NHL All-Star Game rosters unveiled; Shesterkin among 15 1st-time picks
Fox, Panarin of Rangers added through fan vote for game on Feb. 4 in Florida
Shesterkin, a goalie (New York Rangers), and Robertson, a forward, (Dallas Stars) were among 32 players selected by the NHL hockey operations department on Jan. 5 to represent their respective divisions. One player was selected from each of the 32 NHL teams.
The final 12 players (three per division), selected through the 2023 NHL All-Star Fan Vote presented by Guaranteed Rate, were announced Jan. 19.
"The All-Star Game is pretty special, so I'm excited for that," Beniers said. "(Kraken general manager) Ron Francis and (coach) Dave Hakstol pulled me aside probably like a week ago and told me, so that was pretty cool. It was tough to keep it quiet though, it really was."
Goalies Linus Ullmark (Boston Bruins) and Logan Thompson (Vegas Golden Knights) were also chosen for the first time, as were forwards Andrei Svechnikov (Carolina Hurricanes), Kevin Hayes (Philadelphia Flyers), Brock Nelson (New York Islanders) and Kevin Fiala (Los Angeles Kings), and defenseman Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg Jets). Forward Tage Thompson (Buffalo Sabres) was chosen for the first time but will not play because of injury. Forward Chandler Stephenson (Golden Knights) replaced center Matty Beniers (Seattle Kraken) and will take part in his first All-Star Game
"It's something you dream of growing up, being selected to that," Logan Thompson said. "To hear my name for that is a rewarding feeling.
"Yeah, it's been a tough journey, tough road, and I've definitely faced a lot of adversity along the way. So I think it just makes you grateful for where you're at in your career now. It makes you not want to take things like this for granted. So just something I'm going to be able to enjoy, something that I've worked for, so it's going to be a rewarding feeling."
Hayes, whose brother, Jimmy, died at age 31 on Aug. 24, 2021, said the All-Star nod is extra special to him.
"It's a cool situation for me because, not to get emotional, it's probably the only thing my brother, since he stopped playing hockey, wanted me to accomplish," Hayes said. "I never honestly thought it would happen, but it did."
Forward Matthew Tkachuk will represent the hometown Florida Panthers in the Atlantic Division. It will be the second All-Star Game for Tkachuk, who played in 2020 as a member of the Calgary Flames. His brother, Brady Tkachuk, will represent the Ottawa Senators, and the two will be NHL All-Star Game teammates for the first time.
The players who will be making their first All-Star Game appearances, via the fan vote, are forward Artemi Panarin and defenseman Adam Fox of the New York Rangers, goalie Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders, and goalie Stuart Skinner of the Edmonton Oilers.
RELATED: [2023 NHL All-Star Game coverage]
Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin will be playing his eighth All-Star Game, the most among players participating in the game this season. San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson and Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau will each be playing his seventh. Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid was selected for the sixth straight time.
"It's a fun weekend," Gaudreau said. "I've done it a few times now. When I get an opportunity to go, I try to make the most of it and try to get all my family there and spend as much time with them as I can."
The All-Star Game will feature a three-game tournament, played in a 3-on-3 format and showcasing teams from each NHL division. Each of the four teams will include nine skaters and two goalies.
Rod Brind'Amour of the Hurricanes (Metropolitan), Jim Montgomery of the Bruins (Atlantic), Peter DeBoer of the Stars (Central) and Bruce Cassidy of the Golden Knights (Pacific) were selected as coaches, as their teams will have the best points percentage in their respective divisions through games of Jan. 11, when the NHL hits the official midpoint of the season.
The 2023 NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings will take place Feb. 3 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).
"It's cool," Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner said. "A couple things you dream of as a kid playing in this league, winning that Stanley Cup, and trying to get to that All-Star Game. So, it's a cool accomplishment, it wouldn't have happened without a lot of these guys in this room, really everyone in this room. It's not a one-man thing out there; it's all five guys constantly.
"I've got thank my teammates for helping me out getting that. It's a cool accomplishment, but I'm trying to focus on the here and now and when that comes, I'll enjoy it with my family."
Flames forward Nazem Kadri said he was honored to be selected, and is looking forward to going to Florida for the game.
"It's flattering, really. Obviously, to be acknowledged as an NHL All-Star is something you can keep on your resume. Just very privileged and humbled by the nod," Kadri said. "I'm not the only guy out there. I have lots of help and I'm playing with some great players. That always helps contributing to things like these.
"Very excited to represent the team and head to the All-Star Game. It's in Florida, so that's not a bad touch."
Here are the rosters:
Metropolitan Division (All-Star appearances)
F Sidney Crosby, PIT (5th)
F Johnny Gaudreau, CBJ (7th)
F Kevin Hayes, PHI (1st)
F Jack Hughes, NJD (2nd)
F Brock Nelson, NYI (1st)
F Alex Ovechkin, WSH (8th)
F Artemi Panarin, NYR (1st)*
F Andrei Svechnikov, CAR (1st)
D Adam Fox, NYR (1st)*
G Igor Shesterkin, NYR (1st)
G Ilya Sorokin, NYI (1st)\
Atlantic Division (All-Star appearances)
F Aleksander Barkov (2nd)+
F Nikita Kucherov, TBL (4th)
F Dylan Larkin, DET (3rd)
F Mitchell Marner, TOR (2nd)
F David Pastrnak, BOS (3rd)\
F Nick Suzuki, MTL (2nd)
F Brady Tkachuk, OTT (3rd)
F Matthew Tkachuk, FLA (2nd)
D Rasmus Dahlin, BUF (2nd) ++
G Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL (4th)*
G Linus Ullmark, BOS (1st)
+ replaced TOR F Auston Matthews (injury)
++ replaced BUF F Tage Thompson (injury)
Central Division (All-Star appearances)
F Kirill Kaprizov, MIN (2nd)
F Clayton Keller, ARI (3rd)
F Nathan MacKinnon, COL (5th)*
F Mikko Rantanen, COL (2nd)*
F Jason Robertson, DAL (1st)
F Vladimir Tarasenko, STL (4th)
D Seth Jones, CHI (4th)
D Cale Makar, COL (2nd)
D Josh Morrissey, WPG (1st)
G Connor Hellebuyck, WPG (3rd)*
G Juuse Saros, NSH (2nd)
Pacific Division (All-Star appearances)
F Leon Draisaitl, EDM (4th)*
F Kevin Fiala, LAK (1st)
F Bo Horvat, NYI (2nd)*
F Nazem Kadri, CGY (2nd)
F Connor McDavid, EDM (6th)
F Elias Pettersson, VAN (3rd)
F Chandler Stephenson, VGK (1st)+
F Troy Terry, ANA (2nd)
D Erik Karlsson, SJS (7th)
G Stuart Skinner, EDM (1st)*
G Logan Thompson, VGK (1st)
+ replaced SEA F Matty Beniers (injury)
\ - selected in All-Star Fan Vote
NHL.com independent correspondents Dave McCarthy, Craig Merz, Kevin Woodley, Heather Engel, Aaron Vickers and Alan Robinson contributed to this report*
