MONTREAL — The NHL announced Thursday what the Rangers have known for four seasons.
Igor Shesterkin was named as an All-Star for the first time in his career and will represent the Blueshirts in the 2023 All-Star Game in Sunrise, Fla., next month. The Russian netminder is the seventh goalie in Rangers history to be selected to participate in the All-Star Game, joining Chuck Rayner, Gump Worsley, Ed Giacomin, Gilles Villemure, Mike Richter and Henrik Lundqvist.
Additionally, Shesterkin is the 17th goaltender in NHL history to win a Vezina Trophy prior to being named an All-Star.
Last season’s All-Star snub was a gross oversight as Shesterkin went on to piece together a historic season. The 27-year-old has continued to be the Rangers’ most important player and finally earned the recognition.
Among NHL goalies with at least 25 starts, Shesterkin is tied for third with 18 wins and ranked seventh with a .917 save percentage. His 2.43 goals-against average is also the seventh-best mark in the NHL.
The Rangers recalled forward Gustav Rydahl for the first time this season after Jonny Brodzinski had to miss Thursday’s 4-1 win over the Canadiens to be with his wife for the birth of their second daughter.
Rydahl, who signed a one-year, $750,000 deal with the Rangers in the offseason, made his way to Montreal on Thursday before serving as a healthy scratch.
“He’s a big strong guy that’s a good skater,” Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said of what he saw from Rydahl in training camp. “He’s played pretty well down there.”
In 24 AHL games with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the 28-year-old Rydahl has collected four goals and five assists with 24 penalty minutes.
Despite the recall, the Rangers rolled with the same lineup as they deployed against the Hurricanes on Tuesday. Brodzinski had been a healthy scratch in the previous two games. Libor Hajek watched from the press box for a 10th straight contest.
Rangers prospects Brennan Othmann (Canada) and Jaroslav Chmelar (Czech Republic) squared off Thursday night in the gold medal game of the IIHF World Junior Championship, in which Othmann and Canada prevailed with a 3-2 overtime win.
Othmann, who turned 20 on Thursday, finished the international tournament with two goals and six assists for eight points in seven games, including two helpers in the championship. In four contests, Chmelar recorded one goal and racked up 25 penalty minutes.
Finland’s Kalle Vaisanen finished the tournament with a goal and an assist, while Slovakia’s Adam Sykora finished with one goal in five games.
The Rangers are scheduled to practice on Friday in Montreal before they head back to New York. On Saturday, they’ll face the Devils for the third time this season in a matinee at Prudential Center.