NHL All Star Game: Mock Draft of the New All-Star Game Format

1 of 25

Image Source: LA Times Blog

As the NHL prepares to test out the brand new All Star Game Fantasy Draft format, everyone is wondering who will be picked first? Who will be picked last?

Will Eric Staal pick his Hurricanes teammates Cam Ward and Jeff Skinner, or will Nicklas Lidstrom steal them away?

Will Staal pick his brother Marc Staal, or does he want to go against him and try to make him look bad?

Will Lidstrom's assistant captains, Patrick Kane and Martin St. Louis, convince him to pick their teammates Jonathan Toews and Steven Stamkos? Or do the assistants want to play against their friends?

On Friday afternoon, as the NHL has been telling us all year in their marketing, "Questions will become answers."

For now, I'll take a shot at answering the questions with a mock draft.

Rules

Taylor Hall will be in the Canadian rookie group.
Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images

1) All goalies must be picked by the 10th round.

2) All defensemen must be picked by the 15th round.

3) The 12 rookies will be split into two groups, and will flip a coin. The winning group will get to pick which All Star team they want to join, and the other rookie group will join the other team. For the purpose of this draft, I put all of the Canadian-born rookies on one team, and the international rookies on the other, with the internationals picking their team.

4) The first pick will actually be decided with a coin toss, but I'm giving it to Staal since the game's in Carolina.

Assistant Captains

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 25: Martin St. Louis #26 of the Tampa Bay Lightning skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs at St. Pete Times Forum on January 25, 2011 in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning defeated the Leafs 2-0. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Like the captains, the assistant captains were also voted in by the rest of the All Stars.

Team Staal's Assistants

Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks

Mike Green, Washington Capitals

Team Lidstrom's Assistants

Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks

Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning

Round One

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 23: Ruslan Fedotenko #19 and Brian Boyle #22 of the New York Rangers check Steven Stamkos #91 of the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period of an NHL hockey game at Madison Square Garden on December 23, 2010 in New York City.

Paul Bereswill/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning

With Sidney Crosby out, Steven Stamkos is the clear cut number one pick. As an added bonus, Team Staal keeps Stamkos away from St. Louis.

Team Lidstrom Picks

Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Despite an off year so far, Ovie seems to love the All Star Game and is always a threat to score. Plus, he's pretty likely to win the Breakaway Challenge in the SuperSkills.

Round Two

VANCOUVER, CANADA - NOVEMBER 24: Daniel Sedin #22 celebrates with brother Henrik Sedin #33 and Christian Ehrhoff #5 of the Vancouver Canucks after scoring against the Colorado Avalanche during the second period in NHL action on November 24, 2010 at Rogers

Rich Lam/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks

Team Staal has goal scorers with Staal, Stamkos, and Kesler, and needs a set–up man. Henrik Sedin is one of the best.

Team Lidstrom Picks

Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks

A great defensive play by Team Lidstrom to keep the Sedin twins apart. Daniel is more of a scorer than Henrik, which will work well with the playmakers on Team Lidstrom.

Round Three

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 16: Goaltender Cam Ward #30 of the Carolina Hurricanes against the Atlanta Thrashers at Philips Arena on December 16, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins

Tim Thomas has been the best goalie in the league this season, and is the most likely of the goalies to make ridiculous saves when he's down and out.

Team Lidstrom Picks

Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes

Team Lidstrom steals away Staal's Carolina teammate in a move to get the hometown crowd on their side.

Round Four

RALEIGH, NC - FEBRUARY 17: Eric Staal #12 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates with the puck against Zdeno Chara #33 of the Boston Bruins during the game on February 17, 2009 at RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins

Staal has had more than enough of playing against Zdeno Chara in the regular season and playoffs, so he chooses Chara as a teammate.

Also, Chara is almost guaranteed to win the Hardest Shooter in the SuperSkills.

Team Lidstrom Picks

Jeff Skinner, Carolina Hurricanes

If there's a guy who's going to be trying to prove himself at this game, it's Skinner. Plus, the youngest All Star ever will sway the crowd to Team Lidstrom's side.

Round Five

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 01: Patrick Kane #88 (R) of the Chicago Blackhawks scores at 6:08 of the third period against the New York Rangers and is joined by Jonathan Toews #19 (L) at Madison Square Garden on November 1, 2010 in New York City. The Rangers defea

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks

Last weekend, Team Lidstrom assistant Patrick Kane was trash-talking good friend Jonathan Toews, saying that he hopes Toews is the last guy picked.

Toews wittily responded that Kane wants to win the All Star MVP truck this year, and the only hope he has of that is if Toews is feeding him pucks all game.

It will be fun to watch the two Hawks stars go head-to-head.

