The NHL All-Star player draft is back for the 2024 extravaganza, and we here at Bleacher Report could not be more excited.

Nothing gets fans and writers in an uproar more than mock drafts. (Trust us, we've seen your comments).

With All-Star Week now upon us, we thought it'd be the perfect time to hold a staff mock draft for this year's game.

In case you missed last year's mock draft, here are the ground rules.

• The writers could select from the pool of players that were selected for the 2023 NHL All-Star Game, including players who are injured and won't be going to the game. Injury replacements were also eligible to be chosen. 
• Each would have three skaters and a goalie.
• The draft was conducted in "snake-draft" order with the person with the last pick in the first round getting the first pick in the second round.

Taking on the GM roles for this year's draft are Adam Herman, Lyle Fitzsimmons, Lyle Richardson, and Sara Civian.

Draft order

Herman, Civian, Fitzsimmons and Richardson

So, who has the best team? Sound off in the comments section of the app and tell us!

B/R NHL Staff Draft Results

Round 1

Adam Herman - Connor McDavid, F

Sara Civian - Nathan MacKinnon, F

Lyle Fitzsimmons - Nikita Kucherov, F

Lyle Richardson - Auston Matthews, F

Round 2

Richardson - Cale Makar, D

Fitzsimmons - Sam Reinhart, F

Civian - Quinn Hughes, D

Herman - Jack Hughes, F

Round 3

Herman - Roman Josi, D

Civian - David Pastrňák, F

Fitzsimmons - Rasmus Dahlin, D

Richardson - Elias Pettersson, D

Round 4

Richardson - Connor Hellebuyck, G

Fitzsimmons - Jeremy Swayman, G

Civian - Thatcher Demko, G

Herman - Igor Shesterkin, G

Team Herman: McDavid, Jack Hughes, Josi and Shesterkin

Three-on-three hockey is a special brand. The neutral zone is practically irrelevant to the point that players purposely leave the offensive zone just to keep the puck. Physicality is significantly reduced while speed, vision, and instincts take over.

The selection of McDavid speaks for itself. He's the best player in hockey and all of his traits are ideal for this open-ice scenario.

There are a lot of similarities in Jack Hughes' game. Though he does not have McDavid's straight-line speed, he be the more agile skater. McDavid is the player you want with the puck in open ice. Hughes can move around defenders like pylons.

Josi is probably the second-best offensive defenseman in the NHL, and he fits with the style of play the forward duo commands. These three can all skate, particularly with the puck. They are explosive in open ice but also can move in tight areas. None of them are explicitly snipers but they are comfortable shooting the puck. They all have high understandings of offensive zone rotations, movements off the puck, and how to create high-percentage scoring chances.

This is an admittedly weak defensive group if one were to evaluate in traditional hockey situations, but it's less of a problem at three-on-three. Matchups are man-to-man, and all three have the skating and vision to hold their assignments. There won't be many net-front battles nor dump-ins to force.

And while Igor Shesterkin is not having his best season, he's played his worst in blowout situations. When looking at his numbers in close games, he's actually performing fairly well. He's mentally prepared for intense moments and has been one of the top goaltenders in the league in three-on-three situations the past few seasons.

- Adam Herman

Team Civian: MacKinnon, Quinn Hughes, Pastrňák and Demko

Name one person on Earth doing their job better than Nathan MacKinnon right now. You can't (unless you count Nikita Kucherov's power-play duties). MacKinnon is a clear Hart Trophy front-runner after a first half including more four-point evenings than scoreless evenings, the best home point per game average since the mid-90s and, of course, some overtime winners. His intensity and zone-entry prowess make him the perfect leader of my 3-on-3 All-Star squad.

Then you've got another early award front-runner: Norris hopeful Quinn Hughes. Captain Hughes has had as big an impact as any on the Canucks' magical season that has them currently No. 1 in the West. Hughes is leading the league with his plus-34 rating, and he's leading all defensemen in points with 12-50-62 in 49 games (T-9 in scoring among all skaters). He was born for 3-on-3 hockey.

