NHL introduces a fresh international format for the 2027 All-Star Weekend at UBS Arena

NHL All-Star Weekend Set for Long Island

Next season’s NHL All-Star Weekend is heading to Long Island with an updated format. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, alongside NHL Players Association Executive Director Marty Walsh, revealed that the 2027 All-Star Game and Skills Competition are slated for February 5-6 at UBS Arena, home of the New York Islanders.

These upcoming events are shaking things up, especially the All-Star Game, which will feature international aspects. On February 6, there will be five teams representing Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States, along with a “world” team, which consists of players from other countries.

Each team will have nine skaters and two goalies, engaging in a 3-on-3 round-robin tournament. The NHL and NHLPA will nominate 30 players from each team for fan voting, which kicks off in December. Fans will get to pick eight players per team. The rest of the roster—the additional forward, defenseman, and goaltender—will be determined by the NHL and NHLPA.

During the round-robin phase, teams will face off in four five-minute games. Interestingly, there won’t be any overtime or shootouts in case of ties.

The top two teams will move on to a final showdown, lasting 10 minutes, which operates on a points system: wins earn 2 points, draws get 1 point, and losses score 0. The victorious team will take home a $2 million prize.

Additionally, the All-Star Skills Competition is packed with eight events on Friday. The NHL and NHLPA will bring together 10 players under 25 to showcase their talents in these events.

Competitors will take part in four of the six initial challenges, tackling things like speed skating, powerful shots, passing drills, and accuracy shooting, earning points based on their performance. The top four from these contests will move to a shootout against one of the selected All-Star goaltenders.

The two top scorers from the shootout will face off in the final challenge: an obstacle course. Ultimately, the athlete with the best overall score will be crowned the All-Star Skills Champion, walking away with a $1 million prize.