Vancouver Canuck captain Quinn Hughes and B.C.-born teenager Connor Bedard are having big years and the hockey powers-that-be have noticed.
They join stars like Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews and Edmonton Oilers centre Connor McDavid among the headliners for the NHL’s all-star teams unveiled on Thursday.
Bedard, the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, leads the Chicago Blackhawks and all rookies with 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists). The 18-year-old North Vancouver, native will become the youngest player in all-star game history.
Hughes, meanwhile, sits 10th overall in NHL scoring and first among defencemen while the Canuck continue their pace among the league’s top teams.
Matthews, who was named to the Eastern Conference team, leads the NHL with 30 goals so far this season. McDavid, meanwhile, has produced 53 points (14 goals, 39 assists) on the year. Both Bedard and McDavid were named to the Western Conference squad.
Montreal Canadiens centre Nick Suzuki and Ottawa Senators left-winger Brady Tkachuk were also named to the East team. Meanwhile, Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and Calgary Flames centre Elias Lindholm made the West squad.
The remaining 12 players, made up of eight skaters and four goalies, will be selected through a fan vote on Jan. 11.
Another fan vote will then be used to select four skaters to take part in the skills competition.
The skills competition, which will be held Feb. 2, will have a new look this year as well. Twelve NHL all-stars will compete for points in eight events, with the one who accumulates the most points taking home a prize of US$1 million.
Each player will compete in four of the first six all-stars skills events, including hardest shot, stick handling, one-timers, passing challenge and accuracy shooting.
All-star weekend runs from Feb. 1-3 in Toronto.
Eastern Conference all-stars:
Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes); David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins); Boone Jenner (Columbus Blue Jackets); Alex DeBrincat (Detroit Red Wings); Sam Reinhart (Florida Panthers); Nick Suzuki (Montreal Canadiens); Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils); Mathew Barzal (New York Islanders); Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators); Travis Konecny (Philadelphia Flyers); Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins); Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning); Tom Wilson (Washington Capitals); Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres); Igor Shesterkin (New York Rangers).
Western Conference all-stars:
Frank Vatrano (Anaheim Ducks); Clayton Keller (Arizona Coyotes); Elias Lindholm (Calgary Flames); Connor Bedard (Chicago Blackhawks); Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche); Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars); Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers); Cam Talbot (Los Angeles Kings); Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild); Filip Fosberg (Nashville Predators); Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks); Oliver Bjorkstrand (Seattle Kraken); Robert Thomas (St. Louis Blues); Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks); Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights); Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets).
READ ALSO: Crosby, Ovechkin among 1st round of NHL All-Star selections