Team Lidstrom Picks

Brad Richards, Dallas Stars

Richards will be the top line center for Team Lidstrom, and will be feeding Ovechkin all game long.

Round Six

PITTSBURGH - JUNE 02: Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins defends the goal against Nicklas Lidstrom #5 of the Detroit Red Wings during Game Three of the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Finals on June 2, 2009 at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pe

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins

There's nothing wrong with adding a Stanley Cup champion goalie to the roster, and Staal knows Fleury can stop Lidstrom last-second if he has to.

Team Lidstrom Picks

Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks

Kane convinces captain Lidstrom to pick his teammate and defending Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith. Keith's skating ability will help Team Lidstrom in the game.

Round Seven

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 06: Shea Weber #6 of the Nashville Predators shoots from the point under pressure from Anze Kopitar #11 of the Los Angeles Kings during the NHL game at Staples Center on November 6, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. The Kings de

Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Shea Weber, Nashville Predators

Weber and Chara are such a good shutdown pair that they can stop the opposition forwards, even in a game that features little-to-no defense.

Team Lidstrom Picks

Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings

Another fantastic center for Team Lidstrom to complement Kane, St. Louis, Ovechkin, and Sedin on the wings.

Round Eight

COLUMBUS,OH - NOVEMBER 2: Rick Nash #61 of the Columbus Blue Jackets fires a shot on Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens during the second period on November 2, 2010 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images)

John Grieshop/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Rick Nash, Columbus Blue Jackets

One of the best power forwards in the game joins Team Staal to play on an increasingly intimidating line up.

Team Lidstrom Picks

Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens

Team Lidstrom continues to go with youth as they load up their crease.

Round Nine

CHICAGO - JANUARY 16: Dustin Byfuglien #33 of the Chicago Blackhawks attempts a shot against Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers as defenseman Paul Mara #27 pushes him on January 16, 2009 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The Rangers def

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers

Team Staal finishes picking their goalies by adding Swedish superstar goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

Team Lidstrom Picks

Dustin Byfuglien, Atlanta Thrashers

Kane again weighs in and convinces Lidstrom to pick former Hawk Dustin Byfuglien who's challenging Lidstrom for the Norris Trophy.

Round 10: All Goalies Must Be Picked

ANAHEIM, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Kris Letang #58 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates a goal with his teammates as goaltender Jonas Hiller #1 of the Anaheim Ducks looks on in the third period at the Honda Center on November 5, 2010 in Anaheim, California. The

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins

The defenseman who plays the most in front of Team Staal goalie Marc-Andre Fleury will continue to do so when he joins Team Staal.

Team Lidstrom Picks

Jonas Hiller, Anaheim Ducks

Rounding out the goalie picks, Team Lidstrom picks NHL wins leader Jonas Hiller.

Round 11

GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 15: Keith Yandle #3 of the Phoenix Coyotes passes the puck during the NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks at Jobing.com Arena on January 15, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes defeated the Ducks 6-2. (Photo by Christian Peters

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks

Who better to score on Hiller than the leading scorer from his regular team? Perry keeps up the intimidation factor too.

Team Lidstrom Picks

Keith Yandle, Phoenix Coyotes

The late addition to the game certainly won't be the last one picked since he should have been there in the first place. He is the highest scoring defenseman in the league after all.

Round 12

CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 25: Brent Burns #8 of the Minnesota Wild controls the puck against Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on January 25, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. The Wild defeated the Blackhawks 4-2. (Photo by Jonathan Dan

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Brent Burns, Minnesota Wild

The smooth-skating Wild defender is second in the league for goals by a defenseman. That's all you really need in an All Star Game, isn't it?

Team Lidstrom Picks

Dan Boyle, San Jose Sharks

The lone Sharks representative joins Team Lidstrom after years of being haunted by Team Lidstrom and the Wings. He's one of the best skaters in the league too.

Round 13

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 20: Daniel Briere #48 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates against Daniel Alfredsson #11 of the Ottawa Senators on January 20, 2011 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Daniel Briere, Philadelphia Flyers

Another late addition to the game, Briere easily could have been a choice originally as he sits fifth in the league in goals. His shiftiness should come in handy with the lack of defense being played.

Team Lidstrom Picks

Matt Duchene, Colorado Avalanche

Team Lidstrom continues to employ a strategy of picking youth who probably want to prove themselves against the guys who have been All Stars several time before. Duchene's speed will be an asset.

Round 14

DENVER - NOVEMBER 09: Paul Stastny #26 and Matt Duchene #9 of the Colorado Avalanche talk during warm ups prior to facing the Calgary Flames at Pepsi Center on November 9, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Loui Eriksson, Dallas Stars

Team Staal keeps Eriksson away from his Dallas linemate Brad Richards by picking him. Maybe the Swedish sniper will pretend he's Daniel and play the wing with Henrik Sedin.

