With the NHL All-Star draft set to commence Thursday at 6 p.m. ET, four members of our hockey editorial team tried to get inside the minds of the All-Star captains and take their best guesses about how the draft will play out.
Here are the results:
Team Matthews
Captain: Auston Matthews
Assistant: Morgan Rielly
Celebrity: Justin Bieber
Editor: Kyle Cushman
| Pick | Player |
|---|---|
| 1.01 | William Nylander |
| 2.04 | Mitch Marner |
| 3.01 | Rasmus Dahlin |
| 4.04 | Sebastian Aho |
| 5.01 | Igor Shesterkin |
| 6.04 | Nick Suzuki |
| 7.01 | Jeremy Swayman |
| 8.04 | Vincent Trocheck |
| 9.01 | Tomas Hertl |
The Biebs' influence is felt greatly here. As a diehard Maple Leafs fan, it's no surprise that the pop star helped construct a team that will undoubtedly be the crowd favorite in Toronto. With Matthews and Rielly already headlining the leadership group, and the squad's first two picks being used on Nylander and Marner, all four Leafs representatives are on the same team. The hometown boost could prove to be a great advantage.
Team McDavid
Captain: Connor McDavid
Assistant: Leon Draisaitl
Celebrity: Will Arnett
Editor: Josh Gold-Smith
| Pick | Player |
|---|---|
| 1.02 | David Pastrnak |
| 2.03 | Connor Hellebuyck |
| 3.02 | Kyle Connor |
| 4.03 | Sam Reinhart |
| 5.02 | Brady Tkachuk |
| 6.03 | Robert Thomas |
| 7.02 | Frank Vatrano |
| 8.03 | Cam Talbot |
| 9.02 | Jesper Bratt |
McDavid may or not be aware that he was the centerpiece of the All-Connor team we assembled over the summer. But, given the fact that two other stellar namesakes are in this talent pool, it would only be right to see the Oilers superstar select both Connors from the Jets. Nabbing the players ranked second (Reinhart) and third (Pastrnak) in NHL goal-scoring this season would ensure plenty of lamp-lighting for McDavid's crew, too.
Team MacKinnon
Captain: Nathan MacKinnon
Assistant: Cale Makar
Celebrity: Tate McRae
Editor: Josh Wegman
| Pick | Player |
|---|---|
| 1.03 | Sidney Crosby |
| 2.02 | Nikita Kucherov |
| 3.03 | Filip Forsberg |
| 4.02 | Kirill Kaprizov |
| 5.03 | Mathew Barzal |
| 6.02 | Tom Wilson |
| 7.03 | Sergei Bobrovsky |
| 8.02 | Alexandar Georgiev |
| 9.03 | Boone Jenner |
There's no way MacKinnon would let his friend, offseason training partner, and fellow Nova Scotian Crosby get past pick No. 3 here. While it's a shame Canadian hockey fans are yet to see Nate and Sid star together in a best-on-best international tournament, this All-Star game could provide a fun glimpse of their chemistry. With a slew of other dynamic players on the roster, goal-scoring won't be an issue for Team MacKinnon, either.
Team Hughes
Captain: Quinn Hughes
Assistant: Elias Pettersson
Celebrity: Michael Buble
Editor: Kayla Douglas
| Pick | Player |
|---|---|
| 1.04 | Thatcher Demko |
| 2.01 | Brock Boeser |
| 3.04 | J.T. Miller |
| 4.01 | Alex DeBrincat |
| 5.04 | Travis Konecny |
| 6.01 | Clayton Keller |
| 7.04 | Elias Lindholm |
| 8.01 | Jake Oettinger |
| 9.04 | Oliver Bjorkstrand |
Much like Auston Matthews, who won't surprise anyone if he takes the three other Maple Leafs in the pool, Hughes will clearly look to bring his Canucks teammates into the fold. Picking a goalie in the first round would be a mild surprise, but given the way Demko's played this season, it might be necessary to ensure the Vancouver quartet isn't broken up. This result would also be a tough break for Bjorkstrand, as the player taken last won't win a brand-new car as in past All-Star drafts.
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