The forwards ranked second and fourth in the NHL in scoring (Draisaitl, 70; Pastrnak, 63) behind Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (84) entering Thursday.
The All-Star Fan Vote determined the final three players (two skaters, one goalie) for each of the four divisions: the Metropolitan, Atlantic, Central and Pacific. The initial rosters were selected by the NHL hockey operations department, which chose one player from each of the 32 NHL teams and were revealed Jan. 5. The final 12 players were announced Thursday.
Draisaitl’s Oilers teammate, goalie Stuart Skinnerwas voted in by the fans for the Pacific Division, along with the Vancouver Canucks forward Bo Horvat. Draisaitl will be making his fourth All-Star Game appearance. It will be the first for Skinner and second for Horvat.
“It’s pretty special,” Horvat said Friday. “My family and I are really excited to bring the kids and, expose them to all that kind of stuff. I don’t know if they’ll remember it when they’re older, but I definitely will and it’s exciting and it’s always a fun weekend. So I’m looking forward to it.”
[RELATED: 2023 NHL All-Star Game coverage]
Pastrnak (third appearance) will join his Boston Bruins teammate, goalie Linus Ullmark, who was previously selected. Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (fourth) and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Austin Matthews (fifth) were the other two players voted in by the fans for the Atlantic Division.
“It’s great to have another teammate there, especially when you bring your families together,” Pastrnak said. “They know each other and can hang out together. It’s more fun and it’s definitely more special to have a teammate to share it with.”
In the Metropolitan Division, New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin was voted in by the fans, as were New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin and defenseman Adam Fox. Each of the three players will be making his first All-Star Game appearance.
“[Sorokin’s] probably the most deserving,” said center Brock Nelson, who will also represent the Islanders. “… He gives us a chance. If we’re not at our best [we can] still win games, so well deserved for him and happy for him.”
Forwards Nathan MacKinnon (fifth) and Mikko Rantanen (second) were selected via the Fan Vote and will join their Colorado Avalanche teammate Cale Makar, a defenseman who was previously selected to represent the Central Division. Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck (third) was selected as the fan-elected goalie.
The players added by the 2023 NHL All-Star Fan Vote presented by Guaranteed Rate reflect the top vote-getters in each division, excluding those players who presented bona fide reasons for non-participation and who were excused as a result.
The All-Star Game will take place at FLA LIVE Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Feb. 4 (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS). The All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook will take place Feb. 3 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).
The All-Star Game will feature a three-game tournament, played in a 3-on-3 format and showcasing teams from each division. Each of the four teams will consist of nine skaters and two goalies.
Rod Brind’Amour of the Carolina Hurricanes (Metropolitan), Jim Montgomery of the Bruins (Atlantic), Peter DeBoer of the Dallas Stars (Central) and Bruce Cassidy of the Vegas Golden Knights (Pacific) were selected as coaches. Their teams had the best points percentage in their respective divisions through games of Jan. 11, when the NHL hit the official midpoint of the season.
Here are the rosters:
Metropolitan Division (All-Star appearances)
F Sidney CrosbyPIT (5th)
F Johnny GaudreauCBJ (7th)
F Kevin HayesPHI (1st)
F Jack HughesNJD (2nd)
F Brock NelsonNYI (1st)
F Alex OvechkinWSH (8th)
F Artemi Panarin, NYR (1st)*
F Andrei SvechnikovCAR (1st)
D Adam Fox, NYR (1st)*
G Igor ShesterkinNYR (1st)
G Ilya Sorokin, NYI (1st)*
Atlantic Division (All-Star appearances)
F Nikita KucherovTBL (4th)
F Dylan LarkinDET (3rd)
F Mitchell MarnerTOR (2nd)
F Auston Matthews, TOR (5th)*
F David PastrnakBOS (3rd)*
F Nick SuzukiMTL (2nd)
F Tage ThompsonBUF (1st)
F Brady TkachukOTT (3rd)
F Matthew TkachukFL (2nd)
G Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL (4th)*
G Linus Ullmark, BOS (1st)
Central Division (All-Star appearances)
F Kirill KaprizovMIN (2nd)
F Clayton KellerARI (3rd)
F Nathan MacKinnon, COL (5th)*
F Mikko Rantanen, COL (2nd)*
F Jason RobertsonDAL (1st)
F Vladimir TarasenkoSTL (4th)
D Seth JonesCHI (4th)
D Cale Makar, COL (2nd)
D Josh MorrisseyWPG (1st)
G Connor Hellebuyck, WPG (3rd)*
G Jesus SarosNSH (2nd)
Pacific Division (All-Star appearances)
F Matty BeniersSEA (1st)
F Leon DraisaitlEDM (4th)*
F Kevin FialaLAK (1st)
F Bo Horvat, VAN (2nd)*
F Nazem KadriCGY (2nd)
F Connor McDavid, EDM (6th)
F Elias PetterssonVAN (3rd)
F Troy TerryANA (2nd)
D Erik KarlssonSJS (7th)
G Stuart Skinner, EDM (1st)*
G Logan ThompsonVGK (1st)
* – selected in All-Star Fan Vote
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