A Florida Panther is heading to the NHL All-Star Game

Aleksander Barkov will be the Florida Panthers’ lone representative in the 2018 NHL All-Star Game, the league announced Wednesday.

Barkov, in his fifth season in the league, has scored 14 goals and added 26 assists in 41 games so far this season for the Panthers and leads NHL forwards in average time on ice (22:29). Barkov, who is on a three-game scoring streak, is tied with Vincent Trocheck for second on the team with 40 points — Jonathan Huberdeau has a team-leading 43 points. Barkov’s 14 goals are only behind Trocheck (17) and Huberdeau (16).

It is the 22-year-old’s first All-Star Game nomination and marks the fourth consecutive season that the Panthers have had a player on an All-Star Game roster.

“Sasha has earned the right to be counted among the League’s elite at the 2018 NHL All-Star Game,” Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said in a release. “A cornerstone of our franchise, he is among the game’s most exceptional two-way players and is incredibly deserving of this honor.”

The 2018 All-Star Game will take place at Amalie Arena, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning, on Jan. 28. Barkov will also compete in the skills competition on Jan. 27.

The Panthers, winners of six of their last nine games and fresh off a 7-4 win over the St. Louis Blues, are 18-18-6 on the season heading into Friday’s home game against the Calgary Flames. Heading into Wednesday, the Panthers were five points out from the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot.

This story was originally published January 10, 2018 at 5:03 PM with the headline "A Florida Panther is heading to the NHL All-Star Game."