Team Lidstrom Picks

Paul Stastny, Colorado Avalanche

Lidstrom adds Duchene's Colorado teammate who was another injury replacement at the last minute. He should have something to prove.

Round 15: All Defensemen Must Be Picked

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 05: Marc Staal #18 of the New York Rangers skates against his brother Eric Staal #12 of the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden on January 5, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators

Eric Staal keeps true to his pre-draft mocking of brother Marc, and makes him the last defenseman picked by drafting Erik Karlsson. Youngster Karlsson is a very good skater and should perform well in his first All Star Game.

Team Lidstrom Picks

Marc Staal, New York Rangers

The last defenseman left, Marc Staal will certainly be looking for a bit of revenge on brother Eric for not picking him.

Rookie Break: Let Them Pick Sides

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 16: Jamie McBain #4 of the Carolina Hurricanes pushes the puck up the ice against Bryan Little #10 of the Atlanta Thrashers at Philips Arena on December 16, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

International Rookies Pick Team Staal

Evgeny Dadonov, Florida Panthers

Oliver Ekman–Larsson, Phoenix Coyotes

Michal Grabner, New York Islanders

Jamie McBain, Carolina Hurricanes

Kevin Shattenkirk, Colorado Avalanche

Derek Stepan, New York Rangers

Carolina rookie defenseman Jamie McBain (USA) convinces the international rookies to side with Carolina captain Eric Staal.

Canadian Rookies Join Team Lidstrom

Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks

Tyler Ennis, Buffalo Sabres

Cam Fowler, Anaheim Ducks (Plays for USA, but born in Canada)

Taylor Hall, Edmonton Oilers

Tyler Seguin, Boston Bruins

PK Subban, Montreal Canadiens

Round 16

PHILADELPHIA - JUNE 09: Patrick Sharp #10 of the Chicago Blackhawks is stopped by Michael Leighton #49, Claude Giroux #28, and Oskars Bartulis #3 of the Philadelphia Flyers in Game Six of the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Wachovia Center on June 9, 2

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers

Giroux joins Philly teammate Briere on Team Staal. His slick moves and good speed make him likely to perform well.

Team Lidstrom Picks

Patrick Sharp, Chicago Blackhawks

Team Lidstrom snags the last of the defending Stanley Cup champions, and leaves Chicago captain Jonathan Toews to go against all of his teammates.

Round 17

CHICAGO - MAY 22: (L-R) Jonathan Toews #19, Martin Havlat #24 and Dave Bolland #36 of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrate after Patrick Sharp scored a power play goal in the first period against the Detroit Red Wings during Game Three of the Western Confere

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Martin Havlat, Minnesota Wild

Yet another injury replacement joins Team Staal to possibly form the shiftiest line in the All Star Game if he plays with Giroux and Briere. The former Hawks also finds back with Jonathan Toews.

Team Lidstrom Picks

David Backes, St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis star can do just about everything, and playing in his first All Star Game, will probably want to show that he deserves to be there.

Round 18

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 25: Phil Kessel #81 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the Tampa Bay Lightning at St. Pete Times Forum on January 25, 2011 in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning defeated the Leafs 2-0. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Team Staal Picks

Patrik Elias, New Jersey Devils

Team Staal goes with left winger Patrik Elias of the Devils to finish off the team.

Team Lidstrom Picks

Phil Kessel, Toronto Maple Leafs

And the last pick of the draft is Toronto's Phil Kessel! Maybe he'll surprise everyone and win the MVP...

Team Staal Lineup

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 05: Eric Staal #12 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on January 5, 2011 in New York City. The Rangers defeated the Hurricanes 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Ima

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Forwards
Stamkos	H. Sedin	Nash
Toews	E. Staal	Perry
Giroux	Briere	Havlat
Eriksson	Kesler	Elias
Defense
Chara	Weber
Green	Letang
Burns	Karlsson
Goalies
Thomas
Fleury
Lundqvist
Rookies
Dadonov
Ekman-Larsson
Grabner
McBain
Shattenkirk
Stepan

Team Lidstrom Lineup

DETROIT, MI - JANUARY 22: Nicklas Lidstrom #5 of the Detroit Red Wings skates in a game against the Chicago Black Hawks on January 22, 2011 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The Hawks defeated the Wings 4-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Imag

Claus Andersen/Getty Images

Forwards
Ovechkin	B. Richards	St. Louis
D. Sedin	Kopitar	Kane
Skinner	Duchene	Sharp
Backes	Stastny	Kessel
Defense
Lidstrom	Keith
Yandle	Byfuglien
Boyle	M. Staal
Goalies
Ward
Price
Hiller
Rookies
Couture
Ennis
Fowler
Hall
Seguin
Subban