Wild defenseman Ryan Suter has been awarded the National Hockey League's Third Star of the Week.

During the week, Suter had four goals, two assists and was a plus-6. The blueliner capped the week with his first career hat trick at home against the Washington Capitals. It was the first hat trick from a Wild defenseman in team history. He currently owns a four-game point streak.

Suter's 29 points (5-24=29) is good for seventh among NHL defensemen and tied for second on the Wild. His 24 assists is tied for sixth in the League amongst defensemen. He leads the NHL in time on ice; his 29:40 minutes per game is a full two minutes more than the second-best TOI total.

Suter was named to Team USA on Jan. 1, which will compete in the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The 28-year-old won a Silver Medal with Team USA at the 2010 Games in Vancouver.



The NHL's First Star was Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes. The forward had six goals and nine points. Goaltender Brian Elliot was the Second Star. The St. Louis Blues netminder went 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average, .962 save percentage and one shutout.