Johnny Gaudreau selected for 2023 NHL All-Star Game
As the Columbus Blue Jackets battled the Washington Capitals on Thursday evening in front of a national audience on ESPN, some exciting news broke for forward Johnny Gaudreau.
During the nationally televised broadcast, it was revealed that the CBJ playmaker was among 32 All-Stars that were selected by the National Hockey League’s Operations Department.
Gaudreau, 29, entered Thursday’s contest against theWashington Capitals having registered 10 goals and 27 assists for 37 points with 14 penalty minutes, 27 even strength points, 10 power play points, 10multi-point efforts and 97 shots, while averaging 19:41 of ice time in 36 games in his first season with the Blue Jackets in 2022-23. He leads the team in assists, points, multi-point outings and shots and ranks second in goals.
This year will mark the seventh All-Star Game appearance for the Salem, New Jersey native, and his first as a Blue Jacket after signing with the club as a free agent on July 13, 2022. He represented the Calgary Flames in six of the past seven All-Star Games, including five-straight from 2015-19, and last year’s game in Las Vegas. He has totaled 220-426-646, 146 PIM and 46 powerplay goals in 638 career games with the Blue Jackets and Flames since being selected by Calgary in the fourth round, 104th overall, at the 2011 NHL Draft. The 5-9, 165-pound winger finished 2022 with the second-most assists and third-most points by a U.S.-born player in a single calendar year in NHL history with 38-81-119 in 88 games split between the Blue Jackets and Flames.
He is the 20th player in franchise history to make the NHL All-Star Game.