Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard was named to the second NHL All-Star Team after his outstanding season on the blueline.
Bouchard led all NHL defensemen in points with 95 this season. Despite that accomplishment, he was not one of the three defensemen nominated for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman.
Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets won the honor, with Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres being the runner-ups.
Many felt that Bouchard was snubbed of being a finalist for the Norris Trophy, but he will at least pick up some hardware with his first-ever NHL All-Star Team honor.
Evan Bouchard Named to 2nd All-Star Team
After every NHL season, the media selects two All-Star teams, comprising the best players in the league during the regular season.
The top two centers, the top two left wingers, the top two right wingers, the top four defensemen, and the top two goalies are selected to the first- and second- All-Star teams, which is a great honor for hockey players, and something that is heavily considered at the end of players’ careers when Hockey Hall of Fame voting takes place.
Though the name is similar, this is a different honor than being named to the NHL All-Star Game, which features many more players. It is far more difficult to be named to the All-NHL teams, as only 12 players in the entire league get the honor.
For Bouchard, while it must have stung not to get a Norris Trophy finalist spot, the fact that he was voted to the Second All-Star Team is an incredible honor, and gives him the recognition that he deserves after having 95 points, the most of any blueliner in the entire NHL.
Full 2025-26 NHL All-Star Teams
Here are the full NHL All-Star Teams for the 2025-26 season.
First NHL-All Star Team
- LW: Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
- C: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
- RW: Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
- D: Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
- D: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
- G: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Second NHL-All Star Team
- LW: Cole Caufield, Montreal Canadiens
- C: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
- RW: David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
- D: Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
- D: Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers
- G: Logan Thompson, Washington Capitals
One of the most surprising omissions from the list includes Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks, who finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting as the league MVP.
Unfortunately for Celebrini, he got lost in a numbers crunch, since the voters can only select two centres. He was third behind both McDavid and MacKinnon, so he’s a tough-luck loser since there is no Third All-Star Team like the NBA has with their three All-NBA Teams.
One of the most surprising selections, on the other hand, was Logan Thompson as the second-team goalie. He was not one of the finalists for the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goalie, but the NHL GMs vote on that award, which is likely why there was a discrepancy in this case.
Evan Bouchard Named to 2nd NHL All-Star Team