The National Hockey League announced today that Steven Stamkos and Tyler Johnson have been named to this year’s all-star team. In addition, rookie Jonathan Drouin will have the opportunity to participate in the skills competition as a first-year player.
Johnson, who put up 50 points last season, has taken a huge step forward this year. His 17 goals and 28 assists in 42 games puts him in a tie for fourth in league scoring. The fact that Steve Yzerman was able to lock him in with a contract that carries a $3.33MM cap hit is phenomenal for the Bolts in both the short and medium term. This selection to the all-star team comes on the heels of his Calder Trophy nomination last season.
Joining Johnson in the all-star game will be Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, as mentioned above. While he hasn’t been particularly hot this year, Stamkos has still manage to score 22 goals and 18 assists in 43 games. He hasn’t looked overly dominant for long stretches, but the numbers are still there. The rest of the NHL will have a lot to worry about if and when he gets on a roll.
Despite the fact that he won’t play in the actual all-star game, Jonathan Drouin will take part in the skills competition. The rookie forward, who sits sixth in the rookie scoring race despite the fact that he’s only played 33 games, continues to improve with each passing day. His two goals and 15 assists have come primarily in a bottom-six role.
The all-star game and weekend are fairly meaningless exercises, but it will be nice to have a few Lightning players to focus on when the festivities get started in Columbus.
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