– The National Hockey today announced that Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner has been added as an injury replacement to the 42-player roster for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover, to be held at the RBC Center in Raleigh on Sunday. Skinner, who joins teammates Eric Staal and Cam Ward in the game, was originally chosen as one of 12 rookies picked to participate in NHL All-Star Weekend.

Skinner, 18, currently leads all NHL rookies in points (40) and assists (22) and ranks second in goals (18). The youngest player in the NHL, Skinner ranks tied for second among Hurricanes skaters in points, second in goals, fourth in assists, tied for fourth in power-play points (13) and third in power-play assists (9). The Markham, Ont., native earned an assist against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 8 in Helsinki, Finland, becoming the youngest player in franchise history to register a point. He became the youngest player in franchise history to score a goal less than two weeks later, netting his first NHL goal on Oct. 20 against Jonathan Bernier of the Los Angeles Kings. Carolina’s first-round pick, seventh overall, in the 2010 NHL Entry draft, Skinner totaled 90 points (50g, 40a) in 64 regular-season games, and added 20 goals in 20 playoff games, in his final season of junior hockey with the Kitchener Rangers in 2009-10.

The NHL, working in conjunction with the National Hockey League Players’ Association, replaced the traditional conference vs. conference format for the All-Star teams with a player draft that will determine the team rosters for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover, as well as the Honda NHL SuperSkills. The Jan. 28 NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft powered by Cisco will be televised live nationwide on VERSUS in the U.S. at 8 p.m. ET from NHL Fan Fair at the Raleigh Convention Center.

The 2011 NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover will mark the first time Carolina has hosted NHL All-Star activities. The League’s mid-season spectacular will take place Saturday, Jan. 29 and Sunday, Jan. 30, and will include the Honda NHL SuperSkills and the 58th NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover at the RBC Center. Live television coverage of both nights will be provided by VERSUS in the U.S. The Honda NHL SuperSkills will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, and the 2011 NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover will start at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday.