The NHL unveiled the logo for the 2027 Honda NHL All-Star Game on July 15, officially starting the countdown to the event at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on Feb. 5-6.
The All-Star Game will feature five teams -- Canada, Finland, Sweden, the United States and a “World” team comprised of international players from countries outside of the other four teams -- competing in a three-on-three, round-robin exhibition tournament.
Each team will consist of 11 players: nine skaters and two goaltenders. The NHL and NHLPA will select 30 players from each of the participating teams for the 2027 NHL All-Star Fan Vote, which will open in December. From that list, fans will have the opportunity to select eight players from each team.
The remaining three roster spots for each team -- one forward, one defenseman and one goaltender -- will be selected jointly by the NHL and NHLPA.
Although the NHL All-Star Game is still eight months away, NHL.com is going to take a first attempt to predict the rosters for each team and will revisit these predictions at times during the season.
Today, editor-in-chief Bill Price and staff writers Derek Van Diest and Mike Zeisberger give their early prediction for Canada's roster (in alphabetical order by position):
Skaters
Connor Bedard, F, Chicago Blackhawks
Macklin Celebrini, F, San Jose Sharks
Sidney Crosby, F, Pittsburgh Penguins
Brandon Hagel, F, Tampa Bay Lightning
Nathan MacKinnon, F, Colorado Avalanche
Mitch Marner, F, Vegas Golden Knights
Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche
Connor McDavid, F, Edmonton Oilers
Matthew Schaefer, D, New York Islanders
Not to say this was an easy assignment, but the three of us agreed on eight of the nine skaters, with the ninth spot -- which went to Hagel -- up for debate (more on that in a second). This is a dream team with veteran mainstays McDavid, MacKinnon and Crosby leading the way, joined by budding superstars in Celebrini and Bedard and all-world defenseman Makar. Schaefer is on the team, and not because the event is in his home arena, but because the defenseman is an electrifying talent and one of the faces of the next generation of stars.
Marner, coming off a tour de force in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and Hagel round out the team. Hagel won in a tiebreaker over Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele and Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The Hagel spot could change as the season goes on, especially if McKenna lives up to the hype, but it’s hard to see the other eight spots changing.
Goalies
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
Logan Thompson, Washington Capitals
It’s too early to tell which Canadian goalies will emerge in the first half of the season, so we go with the two mainstays for now. Binnington was superb in the Winter Olympics and 4 Nations Face-Off for Canada, and it’s his spot to lose entering the season. Thompson had a big season for the Capitals, but don’t be shocked if Scott Wedgewood or Mackenzie Blackwood, each of the Avalanche, grab that spot.