Josh Morrissey Selected to First NHL All-Star Game

To the surprise of none, Winnipeg Jets' defenceman Josh Morrissey will be heading to Florida for the 2023 All-Star Weekend in early February. On Thursday evening, the 27-year-old defenceman - alongside 31 others - was announced as his team's representative for the yearly spectacle, hosted this time around by the Florida Panthers. The skills competition will go on Friday, February 3, while the game itself will be played the following day, on Saturday. https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1611177339148468224 A total of 44 all-stars will participate in the weekend event, with the final 12 players being voted in online by fans of the NHL. Voting closes on January 17, while the winners will be announced on January 19. With each team only able to send one representative, some big names have been left off the ballot thus far. Leading the way is Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl - who sits second in league scoring - and Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck - one of the very top netminders of the season. Another goaltender missing from the 32 chosen is New York's Ilya Sorokin, while defencemen Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo), Roman Josi (Nashville) and Dougie Hamilton (Carolina) and forwards Auston Matthews (Toronto), Nathan McKinnon (Colorado), Artemi Planarian (New York) and David Pastrnak (Boston) are also deserving snubs. “After reviewing campaign data and fan feedback from recent All-Star Fan Vote campaigns, we noted that our fans want the opportunity to have more influence on our all-star roster selection,” NHL chief marketing officer Heidi Browning said. “We expanded the number of players on the ballots and introduced social voting opportunities for the 2023 (festivities).” Once the four teams (of 11 players each) are assembled, the NHL's department of hockey operations will select a captain for each of the divisional teams. Two teams are comprised solely of forwards and goalies, while two rookies (Matty Beniers - Seattle, and Logan Thompson - Vegas) were selected to participate. The eight all-stars from each division:

CENTRAL DIVISION

Arizona Coyotes - Clayton Keller, F Chicago Blackhawks - Seth Jones, D Colorado Avalanche - Cale Makar, D Dallas Stars - Jason Robertson, F Minnesota Wild - Kirill Kaprizov, F Nashville Predators - Jusse Saros, G St. Louis Blues - Vladimir Tarasenko, F Winnipeg Jets- Josh Morrissey, D

PACIFIC DIVISION

Anaheim Ducks - Troy Terry, F Calgary Flames - Nazem Kadri, F Edmonton Oilers - Connor McDavid, F Los Angeles Kings - Kevin Fiala, F San Jose Sharks - Erik Karlsson, D Seattle Kraken - Matty Beniers, F Vancouver Canucks - Elias Pettersson, F Vegas Golden Knights - Logan Thompson, G

ATLANTIC DIVISION

Carolina Hurricanes - Andrei Svechnikov, F Columbus Blue Jackets - Johnny Gaudreau, F New Jersey Devils - Jack Hughes, F New York Islanders - Brock Nelson, F New York Rangers - Igor Shesterkin, G Philadelphia Flyers - Kevin Hayes, F Pittsburgh Penguins - Sidney Crosby, F Washington Capitals - Alex Ovechkin, F