Philly Sports Jabronis
Report From Philadelphia Flyers
The National Hockey League announced today that Jake Voracek and Claude Giroux will represent the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Game® in Columbus, Ohio.
Voracek will make his first NHL All-Star appearance in the midst of a career year. He is leading the NHL in both overall points (50) and in assists (34) as he tries to become the first player in Flyers history to win an NHL scoring title. Through 42 games, Voracek is just 12 points away from his career high of 62 points, posted last season. His actual most productive season was the shortened 2012-13 campaign, when he posted 46 points in 48 games for a .958 points-per-game average, or 79 points over a full season. Voracek is currently on pace for 98 points; were he to increase that slightly over the second half of the season, he could become the first Flyer to reach the 100-point mark in a season since Eric Lindros recorded 115 points in 1995-96.
Voracek (left) will make his first All Star appearance as he chases the NHL scoring title. Giroux will play in his third All Star Game. Photo credit – RantSports.com
Giroux earns his third NHL All-Star appointment after playing in the game in 2011 and 2012. He is pacing four points behind Voracek with 14 goals and 32 assists for 46 points. Giroux leads the league in faceoffs taken and faceoffs won, and his 56.1 faceoff percentage is second only to Patrice Bergeron among the 19 centers who have taken at least 700 faceoffs this season. He is third in the league with 158 shots, which puts him on pace for 312 shots – well above his career high of 242 set in 2011-12 – and is also second in the league among forwards in average TOI per game at 21:14, just a three-second average behind Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
The Columbus Blue Jackets and city of Columbus will host the 2015 NHL All-Star festivities on Jan. 24-25. The League’s midseason showcase will include the Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition™ on Saturday, Jan. 24 (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports) and the Honda NHL All-Star Game® on Sunday, Jan. 25 (5 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports)
The Flyers return to action on Monday night when they host Tampa Bay.
