What an Alberta-born All-Star team would look like with current NHL players
The NHL has never been as diverse as it is right now.
A total of 17 countries across the world are represented by active NHL players. Just under half of those players (44.7 per cent) hail from Canada, where all 10 provinces and two of the three territories are represented. The only territory without an active NHL player at the moment is Nunavut.
Ontario leads the way with 179 NHL active players from the province. Some of those names include the very best in the NHL, with all of Connor McDavid, Mitch Marner, and Mark Scheifele hailing from Canada’s most populous province.
The province with the second-most active players, however, is Alberta. There are currently 62 NHL players from the Wild Rose Country, which beats out both Quebec (58) and British Columbia (50).
Despite Alberta ranking fourth in population among the provinces, it’s become a hockey factory for the country, and there are more than a few notable players that call the province home.
With that in mind, and the summer dragging on, here is a look at what a hypothetical all-Alberta-born NHL roster could look like using only active players.
Forwards
Taylor Hall – Brayden Point – William Nylander
Jake DeBrusk – Bobby McMann – Dylan Guenther
Dylan Holloway – Sam Steel – Jake Neighbours
Peyton Krebs – Kirby Dach – Brendan Gallagher
An all-Alberta team certainly has the top-end firepower to keep up.
It may be easy to forget that while William Nylander may represent Sweden internationally, he was actually born in Calgary while his father played with the Calgary Flames in 1996. He will headline this Alberta team forward group, alongside Brayden Point and Taylor Hall on the top line.
The depth isn’t bad either, with a mix of established producers alongside some up-and-coming talent. All of Jake DeBrusk, Bobby McMann, Dylan Guenther, Dylan Holloway, and Jake Neighbours should give this team a formidable middle-six.
Reliable vets such as Sam Steel and Brendan Gallagher anchor the bottom-six with Peyton Krebs and Kirby Dach.
Defence
Josh Morrissey – Cale Makar
Brett Kulak – Jared Spurgeon
Jacob Middleton – Colton Parayko
Alberta will have an elite top-pair with Olympians Josh Morrissey and Cale Makar leading the way.
Jared Spurgeon is a solid veteran option to anchor the second-pairing, while it feels awkward to stick a guy like Colton Parayko on the third-pairing. The right side of the defensive group is stellar for this Alberta team.
The left side leaves a bit more to be desired with Brett Kulak perhaps playing a tad bit too high than he should. Jacob Middleton, however, feels like a perfect fit on the third pairing.
Goalies
Logan Thompson
Stuart Skinner
There aren’t many Alberta goaltenders to choose from, but there are two obvious ones for this project.
Logan Thompson was among the very best NHL goaltenders last season and was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy. He will easily snatch up the starter’s job for his native province. Stuart Skinner will then slide in as a reliable backup option, bringing a lot of playoff experience with him.