A fan-favorite feature is back to shake up the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend.
For the first time since 2015, the player draft returns to determine the rosters for Saturday’s All-Star Game. Four All-Star captains, along with their celebrity pairings, will draft their teams from this year’s pool of All-Stars on Thursday evening.
The four teams are led by their respective captains: Toronto’s Auston Matthews, Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and the Hughes brothers, Quinn and Jack.
The NHL All-Star Weekend previously featured three player drafts, in 2011, 2012 and 2015. Since then, the league instead adopted division-based rosters.
The Sporting News has you covered with everything you need to know ahead of the long-awaited return of the NHL All-Star Game player draft.
What channel is the NHL All-Star Game draft on?
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 1
- TV channel: ESPN2 (U.S.) | Sportsnet, TVAS (Canada)
- Live streaming: ESPN+, Fubo
The NHL All-Star player draft will air nationally on ESPN2 and can be streamed on ESPN+. Fans can also watch the event on Fubo, which offers a free trial. That way, you can try before you buy.
NHL All-Star Game draft start time 2024
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 1
- Time: 6 p.m. ET
The All-Star player draft will commence at roughly 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 1.
After the draft at 7 p.m. ET, players from the Professional Women’s Hockey League will compete in a 3-on-3 showcase. That will air only on ESPN+.
NHL All-Star Game Captains 2024
Each team has a designated captain, a co-captain and a celebrity captain. The representatives of the four teams are listed below.
- Team Matthews: Toronto center Auston Matthews, Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly and Justin Bieber
- Team McDavid: Edmonton center Connor McDavid, Edmonton center Leon Draisaitl and Will Arnett
- Team MacKinnon: Colorado center Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado defenseman Cale Makar and Tate McRae
- Team Hughes: Vancouver defenseman Quinn Hughes, New Jersey center Jack Hughes and Michael Bublé
Eventually, each team will be paired with a head coach. The four options are the head coaches of the teams atop each division in the NHL standings: Rick Bowness (Winnipeg), Rick Tocchet (Vancouver), Jim Montgomery (Boston) and Peter Laviolette (New York Rangers).
NHL All-Star Weekend schedule 2024
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | TV/Live stream |
| Thursday, Feb. 1 | 6 p.m. | NHL All-Star Game draft | ESPN2, Fubo, Sportsnet, TVAS |
| Friday, Feb. 2 | 7 p.m. | NHL All-Star Skills Competition | ESPN, Fubo, Sportsnet, TVAS |
| Saturday, Feb. 3 | 3 p.m. | NHL All-Star Game | ABC, Fubo, Sportsnet, CBC, TVAS |
