Tyler Seguin, the league’s leading goal scorer, has been selected as the lone Dallas Stars representative for the NHL All-Star game.
Seguin has scored 26 goals in the first 41 games of the 2014-2015 season and put up 48 points. His 26 goals leads the league by one, with Rick Nash right behind him with 25. He also sits second in overall scoring behind Jakub Vorachek (50 points).
Jamie Benn, the captain of the Stars, will not be returning to the All-Star game after he appeared in his first All-Star game back in 2011-2012 (the lockout and the Olympics have wiped out the All-Star game the past two seasons). Benn currently sits 25th overall in point scoring.
All of the top ten scoring leaders for the NHL made the All-Star team, outside of the fan-voted Chicago Blackhawks contingent (five of them) and Buffalo’s Zemgus Girgensons (who was voted in courtesy of his home country of Latvia).
All 30 NHL teams are represented by at least one player at the All-Star game, which will also feature a skills competition by some of the top rookies in the league.
The captains of the two All-Star teams, who will be responsible for the draft of their team during All-Star weekend, will be announced next week.
Here is the full release from the NHL:
Forwards Nick Foligno and Ryan Johansen and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will represent the hostColumbus Blue Jackets at the 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Game.
The three Blue Jackets were among 36 players named by the League on Saturday. Six rookies also were chosen to participate in the 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition.
The All-Star Game will be played Jan. 25 at Nationwide Arena (5 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports). Teams will be selected at the 2015 NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft presented by DraftKings on Jan. 23 (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVA Sports). The two captains who will pick the teams will be announced next week.
The NHL announced the full roster of players named to the 2015 NHL All-Star Weekend, which will be held Jan. 23-25 in Columbus.
Each of the 30 NHL teams will have at least one representative in the game; 21 forwards, 10 defensemen and five goalies were added to six players chosen by fan vote: Buffalo Sabresforward Zemgus Girgensons, and Chicago Blackhawks forwards Patrick Kane andJonathan Toews, defensemen Duncan Keithand Brent Seabrook, and goaltender Corey Crawford.
The Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kingswill be represented by forward Anze Kopitar and defenseman Drew Doughty.
The Philadelphia Flyers (Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek), Pittsburgh Penguins (Sidney Crosby,Evgeni Malkin) and Tampa Bay Lightning (Tyler Johnson, Steven Stamkos) each had two forwards selected.
Former Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash, who played in five All-Star Games for Columbus, will represent the New York Rangers.
St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirkand forward Vladimir Tarasenko each will make his first All-Star Game appearance, as willNashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, whose teammate, defenseman Shea Weber, was selected for the fourth time.
Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin was chosen for the fifth time. Two goalies — Roberto Luongoof the Florida Panthers and Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens — were chosen for the fourth time.
Eight other players named Saturday will appear in their first All-Star Game: Arizona Coyotes defensemanOliver Ekman-Larsson, Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron, Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson,Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan and Vancouver Canucks forward Radim Vrbata.
Returning to the All-Star Game are: Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf (third selection), Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin (second), Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard (second), Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter (second), New Jersey Devils forward Patrik Elias (fourth), New York Islandersforward John Tavares (second), Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel (third), San Jose Sharksdefenseman Brent Burns (second) and Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien (second).
The teams will be coached by Peter Laviolette of the Nashville Predators and Darryl Sutter of the Los Angeles Kings.
The rookies, who will compete only in the Skills Competition on Jan. 24, are Calgary Flames forwardJohnny Gaudreau, Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad, Los Angeles Kings forward Tanner Pearson, Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg, Ottawa Senators forward Mike Hoffman and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin.