ST PAUL, Minn. — "The Thrill" will be taking his talents to South Florida...for a weekend at least.
Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov was selected to play in this year's NHL All-Star game in Sunrise, Florida. The NHL unveiled the first 32 players Thursday night, with Kaprizov being one of eight Central Division selections.
Joining Kaprizov from the Central are Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes; Seth Jones, Chicago Blackhawks; Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche; Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars; Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators, Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues; Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets.
This is the second straight year Kaprizov has been selected to the game, which is scheduled for Feb. 4 at FLA Live Arena. He leads the Wild in both goals and assists, and on Wednesday, he extended his home points streak to 14 games when he scored a pair of goals against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
His 22 goals so far this season ties him for the ninth most in the league, and he's currently on pace for his second straight 100-point campaign.
The Wild are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, having won nine of their last 11 games. They're currently third in the Central Division and are fresh off wins over the defending Eastern Conference champions and the St. Louis Blues — the team that bounced them from the playoffs last season.
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