Aho, Andersen, Brind'Amour To Represent Canes at NHL All-Star Game

RALEIGH, NC - The National Hockey League today announced that Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho, goaltender Frederik Andersen and Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour will represent the Metropolitan Division at the 2022 NHL All-Star Weekend, to take place from Feb. 4-5 in Las Vegas. Forward Andrei Svechnikov is the team's nominee for the 2022 NHL All-Star "Last Men In" vote, through which fans select one final player from each division to represent his team at the event.

Aho, 24, has registered 37 points (15g, 22a) through 30 games in 2021-22 and ranks second in points among Metropolitan Division skaters behind only Alex Ovechkin (WSH: 24g, 28a). He is set to make his second All-Star Game appearance, as he also skated for the Metropolitan Division in 2019. Named one of Carolina's alternate captains prior to the start of the season, Aho paces the Hurricanes in goals, assists and points in 2021-22 after leading the team in all three categories last season. The 6'0", 173-pound forward opened the season with a seven-game point streak from Oct. 14 to Oct. 29 (5g, 5a), tied for the longest point streak by any Hurricanes player in 2021-22. He has posted two or more points in seven of his last nine games played dating back to Dec. 2, and his team-high 13 multi-point games this season rank tied for fifth in the NHL. Aho was named the NHL's Second Star of the Week on Dec. 13 after recording seven points (5g, 2a) in three games, including a point on all five of the team's goals in wins over Edmonton (Dec. 9) and Calgary (Dec. 11). He has also scored six power-play goals this season, which ranks tied for second in the Metropolitan Division behind only Chris Kreider (NYR: 12), and his 11 points (6g, 5a) on the man-advantage trail only Teuvo Teravainen (6g, 6a) for the team lead. The Rauma, Finland, native has registered 357 points (160g, 197a) in 396 career NHL/Hurricanes games since making his debut in 2016-17, marking the most goals and points by any Finnish-born player in franchise history. Aho was selected by Carolina in the second round, 35th overall, of the 2015 NHL Draft, and among his draft class, he ranks first in shorthanded goals (12), second in goals, third in points and plus/minus (+67) and fifth in points and power-play goals (38). Aho has represented Finland at the IIHF World Junior Championships in 2015 and 2016, IIHF World Championship in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and World Cup of Hockey in 2016. He served as an alternate captain and won a gold medal at the 2016 World Juniors, won a silver medal at the 2016 World Championship and was named Best Forward at the 2018 World Championship.
Andersen, 32, has posted an 18-5-0 record, 1.97 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and one shutout in 23 games this season and ranks tied for first in wins, second in goals-against average and third in save percentage among Metropolitan Division netminders (min. 6 GP). He has also tallied four assists in 2021-22, at least two more than any other NHL goaltender. Andersen is set to make his second All-Star Game appearance, as he previously represented the Atlantic Division in 2020 while with Toronto. He would join Arturs Irbe (1999) and Cam Ward (2011) as the third netminder in franchise history to play in the All-Star Game. The 6'4", 238-pound goaltender opened the season with a career-long, eight-game win streak, becoming the seventh netminder in NHL history to win each of a team's first six games in any season and just the second to accomplish the feat in his first season with the team. He registered a power-play assist for his first Hurricanes point in a 33-save shutout against Boston on Oct. 28, becoming the second goaltender in franchise history to post an assist and a shutout in the same game. Andersen was also named the NHL's Third Star of the Month for October before opening November with a 27-save win over Chicago (Nov. 3) to become the third netminder in NHL history to record a win in each of his first eight appearances with a franchise. He has posted a seven-game win streak dating back to Dec. 7, allowing just one goal four times and tallying two assists over that span. Originally selected by Carolina in the seventh round, 187th overall, of the 2010 NHL Draft, Andersen opted to re-enter the NHL Draft in 2012, when he was selected by Anaheim in the third round, 87th overall. He was traded from Anaheim to Toronto on June 20, 2016, and signed with Carolina as a free agent on July 28, 2021. Andersen made his Hurricanes debut against the Islanders on Oct. 14, becoming the third goaltender in NHL history to go at least 11 years between being drafted by an NHL franchise and making his debut for the club. Andersen has registered a 244-105-48 record, 2.61 goals-against average, .916 save percentage and 20 shutouts in 416 career NHL games with Anaheim, Toronto and Carolina from 2013-22. While with Anaheim, he was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 2013-14 and won the Williams Jennings Trophy alongside John Gibson in 2015-16 as the netminders for the team allowing the fewest goals against. The Herning, Denmark, native has represented his home country at numerous international tournaments, including the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2008 and IIHF World Championships in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2018. He was named Best Goaltender at the 2018 World Championship, posting a 4-2-0 record, 1.65 goals-against average, .943 save percentage and one shutout in six games.
Brind'Amour, 51, has led the Hurricanes to a 24-7-2 record and a league-best .758 points percentage in his fourth season as head coach. As head coach of the Metropolitan Division team with the highest points percentage as of Jan. 10, Brind'Amour became the first head coach in franchise history selected to represent the Whalers/Hurricanes at the All-Star Game. Last season, he became the first coach in franchise history to win the Jack Adams Award, given annually to the NHL's coach of the year. Brind'Amour led the Hurricanes to a 36-12-8 record and a franchise-best .714 points percentage, and Carolina won the Central Division title, marking the team's first division championship since 2005-06. Brind'Amour has earned a 144-73-22 record in his first four seasons behind the bench, and his .649 points percentage ranks fourth all-time among NHL head coaches with at least 200 games of experience. During his tenure, Carolina leads the NHL in penalty kill percentage (84.5%) and ranks fourth in points percentage and fifth in wins, and the Hurricanes have also clinched a playoff berth in each of the past three seasons (2019-21). Brind'Amour became the first head coach in franchise history to lead the team to the postseason in each of his first three seasons in charge, and he has led the Hurricanes to four series victories over that span, marking the first time that Hartford/Carolina has won a playoff round in consecutive seasons.
Svechnikov, 21, has tallied 26 points (12g, 14a) in 30 games this season and ranks second on the team in goals and third in points. He also leads the team in shots on goal (100) and ranks third in hits (51). The 6'2", 195-pound forward hopes to join Brady Tkachuk (OTT) and Quinn Hughes (VAN) as the third player drafted in 2018 to skate in an All-Star Game. Svechnikov opened the 2021-22 season by becoming the sixth player in franchise history to record a point in 10 of the team's first 11 games (7g, 8a), including a seven-game point streak from Oct. 14 to Oct. 29 (7g, 4a), and he ranks tied for second on the team with seven multi-point games in 2021-22. Svechnikov registered 42 points (15g, 27a) and 114 hits in 55 games last season and was one of just three NHL players with at least 40 points and 100 hits. He recorded 98 points (44g, 54a) in 150 games prior to his 20th birthday, marking the fourth-most goals and points by a teenager in franchise history, and in 2019-20, he scored each of the first two "lacrosse-style" goals in NHL history. The Barnaul, Russia, native has registered 166 points (71g, 95a) in 235 career NHL/Hurricanes games, marking the most goals, assists and points by any Russian-born player in franchise history. Selected second overall by Carolina in the 2018 NHL Draft, Svechnikov ranks first in points, second in goals and third in assists among his draft class. He represented Russia at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2018, posting a team-high five assists in five games at the tournament.