COLUMBUS, Ohio — Reporters and photographers at the N.H.L. All-Star Game media day thronged around Zemgus Girgensons, a modest second-year center for one of the league’s worst teams who obliterated a list of hockey superstars in fan voting dominated by his home country, Latvia, where he is a national hero.

But the frenzy passed, and Girgensons was ushered away from the podium to make room for Marc-Andre Fleury, a Pittsburgh Penguins goalie and one of the sport’s top players.

In a game of “which of these things is not like the others,” Girgensons, 21, stands out as an obvious answer. He does not rank among the top 100 scorers this season and is not even the points leader for his team, the Buffalo Sabres, who have lost 15 of their last 16 games, dating to last month.

Because of that, Girgensons was convinced he would be picked last when the 40-player All-Star roster was divided into two teams in Friday night’s All-Star Game draft. He was not; Nick Foligno chose him fourth to last. Girgensons was playful on the topic, but it appeared to weigh on him.