Colorado center Nathan MacKinnon was voted by the fans as the Central Division captain and will be making his third straight appearance in the showcase of the NHL's best. He is the first Avalanche player to be named an all-star captain since Joe Sakic (Western Conference) in 2007, and he is the first Colorado skater to go to three-straight All-Star Games since Rob Blake from 2001-02 to 2003-04.
The Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, native shares fifth place in the league's scoring race with 71 points (27 goals, 44 assists) heading into the break.
Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen is making his first appearance at All-Star Weekend after registering 74 points (23 goals, 51 assists) through the first 50 games this season. He ranks second in overall scoring and third in assists in the NHL.
The Nousiainen, Finland, native is the quickest player in Avalanche history (since 1995-96) to reach the 70-point threshold, and his 74 points are also a new Colorado record for the most before the All-Star Break, topping Joe Sakic's 72 from 2000-01.
Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog is going to his first All-Star Game after being selected by fans as the Central Division's "Last Man In." The Stockholm, Sweden, native did participate in All-Star Weekend as a rookie in 2011-12, but he only took part in the skills competition as the Avs' lone representative at the event.
Landeskog is tied for fifth in the NHL in goals with a career-high 29 this season. The left wing has also already set new personal bests this year with 10 power-play markers and eight game-winning tallies.
All-Star Weekend starts Thursday night with media day; the event will be televised on NHL Network beginning at 6 p.m. MT.
The league's best then take the ice at SAP Center on Friday with the SAP NHL Skills event, and the winter showcase wraps up with the Honda NHL All-Star Game on Saturday night.
NHL Skills will be televised nationally throughout North America on NBCSN in the United States and can be seen on Friday at 7 p.m. MT. The All-Star Game on Saturday will be broadcasted on NBC starting at 6 p.m. MT.
This year's All-Star Game will once again feature four divisional teams playing in a three-game tournament, skating in a 3-on-3 format. Each of the four teams are made up of 11 players from their respective division.
