Sabres D Rasmus Dahlin is 3-time All-Star at age 23

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Rasmus Dahlin will represent the Sabres at the NHL All-Star Game for the third year in a row.

Dahlin’s selection, announced by the NHL on Thursday night, will make him the seventh Sabres player to skate in three or more All-Star Games. He joins franchise legend Gilbert Perreault and former captain Jack Eichel as the only players in team history to achieve a third nod in his age-23 season.

Also among the 32 players chosen from each NHL team for the All-Star showcase next month in Toronto were Dahlin’s former Sabres teammates Eichel, since traded to Vegas where he helped the Golden Knights win a Stanley Cup, and Sam Reinhart, now playing for the Florida Panthers.

An additional 12 All-Stars (eight skaters, four goalies) will be selected by fan vote closing Jan. 11.

Following his All-Star breakthrough in 2021, Dahlin was an injury replacement for center Tage Thompson last season. Dahlin finished second in the hardest shot competition.

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After signing an 8-year, $88 million contract extension making him the highest-paid player in team history, Dahlin is tied for the NHL lead among defenseman with 10 goals, and ninth with 30 points from the blue line. His average time on ice (25:04) ranks eighth in the league.

Dahlin and Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes were the only defenseman among the 32 initial selections by the league’s hockey operations department.

All-Star Weekend takes place Feb. 1-3. This year the popular player draft is back with celebrity captains being paired with NHL All-Stars to chose the four teams for the 3-on-3 tournament.

INITIAL NHL ALL-STARS

Goaltenders: Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg), Jake Oettinger (Dallas), Igor Shesterkin (N.Y. Rangers), Cam Talbot (Los Angeles)

Defenseman: Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo), Quinn Hughes (Vancouver)

Forwards: Sebastian Aho (Carolina), Mathew Barzal (N.Y. Islanders), Connor Bedard (Chicago), Oliver Bjorkstrand (Seattle), Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh), Alex DeBrincat (Detroit), Jack Eichel (Vegas), Filip Forsberg (Nashville), Tomas Hertl (San Jose), Jack Hughes (New Jersey), Boone Jenner (Columbus), Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota), Clayton Keller (Arizona), Travis Konecny (Philadelphia), Elias Lindholm (Calgary), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado), Connor McDavid (Edmonton), Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay), Auston Matthews (Toronto), David Pastrnak (Boston), Sam Reinhart (Florida), Nick Suzuki (Montreal), Robert Thomas (St. Louis), Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa), Frank Vatrano (Anaheim).

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Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here.

The Associated Press contributed.

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