Stars rookie defenseman Miro Heiskanen selected to 2019 NHL All-Star Game

Heiskanen, 19, will be making his first appearance in the NHL All-Star Weekend. He is tied for seventh among all NHL rookies and ranks second amongst rookie defensemen with 17 points (7-10=17) in 40 games this season. He also shares eighth among all NHL defensemen and leads rookie blueliners with seven goals so far in 2018-19, while he currently leads League rookies with 23:00 in average time on ice per game.

Video: Rookie Miro Heiskanen on the rise toward NHL stardom

The native of Espoo, Finland is tied for fourth among NHL defensemen and shares third among all Stars skaters with two game-winning goals this season. Heiskanen becomes just the second rookie in Stars/North Stars franchise history to be named to the NHL All-Star Game, joining forward Danny O'Shea who was selected in his rookie campaign of 1968-69.

Thirty-seven All-Star players were selected by the NHL's Hockey Operations Department, joining three of the four division captains elected by fans via the 2019 NHL All-Star Fan Vote presented by adidas: Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (Atlantic), Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (Central) and Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (Pacific). Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, who was voted captain of the Metropolitan Division, announced today that he will not attend the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend.

Below are the current rosters for each All-Star team, which ultimately will consist of 11 total players (nine skaters and two goaltenders):

Atlantic Division (All-Star Appearance)

F Jack Eichel, BUF (2nd)

F Nikita Kucherov, TBL (3rd)

F * Auston Matthews, TOR (3rd)

F David Pastrnak, BOS (1st)

F Steven Stamkos, TBL (6th)

F John Tavares, TOR (6th)

D Thomas Chabot, OTT (1st)

D Keith Yandle, FLA (3rd)

G Jimmy Howard, DET (2nd)

G Carey Price, MTL (7th)

Metropolitan Division (All-Star Appearance)

F Sebastian Aho, CAR (1st)

F Cam Atkinson, CBJ (2nd)

F Mathew Barzal, NYI (1st)

F Sidney Crosby, PIT (4th)

F Claude Giroux, PHI (6th)

F Taylor Hall, NJD (3rd)

D John Carlson, WSH (1st)

D Seth Jones, CBJ (2nd)

G Braden Holtby, WSH (4th)

G Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (5th)

Central Division (All-Star Appearance)

F Patrick Kane, CHI (8th)

F * Nathan MacKinnon, COL (3rd)

F Ryan O'Reilly, STL (2nd)

F Mikko Rantanen, COL (1st)

F Mark Scheifele, WPG (1st)

F Blake Wheeler, WPG (2nd)

D Miro Heiskanen, DAL (1st)

D Roman Josi, NSH (2nd)

G Devan Dubnyk, MIN (3rd)

G Pekka Rinne, NSH (3rd)

Pacific Division (All-Star Appearance)

F Johnny Gaudreau, CGY (5th)

F Clayton Keller, ARI (1st)

F * Connor McDavid, EDM (3rd)

F Joe Pavelski, SJS (3rd)

F Elias Pettersson, VAN (1st)

D Brent Burns, SJS (6th)

D Drew Doughty, LAK (5th)

D Erik Karlsson, SJS (6th)

G Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK (4th)

G John Gibson, ANA (2nd)

* Fan-elected captain

The 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend will once again consist of a three-game tournament, played in a 3-on-3 format, featuring four teams - one for each NHL division. The head coach of the NHL team with the highest points percentage (points earned divided by total possible points) in each of the four divisions at the halfway point of the regular season will guide the respective All-Star rosters.

The Sharks and city of San Jose will host the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend, from Jan. 25 26, including the 2019 SAP NHL All-Star Skills on Friday, Jan. 25 (6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS) and the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Saturday, Jan. 26 (5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS). The 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend marks the second time NHL All-Star activities will take place in San Jose. The Sharks previously hosted the event in 1997.

Fans can join the conversation by using the official hashtag #NHLAllStar. For more information on the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend, visit NHL.com/Fans/All-Star.