The 2019 NHL All-Star game is being hosted in San Jose this year. With the All-Star game just a few weeks away, rosters were announced for each of the four divisions in the league. Each team gets at least one representative, with the home team usually getting a few extra nods for the home crowd.
Miro Heiskanen will represent the Dallas Stars, adding another notch to his rookie season accomplishments. From training camp, fans, players, and coaching staff all remarked on how smooth Heiskanen skates, how gifted he is with the puck, how he’s transitioned almost seamlessly to the NHL game, and how much hockey intelligence the 19-year old blueliner has.
He’s lived up to the Hype Train that started way back in Boise in September, no doubt. Being tapped to represent Dallas at the All-Star Game is another step in helping the league recognize what Stars fans see every night. With his speed, he could compete in the speed competition or be part of the relay race where he saucers passes into the world’s tiniest nets over obstructions. His shot could be an underrated asset for the Central Division in the skills competition, too.
The NHL is doing a “Last Men In” vote starting tomorrow to send one more representative for each division. The Stars’ candidate is Tyler Seguin, and he’ll face off in a vote against Jonathan Toews (Chicago), Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado), Zach Parise (Minnesota), Filip Forsberg (Nashville), Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis) and Patrik Laine (Winnipeg). Not exactly an easy path to the All-Star game for the Stars’ first line center, but he’s got some league appeal and name recognition to help Stars fans vote him in. Voting will close next Thursday at midnight EST, a week after voting opens.
Here’s the full roster for the All-Star game by division:
CENTRAL DIVISION
F Nathan MacKinnon, COL (Fan voted captain)
F Patrick Kane, CHI
F Ryan O’Reilly, STL
F Mikko Rantanen, COL
F Mark Scheifele, WPG
F Blake Wheeler, WPG
D Miro Heiskanen, DAL
D Roman Josi, NSH
G Devan Dubnyk, MIN
G Pekka Rinne, NSH
PACIFIC DIVISION
F Connor McDavid, EDM (Fan voted captain)
F Johnny Gaudreau, CGY
F Clayton Keller, ARI
F Joe Pavelski, SJS
F Elias Pettersson, VAN
D Brent Burns, SJS
D Drew Doughty, LAK
D Erik Karlsson, SJS
G Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK
G John Gibson, ANA
ATLANTIC DIVISION
F Auston Matthews, TOR (Fan voted captain)
F Jack Eichel, BUF
F Nikita Kucherov, TBL
F David Pastrnak, BOS
F Steven Stamkos, TBL
F John Tavares, TOR
D Thomas Chabot, OTT
D Keith Yandle, FLA
G Jimmy Howard, DET
G Carey Price, MTL
METROPOLITAN DIVISION
F Sebastian Aho, CAR
F Cam Atkinson, CBJ
F Mathew Barzal, NYI
F Sidney Crosby, PIT
F Claude Giroux, PHI
F Taylor Hall, NJD
D John Carlson, WSH
D Seth Jones, CBJ
G Braden Holtby, WSH
G Henrik Lundqvist, NYR
The fan voted captain in the Metro, Alexander Ovechkin, announced earlier today that he would not be attending the All-Star game. He wants to use the time to recharge. His voluntary withdrawal from the game results in an automatic one-game suspension for either game directly before or directly after the All-Star break. I’d place money on him missing the game after the All-Star break versus the Calgary Flames instead of the one before the break when his team faces the Toronto Maple Leafs.