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Brock Nelson and Jack Hughes named to NHL All-Star team

EDMONTON, Alberta — Igor Shesterkin and Brock Nelson were named All-Stars for the first time and Jack Hughes earned his second nod in the initial team announcement for All-Star Weekend, which will be held in Sunrise, Fla. on Feb. 3-4.

Each team gets one All-Star named by the league, with the rest of the teams being made up via fan vote. The announcement Thursday concerned the players named by the league.

Shesterkin, the goaltender for the Rangers, is coming off a Vezina Trophy-winning season and led all goaltenders in minutes league-wide heading into Thursday’s games. He had a .917 save percentage, down from his league-best .935 in 2021-22, but still managed to beat out Ilya Sorokin of the Islanders for the spot on the Metropolitan Division’s team.

Brock Nelson, who was named an NHL All-Star, looks to gain control of the puck during the Islanders' 5-3 loss to the Blues.
Brock Nelson, who was named an NHL All-Star, looks to gain control of the puck during the Islanders’ 4-2 loss to the Oilers.
AP
Jack Hughes celebrates after scoring one of his two goals in the Devils' 5-3 loss to the Blues.
Jack Hughes celebrates after scoring one of his two goals in the Devils’ 5-3 loss to the Blues.
USA TODAY Sports

Nelson, also named from the Islanders ahead of Sorokin and Mathew Barzal, is averaging nearly a point per game, with 38 in 39 matches going into Thursday’s game against the Oilers. After scoring a career-high 37 goals last season, Nelson is producing points at an even higher rate this season, with 3.1 per 60 minutes ahead of Thursday.

As for Hughes, the young center from the Devils has been revelatory in helping New Jersey back into the playoff race. He has 44 points (22 goals, 22 assists) in 38 games as the Devils look for their first playoff berth since 2017-18.

The rest of the teams from the Eastern Conference did not deliver any surprises. After passing Gordie Howe in the all-time goals race, Alex Ovechkin made it from the Capitals, and Sidney Crosby was selected from the Penguins. From the Metropolitan Division, Kevin Hayes (Philadelphia), Johnny Gaudreau (Columbus) and Andrei Svechnikov (Hurricanes) also made it.

From the Atlantic, breakout goal-scorer Tage Thompson from Buffalo was a first-time nod. Both Matthew and Brady Tkachuk made it, from the Panthers and Senators, respectively. Other notables included Nikita Kucherov (Tampa) and Mitch Marner (Toronto).

The All-Star format will be in the form of a three-on-three tournament, with each of the four divisions having its own team.

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