The highly touted rookies Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine have been selected to their first NHL All-Star game.

But is anyone actually surprised?

The two have been dominant in their first full seasons as NHLer’s with both atop the leading scoring rookie race.

Auston Matthews began his career with a huge four goal night that broke records for rookie goals in the first game.

Laine on the other hand countered with a big hat trick to win the game against Matthews’ Maple Leafs in mid-October.

In regards to the Leafs, Matthews was a slam dunk pick.

He’s been the best player, but Mitch Marner should also get some love for the way he has played so far.

The Jets also have only one player heading to L.A. and once again Laine was the obvious choice.

His name gets the most buzz but there is a strong case that his centreman Mark Scheifele should also be joining him.

These first and second overall picks from last year’s drafts will be heading down to California, with fans from all over excited to see them in the big event.

Changing the all-star game to a three-on-three tournament is a win for the league as far as I’m concerned, as it’s probably the most entertaining way to showcase the best players in the league.

Matthews and Laine will sure to dazzle the fans at Staple Center.

Seeing Matthews skate with Erik Karlsson and Nikita Kucherov will be a thing of beauty, as all three are capable of driving the play by themselves.

Winnipeg is in the Central Division, so seeing a three-man line of Laine, Patrick Kane and P.K. Subban is worth the admission alone.
But before all of this plays out, we still have a few weeks of regular season and believe me there’s plenty of story lines to play out before the break.