McDavid Ties Legends on 2025-26 First All-Star Team

Connor McDavid collected his sixth first-team All-Star selection in 2025-26, the most among active NHL centers and tied for second-most all-time with Jean Beliveau, Phil Esposito and Stan Mikita.

McDavid’s All-Time Standing at Center

McDavid’s sixth first-team berth places him ahead of every active center and level with three Hall of Famers who each received exactly six nods at the position.

Wayne Gretzky leads the category with eight first-team selections at center, a mark McDavid has not yet reached after the 2025-26 vote.

The Professional Hockey Writers Association tallied votes by awarding five points for first-place selections, three for second and one for third across all positions.

McDavid’s repeated top billing stems directly from consistent point-per-game production that has defined his career since entering the league.

This season’s first-team honor extends a streak in which McDavid has never finished outside the top two in voting points among centers.

First-Team Continuity and Robertson’s Pending Raise

All six members of the 2025-26 first All-Star Team had previously earned the distinction, continuing a pattern of repeat selections at every position.

Jason Robertson received first-team honors after posting 45 goals and 96 points, figures that position him for a substantial salary increase as a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights coming off a four-year, $7.75 million annual contract.

Pastrnak and MacKinnon each moved to two first-team and three second-team selections across their careers following the latest vote.

The first team’s stability contrasts with the second team, where four players earned their initial All-Star squad recognition.

Caufield, Bouchard, Dahlin and Thompson each received their first career nod on an All-Star Team distinct from All-Star Game rosters.

Emerging Names and Hypothetical Third Team

Only rookie defenseman Schaefer accumulated votes for either the first or second All-Star Team, finishing ninth among defensemen with five second-place votes and 13 third-place votes.

A hypothetical third All-Star Team would have featured Kirill Kaprizov 185 voting points behind Caufield at left wing, Macklin Celebrini 516 points behind MacKinnon at center, Martin Necas 362 points behind Pastrnak at right wing, Lane Hutson 136 points behind Dahlin on defense, Quinn Hughes 185 points behind Dahlin on defense and Ilya Sorokin 53 points behind Thompson in goal.

These margins illustrate how close several players came to second-team inclusion despite finishing outside the top six at their positions.

The distribution of points across the top two teams underscores the concentration of elite production among a small group of repeat honorees.