Connor McDavid will captain the team and in his debut NHL season, 18-year-old Connor Bedard will participate in the All-Star Game. These were two of the 16 players chosen to represent the Western Conference at the Feb. 1-3 festivities in Toronto.
Bedard and McDavid highlight notable names like Elias Lindholm, Quinn Hughes, and Connor Hellebuyck on the Western Conference roster. This announcement came just minutes after the first group of Eastern Conference roster was announced, led by Auston Matthews.
The All-Star weekend will showcase 44 players, with 32 named on Thursday, participating in skills competitions and a three-on-three tournament. Fan votes will determine the final 12 players, and designated team captains, accompanied by celebrity captains, will draft players for the tournament’s four rosters.
Absent from this year’s nomination pool is Cale Makar, a potential addition via fan vote, leaving the West roster with only one defenseman but three goalies. Leon Draisaitl was also left off the list. Both will need to receive votes to get in.
The league has opted for various formats, including a player draft, to enhance the All-Star Game experience over the years.
Full List of First 2024 Western Conference All-Stars
Anaheim Ducks: Frank Vatrano, F
Arizona Coyotes: Clayton Keller, F
Calgary Flames: Elias Lindholm, F
Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Bedard, F
Colorado Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon, F
Dallas Stars: Jake Oettinger, G
Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid, F
Los Angeles Kings: Cam Talbot, G
Minnesota Wild: Kirill Kaprizov, F
Nashville Predators: Filip Forsberg, F
San Jose Sharks: Tomas Hertl, F
St. Louis Blues: Robert Thomas, F
Seattle Kraken: Oliver Bjorkstrand, F
Vancouver Canucks: Quinn Hughes, D
Vegas Golden Knights: Jack Eichel, F
Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebuyck, G
As Jason Gregor of SportsTalk 1440 points out, “Hard to call it an All-star game when ten of the top-20 scorers in the NHL aren’t on the initial roster. (Panarin, Nylander, Miller, Rantanen, Pettersson, Makar, Draisaitl, Bratt, Guentzel and Point). Make it a true all-star game and have the best players.”
Next: First Eastern Conference Players Selected as 2024 NHL All-Stars
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