Oilers fans very close to making Zach Hyman an NHL All-Star
Edmonton Oilers fans are working hard to make sure Zach Hyman joins captain Connor McDavid at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto next month.
The NHL released voting results on Tuesday morning to give hockey fans a look at the players who are currently in the lead to become the latest round of All-Stars. Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl looks like a lock to make the cut, sitting third with 567,917 votes behind only Colorado Avalanche defender Cale Makar and Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander.
Hyman is currently in a close race for the final spot alongside Avalanche scorer Mikko Rantanen. New York Rangers superstar Artemi Panarin appears to be the clear-cut favourite for the final spot, but the Russian will miss the game due to the birth of his second child.
At the moment, Hyman trails Rantanen by about 35,000 votes, with voting slated to end on Thursday.
GET IN YOUR VOTES š³ļø #NHLAllStar
Submit your ballot for the #NHLAllStarVote at https://t.co/JOMxUndKd8. You only have two days left! š¤©
Presented by @massmutual pic.twitter.com/Wp9FiZldpA
— NHL (@NHL) January 9, 2024
It has been a season to remember for the Toronto native. Hyman currently leads a star-studded Oilers team with 25 goals and is only five goals behind Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews for the league lead. He is also third in points with Edmonton, gathering 40 points in 35 games.
Though Hyman has Rantanen beat in goals, the Finnish forward does have 51 points on the season and has been Colorado’s second-most-productive player behind Nathan MacKinnon. If Hyman can get in, it would be his first-ever appearance at the All-Star game.
Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard has also been able to creep into the top 15 vote leaders, falling in at the bottom of the list with an impressive 174,414 votes. This, however, makes it unlikely that he will be able to show off his patented “Bouch bomb” in Toronto, as he will need to make up over 160,000 votes in just a few days to catch Rantanen.
If Oilers fans want to give Hyman and Bouchard a boost, all they have to do is head to the NHL’s website and cast their votes for either player.
Fans can also vote by using #NHLAllStarVote alongside Hyman or Bouchard’s name on X or retweeting posts that contain that hashtag and the player’s names. Those retweet votes will count for double on Wednesday.
There's only 2ā£ days left to get Zach & Evan in the top 8ā£!#NHLAllStarVote Zach Hyman#NHLAllStarVote Evan Bouchard#NHLAllStarVote Leon Draisaitl https://t.co/vwM2050Rb9
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 9, 2024
The NHL All-Star festivities are from February 1 to 3 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.