The NHL has announced the rosters for the 2019 All-Star Game that will take place in San Jose later this month. As hosts, the Sharks will have a few representatives on the Pacific Division team.
Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski will be sent on behalf of the Sharks.
After a slow start to the season following the blockbuster trade that sent him to San Jose, Erik Karlsson has been picking up steam. His 16 assists in the month of December ties him with Joe Thornton (three times!) and Kelly Kisio for most assists by a Sharks player in a calendar month. Karlsson is currently second among Sharks defensemen in points, behind a certain Wookie. This is his sixth All-Star appearance and first as a member of the Sharks organization.
Brent Burns, making his fifth straight all-star appearance and sixth appearance overall, leads the Sharks with 40 points on the season. Last month, he came in third behind Morgan Reilly and Erik Karlsson for most points by a D-man in December with 14.
Joe Pavelski will be making his third career All-Star appearance. Pavelski currently leads the Sharks in goals with 23, while coincidentally shooting at 23 percent. He is one of six Sharks with 30 or more points on the season.
Pavelski, Burns and Karlsson will team up with Johnny Gaudreau of the Flames, Clayton Keller of the Coyotes, Pacific Division Captain Connor McDavid of the Oilers, Elias Pettersson of the Canucks and Drew Doughty of the Kings. John Gibson and Marc-Andre Fleury, from the Ducks and Golden Knights respectively, will backstop the Pacific Division team.
Here’s the competition:
Atlantic Division
Forwards: Jack Eichel, Sabres (2nd), Nikita Kucherov, Lightning (3rd), Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs (3rd), David Pastrnak, Bruins (1st), Steven Stamkos, Lightning (6th), John Tavares, Maple Leafs (6th)
Defensemen: Thomas Chabot, Senators (1st), Keith Yandle, Panthers (3rd)
Goalies:Carey Price, Canadiens, Jimmy Howard, Red Wings
Metropolitan Division
Forwards: Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes (1st), Cam Atkinson, Blue Jackets (2nd), Mathew Barzal, Islanders (1st), Sidney Crosby, Penguins (8th), Claude Giroux, Flyers (6th), Taylor Hall, Devils (5th)
Defensemen: Seth Jones, Blue Jackets (3rd), John Carlson, Capitals (1st)
Goalies: Braden Holtby, Capitals (4th), Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers (6th)
Central Division
Forwards: Patrick Kane, Blackhawks (8th), Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche (3rd), Ryan O’Reilly, Blues (1st), Mikko Rantanen, Avalanche (1st), Mark Scheifele, Jets (1st), Blake Wheeler, Jets (2nd)
Defensemen: Miro Keiskanen, Stars (1st), Roman Josi, Predators (2nd)
Goalies: Devan Dubnyk, Wild (3rd), Pekka Rinne, Predators (3rd)
Auston Matthews will captain the Atlantic Division and Nathan MacKinnon will captain the Central. Alex Ovechkin was to captain the Metropolitan, but has informed the NHL that he does not intend to attend the event. No replacement has been named yet.
Introduced this season will be a contest to include one final fan selection to each division team. The League’s Hockey Operations Department has selected one player from each team considered “All-Star caliber” that was not named to the initial roster. Fans will vote on the “last man in” from Jan. 3 at 9 a.m. PST to at 8:59 p.m. PST. on Thursday, Jan. 10. Fans can vote at NHL.com/Vote.
The Last Man In nomination for the Sharks is Logan Couture. Couture was the NHL Rookie All-Star team captain in 2011, as well as named to the All-Star Game in 2012.
The full Last Man In nomination list follows:
Atlantic Division
Patrice Bergeron, Bruins
Jeff Skinner, Sabres
Dylan Larkin, Red Wings
Aleksander Barkov, Panthers
Shea Weber, Canadiens
Mark Stone, Senators
Brayden Point, Lightning
Morgan Rielly, Maple Leafs
Metropolitan Division
Teuvo Teravainen, Hurricanes
Nick Foligno, Blue Jackets
Kyle Palmeri, Devils
Anders Lee, Islanders
Mats Zuccarello, Rangers
Jakub Voracek, Flyers
Kris Letang, Penguins
Nicklas Backstrom, Capitals
Central Division
Jonathan Toews, Blackhawks
Gabriel Landeskog, Avalanche
Tyler Seguin, Stars
Zach Parise, Wild
Filip Forsberg, Predators
Vladimir Tarasenko, Blues
Patrik Laine, Jets
Pacific Division
Ryan Getzlaf, Ducks
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Coyotes
Mark Giordano, Flames
Leon Draisaitl, Oilers
Anze Kopitar, Kings
Logan Couture, Sharks
Brock Boeser, Canucks
Jonathan Marchessault, Golden Knights
The 2019 NHL All-Star game will take place on Jan. 26., at 5:00 p.m. PST/8:00 p.m. EST and be broadcast in the United States on NBC.
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