Star Power

Love it or hate it, the league's annual All-Star game is right around the corner. It's hard for anyone to get too excited about these kind of games these days, even more-so at a simulated level. However, unlike every other game that is played throughout the course of a RHL season, this is the only game that we are able to actually watch. So, hey, that's something!

The "league" has done heavy lifting for us, selecting one player from each team meaning that unlike in previous years, there will be leage-wide representation. The rosters for each conference currently sit at 16 players (10 forwards, 4 defenseman, 2 goalies) leaving the final four spots to be voted on by league owners (2 forwards, 2 defensemen).

For your voting consideration....

***NOTE: Link goes to player's RHL stat page***

Anaheim Ducks

League Selection: Roman Josi [D]

Who You Should Vote For: Hard to argue for anyone on a trash team like the Ducks, but with Father Time knocking on his door, why not throw a vote to a legend like Patrice Bergeron. 

While Brad Marchand has the team lead in points, it’s always easy to throw support behind Bergy. 

Arizona Coyotes

League Selection: Johnny Gaudreau [F]

Who You Should Vote For: Gaudreau was the league's selection and rightfully so as he has unequivocally been the best player on the 'Yotes roster.

After having traded away the like of Dylan Strome, Vlad Tarasenko and Nico Hischier, the next best option to vote for would be newly acquired Brayden Point. 

Point wasn’t blowing anyone away while in Winnipeg, but elevated to the top line in Arizona, he has nearly matched his point output in half the amount of games played. 

Boston Bruins

League Selection: Claude Giroux [F]

Who You Should Vote For: Giroux continues to be the go-to guy in B-Town and his “wing-man” Evgeny “The Birdman” Kuznetsov is the prime beneficiary. 

Buffalo Sabres

League Selection: Sam Reinhart [F]

Who You Should Vote For: Team captain Chris Kreider might look like the obvious choice as he’s second to Reinhart in scoring, but Buffalo’s major off-season acquisition Nick Suzuki has been holding his own on the top line, not to mention being top 10 in the league in assists (34). Never a bad idea to infuse these all-star games with some youthful exuberance. 

Calgary Flames

League Selection: Kailer Yamamoto [F]

Who You Should Vote For: There’s a dearth of “all-star” talent in Calgary this season, but captain Brendan Gallagher would be as good of choice as anyone. He’s surpassed his point totals from last year while with Vancouver in 32 less games played.

Carolina Hurricanes

League Selection: Tyler Bertuzzi [F]

Who You Should Vote For: Pavel Buchnevich leads the team in goals (22) scored and game-winning goals (3).

Chicago Blackhawks

League Selection: Evan Bouchard [D]

Who You Should Vote For: This will be your last chance to see Ryan Getzlaf at a RHL All-Star game and you wouldn’t be voting just for nostalgia’s sake either as he has the team lead in points. However, Jesse Puljujarvi has been great for the ‘Hawks this year leading the team in goals and tied for the league lead in game-winning goals with 8.

Colorado Avalanche

League Selection: Jonathan Quick [G]

Who You Should Vote For: Currently centring the second line, Pierre-Luc Dubois is bouncing back nicely in Colorado after having a down year in 21-22 which saw his season split between time with Florida and Washington. He should be a fixture in RHL All-Star games for years to come.

Columbus Blue Jackets

League Selection: Darcy Kuemper [G]

Who You Should Vote For: The Jackets have two 20-goal scorers this year (so far) in Mika Zibanejad and Nazem Kadri but it’s Quinn Hughes who looks to earn your all-star vote this year. He’s breaking out this year, with 6 goals (two more than last season in 31 less games) and nearly matching his point output from the previous year. 

Dallas Stars

League Selection: Kirill Kaprizov [F]

Who You Should Vote For: The Star roster is peppered with big names like Pavelski, Eichel, Nylander (along with “The Thrill”) but it’s hard to look past someone like Nikita Kucherov when it comes to the skill and creativity we love to see at All-Star games. 

Detroit Red Wings

League Selection: Alex Ovechkin [F]

Who You Should Vote For: Unfortunately, Ovie’s IRL goal-scoring exploits don’t translate as well in the RHL, but he still holds enough street cred to get the All-Star nod. Trailing him by only one goal for the team lead is Robert Thomas, He has matched his point total from last season and at only 23 years old, will be a big part of the Red Wings (and future All-Star games) for years to come. 

Edmonton Oilers

League Selection: Juuse Saros [G]

Who You Should Vote For: He hasn’t necessarily hit the ground running since landing in Oil Country, but highly prized acquisition JT Miller shouldn’t be overlooked.

Florida Panthers

League Selection: Cale Makar [D]

Who You Should Vote For: It’s hard enough in hockey to find an elite #1 defensemen. Somehow the Panthers are lucky enough to have 2! While Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Huberdeau are hardly slouches, having Victor Hedman and Makar on the backend at the All-Star game sure seems like a recipe for fun. 

