Carolina rookie Jeff Skinner is youngest ever all-star

RALEIGH, N.C. - At 18, Carolina forward Jeff Skinner is the youngest player to make an NHL all-star team. He topped the previous record, held by Steve Yzerman, by eight days.

"It's pretty surreal when you look at everything that's happened in the last six or eight months," said the baby-faced Skinner, who was playing in juniors last year before being drafted seventh overall. "It's pretty overwhelming."

Asked what it would be like in a room full of all-stars, Skinner said: "I'll try to walk on eggshells and stay quiet."

Skinner was picked in the 11th round of the all-star draft last night by Team Staal. Among rookies, Skinner, who was added to the all-star team as a replacement, is No. 1 with 40 points (18 goals, 22 assists). San Jose's Logan Couture is tops in goals with 22.

Those two players, along with Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, are among the leading rookie-of-the-year candidates. Bobrovsky is 21-6-3 with a 2.42 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. Among rookies, Bobrovsky is first in wins and save percentage, and second in goals-against average, behind Chicago's Corey Crawford (2.19).

Speaking of Bobrovsky, he told Yahoo Sports he was spending the all-star break with his girlfriend  in Toronto. She has been denied a U.S. visa, so Bobrovsky has only been able to see her in Canada, where she has a visa.

The Flyers' Peter Laviolette and Vancouver's Alain Vigneault were assigned to direct Team Lidstrom. Chicago's Joel Quenneville and his assistant, Mike Haviland, were assigned to coach Team Staal.

The teams are named after the captains: Carolina's Eric Staal, who played for Laviolette with the Hurricanes, and Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom.

Flyers defenseman Matt Walker cleared waivers and was sent to the Adirondack Phantoms. . . . The SuperSkills competition, on Versus, will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday at the RBC Center. . . . Staal on why he picked Boston's mammoth defenseman, Zdeno Chara: "I don't feel like stickhandling around him." . . . Skinner on the last few months: "Our biggest goal is to get in the top eight." . . . Boston goalie Tim Thomas, picked fifth by Team Lidstrom, has a remarkable .945 save percentage - on pace for an NHL record. . . . Tampa Bay teammates Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos will be together on Team Lidstrom. . . . Staal waited until the seventh round to select his brother, Mark, of the New York Rangers. . . . Alternate captain Patrick Kane before making a Team Lidstrom pick in the eighth round: "I can't believe I'm going to do this. . . ." He then chose teammate Jonathan Toews, the Conn Smyth Trophy winner.

- Sam Carchidi