NEW YORK - Rookie scoring leader Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks topped a list of 16 newcomers invited Tuesday to NHL all-star weekend, this time to compete in a 3-on-3 competition instead of the traditional YoungStars game.
Kane, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, leads all rookies with 40 points in his first 45 NHL games. He, along with seven other Western Conference rookies, will take on eight from the East.
Joining him up front for the West are former London Knights teammate Sam Gagner of the Edmonton Oilers, Peter Mueller of the Phoenix Coyotes and David Perron of St. Louis. The defencemen are Alexander Edler of the Vancouver Canucks, Erik Johnson of the St. Louis Blues, Jack Johnson of the L.A. Kings and Matt Niskanen of the Dallas Stars.
Kane was the rookie of the month for October when he put up 16 points, the most by a rookie in 15 years.
Headlining the East defencemen is Tobias Enstrom of the host Atlanta Thrashers. He wasn't selected by Atlanta until the eighth round of the 2003 draft, but he has gone on to lead rookies this season in ice time (24 minutes four seconds), was tied for second in assists (23) and ranked fourth in points (26) entering Tuesday's games. He was the NHL rookie of the month in November.
The other East defencemen are Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mike Lundin of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Marc Staal of the New York Rangers. The forwards are Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals, Brandon Dubinsky of the Rangers, Pittsburgh's Tyler Kennedy and Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins.
The 3-on-3 event will be held on Jan. 26 as part of the SuperSkills competition on the eve of the all-star game in Atlanta. The YoungStars will shoot against all-star goalies. Each rookie team will have four forwards and four defencemen.
All 16 players were chosen by the NHL's hockey operations department in consultation with the league's 30 general managers.
NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup, the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo, the Stanley Cup Final logo, Center Ice name and logo, NHL Conference logos, NHL Winter Classic name, and The Biggest Assist Happens Off The Ice are registered trademarks and Vintage Hockey word mark and logo, The Game Lives Where You Do, NHL Winter Classic logo, NHL Heritage Classic name and logo, NHL Stadium Series name and logo, NHL All-Star logo, NHL Face-Off name and logo, NHL. TV, NHL Premium, NHL After Dark, NHL GameCenter, NHL GameCenter LIVE, NHL Network name and logo, NHL Tonight name and logo, On The Fly, NHL Awards name and logo, NHL Draft name and logo, Hockey Fights Cancer, Because It's The Cup, NHL Green name and logo, NHL Vault, Hockey Is For Everyone, NHL Thanksgiving Showdown name and logo, NHL Centennial Classic name and logo, NHL Centennial Season logo, NHL100 Classic name and logo, NHL Global Series name and logo, NHL China Games name and logo, and Don't Miss A Moment are trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. © NHL 2018. All Rights Reserved. All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. The Zamboni word mark and configuration of the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine are registered trademarks of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. © Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. 2018. All Rights Reserved. Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.