Los Angeles Kings

League Selection: Connor McDavid [F]

Who You Should Vote For: Easy choice here. Why not get some readymade chemistry and send along McDavid’s elite teammate Leon Draisatl along for the show?

Minnesota Wild

League Selection: Auston Matthews [F]

Who You Should Vote For: It’s hard to argue with Matthews inclusion, but there’s been some arguments amongst the league fanbase that Sidney Crosby would have been more deserving. So you’d think that’s who the choice would be to vote for here, right? Wrong. Charlie McAvoy has been sensational for the Wild, keeping up with his elite teammates and being amongst the league leaders in assists. 

Montreal Canadiens

League Selection: Jared McCann [F]

Who You Should Vote For:  Paul Stastny loves the RHL. Coming off a fantastic campaign with the Islanders last year, Stastny is impressing in his first year in La Belle Province, helping to lead his team near the top of the Atlantic Division.

Nashville Predators

League Selection: Kevin Fiala [F]

Who You Should Vote For: For the sheer amount of time his name has been dragged into trade rumors, there’s only one choice. Matt Dumba!!!

New Jersey Devils

League Selection: Devon Toews [D]

Who You Should Vote For: Sasha Barkov leads the league in assists and sits fourth in league scoring behind other all-stars attendees Jake Guentzel, Reinhart, and McCann. Enough said. 

New York Rangers

League Selection: Roope Hintz [F]

Who You Should Vote For: The New York Stars, er, Rangers don’t have a plethora of star talent on the roster. And no offense to Jason Robertson who will likely be a contender for the Rocket at some stage of his RHL career, but Kevin Shattenkirk has been a stabilizing force on a rebuilding team.

New York Islanders

League Selection: Ryan Johansen [F]

Who You Should Vote For: Maybe not the sexiest choice, but Jaden Schwartz is the consummate pro. He just puts his head down and plays hockey at a high level. 

Ottawa Senators

League Selection: Mikko Koskinen [G]

Who You Should Vote For: He’s just under the numbers he posted a season ago, but John Carlson goes about his business as one of the most unheralded #1 d-men in the league. 

Philadelphia Flyers

League Selection: Justin Faulk [D]

Who You Should Vote For: He’s been a member of the Flyers for all of five minutes, but Patrick Kane was made for All-Star games. 

Pittsburgh Penguins

League Selection: Mark Stone [F]

Who You Should Vote For: Likely the least sexiest name on this list, Ryan Hartman has smashed his numbers from last season and sits just under a point per game on the season (0.98)

San Jose Sharks

League Selection: Timo Meier [F]

Who You Should Vote For: Ryan O’Reilly is a big reason why Timo Meier is nearly at 30 goals already this season. The Sharks captain is a worthy choice. 

Seattle Kraken

League Selection: Josh Morrissey [D]

Who You Should Vote For: Patrick Kane. Wait. He got traded. Can we still pick him? There isn’t a whole lot to choose from over in the Emerald City, but Vincent Trocheck is the best pick of the lot. 

St. Louis Blues

League Selection: Rasmus Dahlin [D]

Who You Should Vote For: While his numbers haven’t matched those from last year, Andrew Mangiapane knows how to put the puck in the net, and isn’t that what All-Star games are all about? Plus, it’s fun to say his name!

Tampa Bay Lightning

League Selection: Kris Letang [D]

Who You Should Vote For: Constantly overlooked as a bonafide scoring threat and legit talent, Anthony Duclair is the choice in Tampa Bay.

Toronto Maple Leafs

League Selection: Mats Zuccarello [F]

Who You Should Vote For: Seemingly always with a smile on his face (which is a hard thing to do when you play for the Leafs) Steven Stamkos is THE guy in Toronto. 

Vancouver Canucks

League Selection: Jake Guentzel [F]

Who You Should Vote For: After missing a season due to injury, Jonathan Toews’ resurgence in Vancouver is going quite well. 

Vegas Golden Knights

League Selection: Mason Marchment [F]

Who You Should Vote For: With the likes of Brock Nelson and Sam Bennett recently being shipped out, quickly vote for Ondrej Palat before he gets traded too!

Washington Capitals

League Selection: Taylor Hall [F]

Who You Should Vote For: After going 0-for in the goal column last year with the Preds’, Brady Skjei has nearly hit double digits with the Capitals (8).

Winnipeg Jets

League Selection: Boone Jenner [F]

Who You Should Vote For: The Jets raised some eyebrows when they moved on from Brayden Point and picked up Nico Hischier. That being said, Hischier has quickly become a fan favourite in Winnipeg and found some chemistry with David Pastrnak.