TORONTO– Leon Draisaitl may never get another opportunity to play alongside David Pastrnakso him and his Edmonton Oilers teammate Connor McDavid led the Boston Bruins forward into the start of the Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Draft at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.
Pastrnak was the second player selected by Team McDavid after the Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
“With ‘Pasta,’ we kind of grew up together, got drafted the same year and went through all that together,” Draisaitl said. “So I’m excited to spend time with him, I got to know him from spending time in Prague.”
Draisaitl, a 28-year-old forward from Cologne, Germany, was selected by the Oilers third overall in the 2014 NHL Draft. Pastrnak, 27, of Havirov, Czech Republic, was selected by the Bruins 25th overall.
Along with Hellebuyck and Pastrnak, Draisaitl, McDavid and the team’s famous captain, actor Will Arnett, selected the Buffalo Sabers defenseman. Rasmus DahlinSaint-Louis Blues forward Robert ThomasFlorida Panthers forward Sam ReinhartPanthers goalie Sergei BobrovskyColumbus Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner and Montreal Canadiens forward Nicholas Suzuki.
San Jose Sharks Forward Thomas Hertl McDavid was attracted to the team as one of the last four players available.
“I love the team,” Draisaitl said. “We have a little courage, a lot of hard work, a lot of skill. It will be good.
Draisaitl said there was some preparation before the draft. Team McDavid had the fourth and fifth picks in the Snake Draft.
“It was good, it was different,” Draisaitl said. “It was the first time we did that, it was a lot of fun. It was nice to get to know Will a little; he seems to know his hockey quite well. We talked about it a little bit, we wanted to pick a goalkeeper early, that was the key, so we’re very happy.
Draisaitl, McDavid and Pastrnak have combined for 196 points this season. Draisaitl entered All-Star Weekend with 57 points (23 goals, 34 assists) in 45 games. McDavid has 67 points (20 goals, 47 assists) in 43 games and Pastrnak has 72 points (33 goals, 39 assists) in 49 games.
“I’m excited to see how it goes,” Pastrnak said. “They are both incredible players, two of the best in the world. I’m excited and hopefully we can score a few goals on Saturday and get the win.
Draisaitl, McDavid and Pastrnak are likely to be on the ice together in the 3-on-3 format for the 2024 Honda (USA)/Rogers (Canada) NHL All-Star Game at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC , ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS). Celebrity captains should be on the bench for matches.
“The last thing you want to do when you’re putting together a hockey team is ask the actor for advice,” Arnett said. “I’m just trying to help these guys make the best ‘Blades of Glory.’ By the way, of all the skaters in “Blades of Glory”, the main actors, I was the best.
Team McDavid will face Team MacKinnon and Team Hughes will face Team Matthews. The two winning teams will face each other in the final.
“It’s exciting,” McDavid said. “I’m coming to the All-Star Game, it’s my seventh time and I’ve never had the chance to play with a guy like Pastrnak. It’s exciting for me. It’s always fun to play with new guys when you’re at an event like this where it’s best against best. It’s funny.”
TEAM McDAVID ROSTER
Connor McDavid, EDM
Léon Draisaitl, EDM
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG
David Pastrnak, BOS
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF
Robert Thomas, STL
Sam Reinhart, Florida
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA
Boone Jenner, CBJ
Nick Suzuki, MTL
Tomas Hertl, SJS
