NHL All-Star Game Standout Selections
32 players have been named 2023 NHL All-Stars with still more on the way. Let’s see what selections caught our eye with the first wave of players.
Metropolitan Division
Kevin Hayes, Forward, Philadelphia Flyers (First All-Star appearance)
After struggling to stay healthy last season, Hayes is having a great bounce-back year for the orange and black. On a struggling Flyers team, Hayes has scored 10 goals and 26 assists for 36 points in 40 games.
Hayes was scratched by head coach John Tortorella earlier in the year as the team’s leading point scorer, a move that many fans questioned. He’s gone through a lot in recent years, so the selection will mean a lot to him and his family.
Brock Nelson, Forward, New York Islanders (First All-Star appearance)
The team’s leading goal scorer is making his way to Florida. Nelson has 15 goals and 23 assists for 38 points in 41 games.
After a disappointing season last year, the Islanders are back in the playoff conversation. A strong season from Nelson could be one of the reasons New York finds itself playing hockey in late April.
Atlantic Division
Linus Ullmark, Goaltender, Boston Bruins (First All-Star appearance)
Arguably the best goalie this year and a huge reason why Boston is having a historic season.
Ullmark is 22-1-1 with a 1.87 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage. He is first in all of those stat categories.
We’re just halfway through the season and Ullmark should be the favorite for the Vezina Trophy for the rest of the year.
Tage Thompson, Forward, Buffalo Sabres (First All-Star appearance)
With 31 goals in just 38 games coming into Tuesday, Jan. 10, Thompson is in third place for the goal-scoring title. He can also help his teammates score too as he has 25 assists.
Buffalo is having a great year as they currently have the number-one scoring team in the league with 3.89 goals per game. They also have the second-best powerplay, scoring 28.8 percent of the time.
Central Division
Jason Robertson, Forward, Dallas Stars (First All-Star appearance)
After inking a massive $31 million contract with Dallas, Robertson has continued to progress his game into one of the league's most elite goal-scorers. Robertson sits tied for the fourth most points in the league and compliments Dallas’s four-line deep team that has the potential to make a deep playoff run.
Dallas currently sits atop of the Pacific Division, and Robertson alongside 44-point scorer Roope Hintz have provided the Stars with a +35 goal differential, which is second-best in the league.
Josh Morrissey, Defenseman, Winnipeg Jets (First All-Star appearance)
Morrissey, an 8-year veteran defenseman has found new breath under new head coach, Rick Bowness. Morrissey has begun to produce at a level never seen before in his career, already scoring 46 points in 41 best, nine more points than his career-best season, 37 points in 91 games in 2021.
Morrissey’s lockdown ability in the defensive zone and elite scoring this season have labeled him as a major contender for the Norris Trophy, along with the likes of Cale Makar, Erik Karlsson, and Adam Fox.
Pacific Division
Erik Karlsson, Defenseman, San Jose Sharks (Seventh All-Star appearance)
The 32-year-old defenseman Erik Karlsson has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Karlsson, a two time Norris Trophy winning defenseman has gone on a tear this season, scoring 55 points in 42 games.
Though San Jose continues to struggle in the Pacific Division and lacks defensive structure apart from Karlsson, Karlsson has become the identity of the Sharks, quarterbacking the powerplay, and leading the league with defensive scoring.
Matty Beniers, Forward, Seattle Kraken (First All-Star appearance)
Former Michigan Wolverine, Matty Beniers, has made a name for himself early on in his NHL career, leading all rookies in scoring, and being named the favorite for the Calder Trophy by fans.
At the moment, Beniers has scored 34 points throughout 40 games and has helped the Kraken in their sophomore year stay in the league’s top ten. Beniers has already been recognized for his two-way game with the ability to make plays out of nothing and will continue to be a front-runner for more NHL All-Star selections for years to come.
Anthony Desher is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email acd5698@psu.edu.
Owen Gelber is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email omg5144@psu.edu
