Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin, shown Dec. 31, 2019, was the leading vote-getter in the Metropolitan Division. File Photo by Alex Edelman/UPI |
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Jan. 13 (UPI) -- The NHL on Thursday revealed its rosters for the 2022 All-Star Game in Las Vegas, with Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin and Edmonton Oilers teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl headlining the list of participants.
This year's All-Star Game again will consist of four divisional teams -- Atlantic, Central, Metropolitan and Pacific -- competing in a 3-on-3 tournament. It's the league's first All-Star Game since the 2019-20 season, as last season's event didn't take place due to the pandemic-shortened campaign.
The three-game tournament is scheduled for Feb. 5 at the Golden Knights' T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The skills competition is set to happen Feb. 4.
Each divisional team features 11 players. The initial 10 players for each team include a team captain who was voted in by the fans and nine additional players who were selected by NHL Hockey Operations.
The remaining player for each squad also will be voted in by the fans as the "Last Man In," with the league having picked one candidate from each team. Voting for the "Last Man In" runs through 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday.
Ovechkin led the voting in the Metropolitan Division to earn the captaincy for his team. Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews topped the voting in the Atlantic to take that captaincy, while Nathan MacKinnon (Central) and McDavid (Pacific) were named captains of their respective squads.
Among the significant names missing from the All-Star rosters were Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin and goalie Igor Shesterkin, Bruins forward Brad Marchand, Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad and Nashville Predators forward Matt Duchene.
Below are the current 2022 NHL All-Star rosters:
Atlantic Division:
Forwards: Drake Batherson, Ottawa Senators; Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers; Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings; Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs; Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens
Defensemen: Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres; Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Goalies: Jack Campbell, Toronto Maple Leafs; Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Central Division:
Forwards: Alex DeBrincat, Chicago Blackhawks; Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets; Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild; Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes; Jordan Kyrou, St. Louis Blues; Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche; Joe Pavelski, Dallas Stars
Defensemen: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
Goalies: Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators; Cam Talbot, Minnesota Wild
Metropolitan Division:
Forwards: Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes; Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers; Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils; Chris Kreider, New York Rangers; Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Defensemen: Adam Fox, New York Rangers; Adam Pelech, New York Islanders; Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
Goalies: Frederik Andersen, Carolina Hurricanes; Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins
Pacific Division:
Forwards: Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers; Jordan Eberle, Seattle Kraken; Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames; Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles Kings; Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers; Timo Meier, San Jose Sharks; Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
Defensemen: Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas Golden Knights
Goalies: Thatcher Demko, Vancouver Canucks; John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks
