The NHL is transforming its midseason showcase into a global battleground. On Tuesday, June 3, a new format of the 2027 NHL All-Star Weekend was announced, and it will feature a 3-on-3 international tournament. League Commissioner Gary Bettman unveiled it at the annual NHL news conference before Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.

He also revealed a skills competition for players aged 25 and under for the All-Star Weekend next year in the presence of the NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh.

The skills competition will take place on Friday, February 5, 2027, in which 10 top youngsters will compete in six events. The NHL and NHLPA will select those six events out of the eight total, and it will depend on how far the players advance in them.

After that, on February 6 next year, the 3-on-3 international tournament will commence, in a round-robin format. It will have five teams from the United States, Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the “Rest of the World.”

Each team will have 11 players at their disposal to use during the games on the ice.

“We think the format that we created will be fun,” said Bettman. "It'll be entertaining, it'll be great for the players and the fans. We know there have been some fits and starts on this, but we think together we figured this out.”

The event will take place at the home arena of the New York Islanders, UBS Arena in Long Island.

The shift follows the successful 4 Nations Face-Off last season.

The NHL All-Star Weekend Did Not Take Place This Season

The 2026 NHL All-Star Weekend was scheduled to take place in February, 2026. But it was pushed back by a year to allow the players to participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.

This was the first occasion since 2014 that the players taking part in the NHL were allowed to participate in the Olympics on behalf of their respective countries.

Now the upcoming All-Star Weekend in 2027 will happen between the Olympic Games this year and the World Cup of Hockey in 2028.

Gary Bettman talked about the importance of fulfilling the commitment made to UBS Arena after its cancellation this year. He also spoke about the format for the All-Star Weekend.

“Our (All-Star Weekend) has worked well...Yes, we even blew ourselves up with 4 Nations by taking it to a whole new level, but there was never anything wrong with the All-Star format that we’ve been using for the last few years,” said Bettman, as per the NHL website.

The six games of the round robin during the 4 Nations brought in massive viewership. North America saw an average of 4.6 million viewers. Bettman intends to recreate this success with the All-Star Weekend.

Will the new format of the NHL All-Star Weekend attain more success than its predecessors? Tell us in the comments.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Surjo Ray