Mathew Barzal, the former star of the Seattle Thunderbirds, has been chosen to play in the NHL All-Star Game on Saturday, Jan. 26, at the SAP Center in San Jose.
It will be the first all-star game for Barzal, 21, a second-year center for the New York Islanders. He was named to the Metropolitan Division roster on Wednesday by the NHL Hockey Operations Department.
Barzal won the Calder Memorial Trophy last season as the top rookie in the league. So far this season, he has 10 goals and 26 assists for a team-leading 36 points. He had eight goals and 15 assists in December after a slow start to the season. Last year, Barzal led all rookies with 85 points – 22 goals and 63 assists – in 82 games.
The Islanders selected Barzal in the first round, 16th overall, in the 2015 draft.
Barzal, of British Columbia, played four seasons with the Kent-based T-Birds from 2013 to 2017. He was the Western Hockey League Playoff MVP as the T-Birds won the 2017 WHL championship. Barzal was a two-time WHL Western Conference All-Star and was the 2016-17 WHL Western Conference Player of the Year.
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