NHL All-Star Skills Competition Format & Participants
Check out all of the latest information on the NHL All-Star Skills Competition.
The Detroit Red Wings, like the rest of the league, are pushing toward the 2023-24 NHL All-Star Game & NHL All-Star Skills Competition, which will take place the first few days of February as teams get a break from the action. While most teams are already through their first 42 games, the all-star break serves as an excellent middle ground.
For the Detroit Red Wings, even in a year where they look much better than they have in the past, only one player will be in Toronto for the All-Star Weekend festivities. Alex DeBrincat was bestowed this honor, being the Red Wings lone representative heading to Toronto.
While Dylan Larkin was one of the players speculated to make the cut, he was not on the All-Star rosters ahead of this year's festivities. He has been the team's lone representative for the last few seasons, even taking part in the NHL All-Star Skills competition a couple of times in the past.
He's competed in & won the NHL Fastest Skater contest and a few of the other traditional NHL All-Star Skills competition challenges. This year, Alex DeBrincat heads to Toronto, looking to get his chance to represent his hometown squad. He may not be on the ice for the NHL All-Star Skills competition, but he'll be around for All-Star Weekend.
In 2023-24, the Skills Competition will look a little different. This year's competition will change pace from what it has been in years past, with hopes of amping up the players' compete-level.
A look at the 2023-24 NHL All-Star Skills Competition, its format & participants.
Changes to the 2023-24 NHL All-Star Skills Competition format.
In this year's NHL All-Star Skills Competition, only 12 skaters will take part. Rather than mixing in a bunch of or all of the all-star representatives, this year will feature just 12 players, viewed to be some of the league's best and brightest amongst different areas of the game. It's a change of pace from previous years, but these 12 players will bring good competition.
It's not just a showcase of abilities anymore, either. There will be $1 million on the line. Each player taking part will earn points along the way throughout each event, depending on the order in which they finish. The player with the most points at the end will win the $1 million prize. First place will be worth five points, and second place will be worth four points, continuing.
In the NHL dot com news break about the reimagined NHL All-Star Skills Competition, they mentioned how this new setup is meant to bring a new look to the competition. In prior years, venues like Las Vegas, Nev., and Sunrise, Fla. took events outside to stir the pot on the competition. This year, it's 12 players on the ice in eight events.
Here are the first six events, which each player will compete in at least four of...
- NHL Fastest Skate
- NHL Hardest Shot
- NHL Stick Handling
- NHL One-Timers
- NHL Passing Challenge
- NHL Accuracy Shooting
After that, the top eight players will advance to the seventh event, which is the NHL Shoot Out. It's similar to the shootout challenges of the past, except it will be eight players and eight goalies. A player will be called and then get to choose which goalie he wants to face, adding some strategy to the event.
The standings could see some separation, and in an effort to keep things competitive until the end, the creators got busy. The top six point-getters after the shootout will advance to the final event, the NHL Obstacle Course. They will include all the skills competed in and are worth double the points, which could vault players up the standings.
It's certainly a new twist on the NHL All-Star Skills competition, which has captivated fans over the years in different renditions. This year's competition has a prize and could change how players compete during the challenge.
Which players are competing in the NHL All-Star Skills Competition?
These 12 players have been selected to compete against one another in this year's challenge. This includes the final two players named to the grouping, both from the Vancouver Canucks, after fans voted their players into the challenge.
Here's the field of 12 who will compete for $1 million:
- David Pastrnak (BOS)
- Nathan MacKinnon (COL)
- Cale Makar (COL)
- Leon Draisaitl (EDM)
- Connor McDavid (EDM)
- Jack Hughes (NJ)
- Nikita Kucherov (TB)
- Auston Matthews (TOR)
- William Nylander (TOR)
- Quinn Hughes (VAN)
- J.T, Miller (VAN)
- Elias Pettersson (VAN)
Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat did not make the cut.
Sadly, Alex DeBrincat did not get named to the All-Star Skills Competition roster and will not be competing in the NHL All-Star Skills Competition this year. However, the Detroit Red Wings scoring threat is not short on skills at all. He's been performing exceptionally well in his new home and finally grabbed a big goal after a bit of a drought, scoring against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night.
DeBrincat's got plenty more time here in Detroit to get back to another NHL All-Star Game and compete in an NHL All-Star Skills Competition. Either way, fans will tune in and see DeBrincat represent Detroit and the Red Wings in this year's NHL All-Star Weekend.
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