Nikita Kucherov was named to the Atlantic Division All-Star team as the Tampa Bay Lightning’s representative Thursday night.
ALL-STAR #KLUTCHEROV
Nikita Kucherov has been named a 2023 #NHLAllStar 🤩 pic.twitter.com/zx3sWzQVHJ
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) January 6, 2023
2023 marks Kucherov’s fourth career All-Star game and first since 2019. No All-Star game was played in 2021.
The nomination comes as Kucherov leads the entire NHL in assists with 41 through 37 games. Kucherov also finds himself fifth in the league in overall scoring with 54 points. Kucherov looks to be well on his way to his first 100 point season since his Hart Trophy winning 2018-19 season.
Each team currently has one representative heading to the All-Star game. The rest of the rosters will be rounded out through fan voting to determine the final three roster spots in the four divisions (one goalie, two skaters)
These Eastern stars will be shining down in South Florida for the #NHLAllStar Weekend! ⭐️
Head over to https://t.co/JOMxUndKd8 at 9p ET to help select the rest of the players in the #NHLAllStarVote! pic.twitter.com/rO0vKqOeX9
— NHL (@NHL) January 6, 2023
With the star-studded team the Lightning have, we can expect for another player from the team to likely be added. Andrei Vasilevskiy is the most likely candidate currently due to the need to add another goaltender to the team.
Last year, Steven Stamkos won the “Last Man in” vote and would represent the Atlantic Division along with Vasilevskiy.
This year’s NHL All-Star weekend will take place February 3rd and 4th from FLA live Arena in Sunrise, the home of the Florida Panthers. The Panthers last hosted the All-Star game in 2003.
