Leon Draisaitl, Stuart Skinner named to NHL All-Star roster with Connor McDavid
Connor McDavid won’t be the only Edmonton Oiler heading to Florida for the NHL All-Star Weekend.
On Thursday, when the final 12 selections for the All-Star teams were announced, Leon Draisaitl and Stuart Skinner were named to Team Pacific along with #97.
The players were selected through a fan vote.
Skinner will play goal alongside fellow rookie Logan Thompson of the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Edmonton product is 12-10-2 with a 2.96 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in 26 appearances with the Oilers this season.
He’s the first Oilers netminder to be selected for an all-star team since Tommy Salo in 2002, and only the second rookie goalie from the Oilers to play in an all-star game.
The first was Grant Fuhr in 1982.
Skinner says he found out he’d made the team from Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft.
“I was pretty shocked, didn’t really expect that honour. It’s pretty cool that the fans voted me in. It’s a pretty surreal moment for me, and obviously my whole family is super excited about it,” he said Friday.
In addition to being named to the all-star roster, Skinner is also a new dad.
He and his wife Chloe welcomed their first child, a son named Beau, last Saturday.
He was asked on Friday about leaving his new baby to travel to Florida.
“She’s a great mom and she takes really good care of him, obviously. It’ll be nice for her to just have some mom time with him, and then when I come back, I’ll have my dad time.”
Draisaitl is second only to McDavid in NHL scoring with 72 points.
He will make his fourth all-star game appearance.
“It’s an honour for sure. It’s the best players in the world going and you get to be around a lot of guys you kind of compete against on a nightly basis, so it’s exciting, it’s a fun weekend,” he told reporters.
“Thank you to the fans, thanks to all the people that did vote for us.”
He also had high praise for Skinner.
“Very proud of him. Stuey put in a lot of work over the last couple of years. He deserves to be there. Obviously a very special week for him, everything together. I think we’re all extremely happy for him.”
Draisaitl is second only to McDavid in NHL scoring with 72 points.
He will make his fourth all-star game appearance.
The Florida Panthers will host the NHL All-Star Weekend on Feb. 4 and 5.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Hurricane-force winds hitting parts of the B.C. coast as 'bomb cyclone' develops
Hurricane-force winds of more than 120 km/h are hitting parts of the British Columbia coast as a "bomb cyclone" develops off Vancouver Island.
Two undersea cables in Baltic Sea disrupted, sparking warnings of possible ‘hybrid warfare’
Two undersea internet cables in the Baltic Sea have been suddenly disrupted, according to local telecommunications companies, amid fresh warnings of possible Russian interference with global undersea infrastructure.
Sitting too much linked to heart disease –– even if you work out, according to new study
Sitting at your desk all day may put you at greater risk for heart disease –– even if you work out in your spare time, according to new research.
'Embarrassed': NDP MP calls on Randy Boissonnault to resign over false Indigenous claims
A Métis member of Parliament is calling on the employment minister to resign over what he calls harmful false claims to Indigenous ancestry.
Calgary doctor charged with sexual assault of multiple patients
A Calgary doctor is facing charges after allegedly sexually assaulting four patients between 2016 and 2020. Police say all four victims came forward independently in 2023 to report their alleged assaults.
Swiftie's friendship bracelet beads confiscated at Calgary airport
A Canadian Taylor Swift fan has some 'Bad Blood' with the Calgary International Airport after security staff confiscated hundreds of dollars worth of beads she was going to use to make friendship bracelets.
Sarah McLachlan cancels anniversary tour due to health concerns
Sarah McLachlan fans will be saddened to learn the famed Canadian singer has cancelled her 30th anniversary “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” tour due to health concerns.
Trump chooses TV doctor Mehmet Oz to lead Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday tapped Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former television talk show host and heart surgeon, to head the agency that oversees health insurance programs for millions of older, poor and disabled Americans.
'I'm just tickled pink': Two childhood friends from New Brunswick named Rhodes Scholars
Two young women from New Brunswick have won one of the most prestigious and sought-after academic honours in the world.