Duclair set to join NHL's best this weekend in St. Louis

It's been a breakout first half for Senators forward Anthony Duclair. The 24-year-old has already set a new career-high for goals in a season through just 47 games in 2019-20 and he heads into the All-Star Break leading the team in goals (21) and points (33) as he continues to look to lock down a long-term position in Ottawa.

Perhaps more impressive than his offensive stat line, which has already helped him earn an NHL's Second Star of the Week nod last month, is the expanded role he has taken on with the Senators this year. Duclair's ice-time is up over two minutes a game this season (16:30/GP) compared to his previous career high (14:23/GP) with the Coyotes back in 2015-16 and he has become a permanent addition to the team's penalty killing unit which ranks 15th in the league (81.1%).
"It's a huge honour and wasn't anything I expected at the beginning of the year to be honest," said Duclair about the All-Star nomination. "I was just focused on being in the line-up every night and to try and produce as much as I can to help the team win."
"When the opportunity came for me to take on probably the biggest role of my career and to play with some of the team's best players, I tried my best to make the most of it and not to take it for granted," he continued. "It's a huge honour for me to represent this organization and my family in St. Louis."

Duclair will have some support in the stands of the Enterprise Center in St. Louis this weekend as his mother is expected to join him on the trip and while this remains his first experience attending the NHL's All-Star festivities, he is excited to see a few familiar faces around the locker rooms too.
"I talked with Seth Jones in Columbus and I know a few of the other guys that will be there too," Duclair said. "I'm just looking forward to the opportunity to get to play and be around the best players in the game."
Sens fans will get a second opportunity to see one of their team's most skilled players show off their stuff after Duclair missed Ottawa's annual Sens Skills event due to an injury earlier this month. When asked which events he might like to participate in this weekend, Duclair shared that he was interested to see how his wheels would stack up against the NHL's best.
"I was hoping to participate in our skills competition here to get a little practice in," Duclair joked. "I'm not sure what I'm doing yet but I'm thinking maybe fastest skater. I think I'd be pretty good at that but it's hard to say how I might compare to guys like Connor McDavid and Nathan McKinnon and those guys but it'll be fun to compete and see how all the guys interact."
Prior to shipping off to St. Louis, Duclair's plans for the start of the Bye Week are a little tamer than previous years. The Point-Claire, QC native has opted to spend time at home with his family instead of some of the more popular southern destinations being frequented by players around the league this week.
"I'm excited to go home first and spend a few days with my family. I'm looking forward to that down time," he said. "In the past, I'd go on trips or vacations but this year I'm just excited to go home and maybe get a few workouts in. It's a long season so it's important to get as much rest as possible so thankfully I have a few days before All-Star Weekend to recharge a little bit."
While this week provides Duclair with an opportunity for some physical rest and recuperation, he's also identified the Bye Week as an opportunity to reset mentality and prepare for the grind of the season half of the season.
"I feel like the Bye Week is the unofficial start to the second half of the season instead of the 41-game mark. So whatever happened, good or bad, in the first half is done with and you need to move on from," said Duclair. "I think it's important to come back from the break with a fresh and open mind. If you're having a good season, then you want to build off that and if you're having a not so great season, it's an opportunity to start fresh."
Duclair is set to arrive in St. Louis for Media Day on Thursday and will participate in the Skills Competition and 2020 All-Star Game on Friday and Saturday night respectively before the Sens return to action on Monday, Jan. 27th at Canadian Tire Centre against the New Jersey Devils. For more details on NHL All-Star Weekend,
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