Sam Reinhart gets Florida Panthers’ spot on initial NHL All-Star Game roster

In an initial selection of 32 players (one per team) for the NHL All-Star Game, Sam Reinhart was chosen as the Florida Panthers’ representative on Thursday night.

For Reinhart, who has been on a scorching run with six goals in the Panthers’ past five games through Wednesday and has 24 goals and 45 points in the team’s 37 games overall, it is his first all-star game selection.

Reinhart, who came over to Florida from the Buffalo Sabres after the 2020-21 season, is on a pace for 53 goals, 47 assists and 100 points. If he finished with those numbers, he would set personal bests in goals and points. He career high in goals for a season is 33, established in the 2021-22 season, his first with the Panthers, and his best points in a season (82) was that same year.

The NHL still has more than a quarter of the honored players to be determined as the final 12 (eight skaters, four goalies) will be selected through a fan vote, which is underway and runs through next Thursday. Fans can vote at NHL.com/vote and via X (formerly Twitter) and the NHL App.

The NHL All-Star Weekend will go from Feb. 1-3 in Toronto.

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby was named an all-star for the 10th time, and 18-year-old Chicago Blackhawks phenom rookie Connor Bedard became the youngest NHL all-star in history.

Reigning MVP Connor McDavid is Edmonton’s representative, and league-leading scorer Nikita Kucherov was picked from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Colorado center Nathan MacKinnon and defending champion Vegas center Jack Eichel are were also chosen.

Auston Matthews, the first player to 30 goals this season, is the first Maple Leafs player picked, though he’ll almost certainly not be the home team’s only representative. William Nylander is Toronto’s leading scorer with 51 points.

Panthers stalwart Matthew Tkachuk’s brother, Brady, was picked from the Ottawa Senators.

“I’m excited, especially being in Toronto where I’m going to be the enemy,” Tkachuk told reporters in Seattle. “I’m definitely going to take advantage of that opportunity.”

This year the popular player draft is back with celebrity captains being paired with NHL All-Stars to chose the four teams for the 3-on-3 tournament.

Fan voting will determine the final eight skaters and four goalies.

INITIAL NHL ALL-STARS

Goaltenders: Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg), Jake Oettinger (Dallas), Igor Shesterkin (N.Y. Rangers), Cam Talbot (Los Angeles)

Defenseman: Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo), Quinn Hughes (Vancouver)

Forwards: Sebastian Aho (Carolina), Mathew Barzal (N.Y. Islanders), Connor Bedard (Chicago), Oliver Bjorkstrand (Seattle), Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh), Alex DeBrincat (Detroit), Jack Eichel (Vegas), Filip Forsberg (Nashville), Tomas Hertl (San Jose), Jack Hughes (New Jersey), Boone Jenner (Columbus), Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota), Clayton Keller (Arizona), Travis Konecny (Philadelphia), Elias Lindholm (Calgary), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado), Connor McDavid (Edmonton), Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay), Auston Matthews (Toronto), David Pastrnak (Boston), Sam Reinhart (Florida), Nick Suzuki (Montreal), Robert Thomas (St. Louis), Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa), Frank Vatrano (Anaheim)