2017 NHL All Star Game

Jillian Mauro, Reporter

In roughly two weeks, on January 29th, the Staples Center will host the 2017 NHL All Star game. The NHL has just released the rosters which includes both veterans and some new faces.

The fan vote was closed last week revealing the captains for each division. Four captains were chosen based off of what the fans wanted. The four captains will lead players which are spilt up into the four teams by division. These players will be competing in a 3-on-3 tournament format. Carey Price, Sidney Crosby, P.K Subban, and Connor McDavid are the captains for the teams.

A surprise in the captains is forward Connor McDavid from the Edmonton Oilers. McDavid has only been playing in the NHL for two seasons and is already a fan favorite. It will be interesting to see Connor McDavid lead rookies and veterans such Cam Fowler, Johnny Gaudreau, and Ryan Kesler.

There are quite a few fresh faces in this year’s NHL All Star game such as Calder Trophy contender Auston Matthews. Carey Price, the goalie for Montreal, will lead him and Atlantic division stars like Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman.

Some picks that are not as surprising come from the Metropolitan division. It is a list of mainly veterans that include Alex Ovechkin, Ryan McDonagh, Braden Holtby, and Evgeni Malkin. Taylor Hall is familiar and a fan of the 3-on-3 format since he was a part of the winning team last NHL All Star game. Someone who is unfamiliar to the All Star game is Wayne Simmonds from the Philadelphia Flyers, who will appear in his first All Star game.

Click below to view the full roster on ESPN

http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/18444866/nhl-announces-full-all-star-game-rosters