David Pastrňák is the textbook definition of the ideal NHL winger anyone would want to feed the puck to in order to make their assist count. His consistency sometimes flies under the radar, but he's right behind Kucherov and MacKinnon at No. 3 in the scoring race right now with 72 points in 49 games, and he's ahead of both of them and third overall with 33 goals. I'm taking him in overtime against any goalie in the league.

According to MoneyPuck.com, Thatcher Demko ranks No. 2 among all NHL goalies with 18 goals saved above expected, second only to Connor Hellebuyck. Demko is a winner with extensive 3-on-3 experience this season, and he already has trust and familiarity with his No. 1 defenseman Hughes.

- Sara Civian

Team Fitzsimmons: Kucherov, Reinhart, Dahlin and Swayman

There's not a B/R roster that wouldn't be a force in a 3-on-3 tournament against any rival assembled in any year by the best of the best NHL executives.

This one comes down to right now, though, and that's why Team Fitz is the boss.

What better place to start than the most complete, spotlight-tested player in the league, the sublimely skilled and sandpaper-edged Nikita Kucherov, whose skating, shooting, and passing are particularly effective in the open ice of the modern All-Star Game format.

He led the NHL in overall and power-play scoring heading into Sunday with 85 and 37 points, respectively, and there's no player close when it comes to playoff production—53 goals, 107 assists—in 142 games since he arrived as a full-time NHL'er in 2013-14.

But wait...there's more.

No NHL'er has scored more since Christmas Day, exactly five weeks ago, than walk-year Florida forward Sam Reinhart, whose 18 goals in 16 games have already gotten him past a career best of 33 established last season and within shouting distance of Toronto's Matthews atop the league's overall score sheet.

His read-and-react prowess serves him well, too, in the wide-open 3-on-3 format, and his 6'2", 193-pound frame enables him to get to hard areas that yield opportunity.

We know the riches are already embarrassing, but we'll round out skaters with Reinhart's ex-teammate, Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, another master of creativity and hockey sense whose 13 goals led all blue-liners heading into Sunday's games.

Lethal on the rush with speed to retreat and fill holes, Buffalo's alternate captain is another dynamic weapon on a squad flush with skill sets that dominate these events.

The ice will seem tilted, but the rules say we need a goalie.

So how about checking the box with a reigning Jennings Trophy winner and the player whose blend of goals-against average (2.28) and save percentage (.922) is tops in the league since the start of 2022-23—all in one package?

His name is Jeremy Swayman.

Or, in this context, call him the final nail in the opposition coffin.

Thanks for playing, guys. We hope the kids have fun. But go ahead and engrave the trophy, because this one's all over but the parade lap.

Boom.

- Lyle Fitzsimmons

Team Richardson: Matthews, Makar, Pettersson and Hellebuyck

NHL All-Star Games are usually high-scoring affairs because of the 3-on-3 format. Having two forwards and a puck-moving defenseman who plays with speed and offensive skills is a must in these types of contests. The team must also carry a goaltender used to facing a high-shot volume with the ability to make clutch saves.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, 26, is his generation's leading goal scorer. A two-time winner of the Maurice Richard Trophy, he's tallied the second-most goals (339) among NHL scorers since his debut in 2015-16. Matthews leads all players this season with 40 goals in 46 games, marking the sixth time he's reached that plateau in eight seasons.

Winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2018-19, Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson can also skate on the left wing. A skilled stick handler and playmaker, the 25-year-old Swede reached superstar status last season with a team-leading 102 points. With 64 points in 49 games, he's among this season's top-10 scorers.

Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche is the NHL's top defenseman. Winner of the Calder Trophy (2019-20), the James Norris Memorial Trophy, and the Conn Smythe Trophy (both in 2021-22), he led the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup two years ago. Makar, 25, is a tremendous skater and puckhandler who plays a strong game at both ends of the rink.

Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck won the Vezina Trophy in 2019-20 and was a finalist in 2017-18 and 2022-23. Since becoming a starter in 2016-17, the 30-year-old Jets workhorse has faced the most shots (13,938) among all NHL goalies. This season, he's among the league leaders with a 2.20 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage.

- Lyle Richardson