamkos (Atlantic), Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban (Central), Ovechkin (Metro), and Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (Pacific).
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
