DENVER — Colorado Avalanche forwards Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon have been selected to play in the NHL All-Star game after a fan vote.
Rantanen and MacKinnon were voted as two of the remaining three players for the Central Division and will join teammate Cale Makar at the NHL All-Star Weekend next month at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, home of the Florida Panthers.
Under a new format, the NHL's department of hockey operations chose one player per NHL team in each division, making up the initial eight-man rosters for each division. The three remaining players per division were selected as part of the 2023 All-Star Fan Vote.
It will be the second All-Star appearance for the 26-year-old Rantanen. The former first-round draft pick leads the Avalanche and ranks fourth in the league in goals (31). He was the fastest player to reach 30 goals in Avalanche history, doing so in his 43rd game. He scored 29 goals in Colorado's first 41 games, the most by an Avalanche player at the halfway point of a season.
MacKinnon, 27, will represent the Avalanche in the All-Star Game for the sixth straight season, the first Avalanche player to be selected to six consecutive All-Star games since Peter Forsberg. The former first overall draft pick leads the Avalanche in assists (36) and is second in points (49). He ranks third in the league with 1.53 points per game, the highest points-per-game average of his career.
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