Out with the divisions, in with a chaotic captains draft.
NHL All-Star Weekend is here, as the league's brightest stars are gathered in the hockey hub of Toronto. On deck Friday is the skills competition before the game takes place on Saturday afternoon.
Before the All-Star action commences, however, the teams have to be decided. The league elected to bring back a format from the past, as the 2024 event will utilize a player draft to determine the four All-Star teams.
Rather than going by divisions, the NHL has four designated captains that will select their 11-man rosters ahead of the festivities. That selection process takes place tonight, as all of the All-Star players will be in attendance at Scotiabank Arena to find out which squad they will be competing on for the All-Star Game.
Here is what fans need to know for Thursday's All-Star Game selection show.
MORE: Watch NHL All-Star weekend live with Fubo (free trial)
NHL All-Star Game rosters: Live draft results 2024
Team Hughes
The brothers Hughes are together for the 2024 NHL All-Star Game. The squad is co-captained by Devils center Jack Hughes and Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes. While Jack will be a captain on the team, the New Jersey star will not be participating in the game as he continues to battle back from an injury.
With the middle Hughes brother unable to perform, Quinn's teammate in Vancouver, Elias Pettersson, has been tabbed as an assistant captain for the team.
The pair of Hughes siblings will be joined by singer Michael Buble as the celebrity guest.
| Player | Position | Team |
| Quinn Hughes | D | Vancouver Canucks |
| Elias Pettersson | F | Vancouver Canucks |
| Nikita Kucherov | F | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Thatcher Demko | G | Vancouver Canucks |
| Kyle Connor | F | Winnipeg Jets |
| Brady Tkachuk | F | Ottawa Senators |
| Jesper Bratt | F | New Jersey Devils |
| Cam Talbot | G | Los Angeles Kings |
| Brock Boeser | F | Vancouver Canucks |
| J.T Miller | F | Vancouver Canucks |
| Frank Vatrano | F | Anaheim Ducks |
Team Matthews
The Toronto faithful have a number of representatives at the event, but I would imagine a majority of Leafs fans are pulling for Team Matthews. Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews is the captain, with Toronto teammate Morgan Rielly set to serve as assistant captain.
The celebrity guest for Team Matthews is another Toronto sensation and one of Matthews' best buddies — singer Justin Bieber.
| Player | Position | Team |
| Auston Matthews | F | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Morgan Rielly | D | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| William Nylander | F | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Mitch Marner | F | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Jake Oettinger | G | Dallas Stars |
| Clayton Keller | F | Arizona Coyotes |
| Mathew Barzal | F | New York Islanders |
| Igor Shesterkin | G | New York Rangers |
| Filip Forsberg | F | Nashville Predators |
| Alex DeBrincat | F | Detroit Red Wings |
| Vincent Trocheck | F | New York Rangers |
Team MacKinnon
The deadly duo of MacKinnon and Makar highlight this squad, as Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon is set to captain his own team alongside Colorado defenseman Cale Makar.
Joining the pair of Avalanche studs as a celebrity guest is singer Tate McRae.
| Player | Position | Team |
| Nathan MacKinnon | F | Colorado Avalanche |
| Cale Makar | D | Colorado Avalanche |
| Sidney Crosby | F | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Alexandar Georgiev | G | Colorado Avalanche |
| Kirill Kaprizov | F | Minnesota Wild |
| Sebastian Aho | F | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Tom Wilson | F | Washington Capitals |
| Jeremy Swayman | G | Boston Bruins |
| Travis Konecny | F | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Elias Lindholm | F | Vancouver Canucks |
| Oliver Bjorkstrand | F | Seattle Kraken |
Team McDavid
Wrapping up the teams is another dynamic duo in the Western Conference. Oilers superstar Connor McDavid is the captain for Team McDavid, with his typical partner in crime, Leon Draisaitl, tabbed as the assistant captain.
The two are joined by actor Will Arnett as Team McDavid's celebrity captain.
| Player | Position | Team |
| Connor McDavid | F | Edmonton Oilers |
| Leon Draisaitl | F | Edmonton Oilers |
| Connor Hellebuyck | G | Winnipeg Jets |
| David Pastrnak | F | Boston Bruins |
| Rasmus Dahlin | D | Buffalo Sabres |
| Robert Thomas | F | St. Louis Blues |
| Sam Reinhart | F | Florida Panthers |
| Sergei Bobrovsky | G | Florida Panthers |
| Boone Jenner | F | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| Nick Suzuki | F | Montreal Canadiens |
| Tomas Hertl | F | San Jose Sharks |
When is the NHL All-Star Game player draft?
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 3
- Time: 6 p.m. ET
The NHL is turning back the clock this year and bringing back one of the former formats for the All-Star Game.
Instead of breaking the teams up by division, the pool of 44 players are going to be divided into four teams of 11. Ahead of the draft, the four teams are: Team Matthews (Auston Matthews, Morgan Rielly), Team McDavid (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl), Team MacKinnon (Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar) and Team Hughes (Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson). Each pair is also accompanied by a celebrity.
How to watch the 2024 NHL All-Star player draft
- TV Channel: ESPN2
- Live stream: Fubo, ESPN+
The NHL All-Star Skills selection show will air on ESPN2 in the United States. Viewers can also stream the captain's choices through Fubo, which offers a free trial in the U.S. and ESPN+.
In Canada, fans can catch the show on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.
What time is the 2024 NHL All-Star Game?
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 3
- Time: 3 p.m. ET
This year’s All-Star Game blends two previous formats . For the eighth consecutive year, the game features a four-team, three-on-three format that the NHL adopted over a traditional two-team format. In addition, this year marks the return of the fantasy draft, which will take place on Thursday, Feb. 1.
Ahead of the draft, the four teams are: Team Matthews (Auston Matthews, Morgan Rielly), Team McDavid (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl), Team MacKinnon (Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar) and Team Hughes (Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson). Each pair is also accompanied by a celebrity.
How to watch the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend?
- TV Channel: ESPN/ABC
- Live stream: Fubo
The NHL All-Star Skills competition will air on ESPN, while the NHL All-Star Game will air on ABC. Both events can be streamed on ESPN+.
In addition, fans hoping to catch the weekend’s festivities can do so on Fubo, which offers a free trial. That way, you can try before you buy.
Where is the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend?
This year, the NHL All-Star Weekend will take place at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, hosted by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It’s Toronto’s ninth time hosting the event, but their first since 1947. The last Canadian city to host was Ottawa in 2012.
