Connor Bedard will play in his first All-Star Game in his first NHL season after being among 16 players named by the NHL on Thursday to represent the Western Conference at this year’s All-Star weekend, which will be held Feb. 1-3 in Toronto.
Bedard, 18, will join Calgary Flames forward Elias Lindholm, Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, Vancouver Canucks star defenceman Quinn Hughes and Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck among players on this year’s Western Conference roster.
The All-Star weekend will feature 44 players, 32 of whom were named Thursday, in a skills competition and a three-on-three tournament. The first 16 players from the Eastern Conference were announced earlier on Thursday. The final 12 players will be decided by a fan vote. This year, designated team captains — accompanied by celebrity captains — will draft players to fill out the four rosters for the tournament.
Notably absent from this year’s nomination pool is Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar, who could still be added via the fan vote. The West roster currently has only one defenceman, although it does have three goalies.
The league used a player draft at the All-Star Game for a two-team format in 2011, 2012 and 2015, before going to a division-based setup in 2016.
Western Conference players, as nominated by the NHL:
Anaheim Ducks: Frank Vatrano, F
Arizona Coyotes: Clayton Keller, F
Calgary Flames: Elias Lindholm, F
Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Bedard, F
Colorado Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon, F
Dallas Stars: Jake Oettinger, G
Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid, F
Los Angeles Kings: Cam Talbot, G
Minnesota Wild: Kirill Kaprizov, F
Nashville Predators: Filip Forsberg, F
San Jose Sharks: Tomas Hertl, F
St. Louis Blues: Robert Thomas, F
Seattle Kraken: Oliver Bjorkstrand, F
Vancouver Canucks: Quinn Hughes, D
Vegas Golden Knights: Jack Eichel, F
Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebuyck, G
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