On the one-year anniversary of being named captain of the Red Wings, Dylan Larkin was named to the 2022 NHL All-Star Game on Thursday. He will be Detroit's representative on the Atlantic Division roster.
Larkin's election was announced Thursday night prior to the Red Wings' 3-0 loss to the Jets.
"It's a good honor," Larkin said following the loss, "but it doesn't feel that good right now after this game. All of us play hard every night and I'm not too excited to talk about individual things right now."
Individually, Larkin has had a great season, a bounceback season after scoring just 23 points in 44 games last year. He entered Thursday with 32 points in 32 games, including 16 goals. His resurgence has been crucial for the Red Wings, who look to have a legitimate No. 1 center moving forward.
"He's done an excellent job with his effort," said Jeff Blashill. "He's definitely been our engine. He certainly deserves (the All-Star selection), it's great for him. He's done a really good job of leading us to play to an identity, and just staying with it."
It's Larkin's second All-Star Game after earning the honor as a rookie, when he also broke Mike Gartner's record in the fastest skater competition.
Larkin could be joined at the All-Star Game by rookie Lucas Raymond, who's the Red Wings' representative in the Last Men In fan vote, which selects one more player from each of the four divisions. Raymond, who leads all rookies with 30 points, is up against the likes of Steven Stamkos, Alexsander Barkov and John Tavares in the Atlantic.
The All-Star Game will be played Saturday Feb. 5 in Las Vegas, with the skills competition taking place the night before.