With the first quarter of the National Hockey League season already behind us, it’s time to take a look at some trends. Here, then, is Canada’s All-Star team for the first part of the season, with a few honorable mentions. The statistics were taken in mid-November.
Nathan MacKinnon
Nathan MacKinnon is unquestionably the best Canadian player in the NHL today. In fact, he’s probably the best player in the NHL, period! He averaged nearly 2 points per game at the start of the season.
Sam Reinhart
Canada’s star forward line will be made up of three centers. Sam Reinhart of the Florida Panthers has been one of the league’s most explosive players in recent seasons, and 2024-25 is no exception. He scored 13 goals in his first 18 games!
Dylan Strome
Dylan Strome is the third leading forward among Canadiens players. The Washington Capitals forward is quite a playmaker!
Cale Makar
Defensively, Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche still dominates. The Avalanche aren’t off to a great start this season, but that’s not because the big guns are down!
Josh Morrissey
Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets is the other top-performing defenseman among Canadian-born Ds. The Jets are on fire, thanks in part to Morrissey’s work.
Logan Thompson
In front of the net, it’s hard to beat Logan Thompson of the Washington Capitals. With an 8-0-1 record after 9 starts, he also has an excellent efficiency rate.
Jake Allen and Cam Talbot
Cam Talbot and Jake Allen (pictured), of the Red Wings and Devils respectively, also got off to great starts. Canada’s depth certainly isn’t in front of the net these years, but their good work is to be commended.
Dougie Hamilton
To keep the honorable mentions coming, Dougie Hamilton is off to a strong start in New Jersey. The defenseman isn’t scoring many goals, but he’s moving the puck like few other players in the league.
Several defenders
Then choose between Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, Owen Power (photo) and Morgan Rielly, and why not Mike Matheson… They’re all having a good time.
And several forwards
Mitch Marner is off to a strong start. As are Travis Konecny, Mark Stone (photo), Matt Duchene and Mark Scheifele.
Connor McDavid
Which leaves Connor McDavid with a below-par start. After 16 games, he had collected… 21 points! Not bad… Really not bad… But for McDavid, it’s a bit low!
Sidney Crosby
Sidney Crosby is also flirting with the point-per-game mark, with 19 points in 20 games. The kid’s not getting any younger, but he’s still capable.
