Aaron Ekblad of the Minsk Hussars had never been named to the All-Star Game before this season. Neither had Zach Werenski of Oslo. But the two youngsters (21 and 20, respectively) are having such good seasons, they were voted in by league GMs this season. In fact, Ekblad was voted in as a starter for the Northern Conference along with Hussar teammate Ryan McDonagh. Ekblad and Werenski are both good enough to be the league’s next Shea Weber and Dustin Byfuglien – the defensemen who always seem to make the all-star game.
Neither veteran made the team this year. Weber was injured for part of this season and that could be a contributing factor. He and Big Buff are way down the list when you sort defensemen stats by points. Byfuglien, 33, of Dublin has 14 points through 42 games. a dismal season for a guy who usually generates around 50 points. He’s also -12. Weber, also 33, has just 11 points in 32 games for Bern. Both veterans have been traded often in their careers, but both have usually excelled. Byfuglien made it to 6 All-Star Games with 4 different teams. Weber did him one better, making it to 6 All-Star Games with 5 different teams. Only one player has appeared in more All-Star Games than Byfuglien and Weber: Evgeny Malkin of Paris, who currently ranks second all-time in goals, assists and points. Steven Stamkos, of the Frankfurt/Lisbon organization is the only guy above him on those lists.
Here is a list of the players who have made it to the All-Star Game the most times
- Evgeny Malkin, 7
- Dustin Byfuglien, 6
- Shea Weber, 6
- Erik Karlsson, 6
- Alex Pietrangelo, 6
- Ryan Suter, 6
- Jonathan Quick, 6
- Steven Stamkos, 6
- Claude Giroux, 6
The online All-Star Guide and History book has been updated. Click here to view it: All-Star Guide updated
