Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) warms up before an NHL hockey game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at T-Mobile Arena Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022.
Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022 | 4:09 p.m.
The NHL All-Star Game in Las Vegas next month will have plenty of local flair.
Golden Knights captain Mark Stone and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo were named to the Pacific Division All-Star team on Thursday, joining Pete DeBoer, who will coach the team.
Forward Jonathan Marchessault was named the team’s choice for the “Last Men In” fan vote for the final spot on the team.
NHL All-Star Weekend begins with the skills competition on Feb. 4, with the game set for Feb. 5 at T-Mobile Arena.
Stone made the team despite missing 17 games due to injuries. He is now healthy and has 25 points in 22 games.
As captain of the host team, he figures to be among the most popular figures to compete in the event this year. It is his first All-Star appearance.
Pietrangelo has six goals and 24 points this season, aces that would challenge his previous career highs.
Marchessault can still make the team if he is voted in by the public. Fans can go to the NHL website and cast up to 10 votes per 24-hour period between now and Monday.
Marchessault is going up against one player from each of the other seven Pacific teams.
Oilers center Connor McDavid was named captain of the Pacific team, while teammate Leon Draisaitl also earned a nod to the team.
The rest of the Pacific team is made up of Anaheim’s John Gibson, Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau, Los Angeles’ Adrian Kempe, San Jose’s Timo Meier, Seattle’s Jordan Eberle and Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko.
Players were selected by the NHL hockey operations department, while coaches of the division leaders were picked to coach the All-Star Game.
In other February competitions, Golden Knights prospect Brendan Brisson was named to the US men’s Olympic hockey team for the Beijing Games next month.
With the rise of COVID-19 cases throughout the world, the NHL and NHL Players’ Association agreed to pull players under NHL contracts from Olympic consideration, which opened the door for players in other leagues, including 15 college players.
One of those is Brisson, who in his sophomore season at the University of Michigan has 14 goals and 27 points in 23 games. He was selected in the first round, 29th overall, by Vegas and is considered the Golden Knights’ top prospect.
