Today the National Hockey League announced their Three Stars of the Week for the week of January 12th through 18th.
First Star – Tage Thompson (C – BUF)
- Thompson led the NHL with 3-6—9 in four contests to power the Sabres (26-16-5, 57 points) to a 2-1-1 week. He collected one assist in a 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers Jan. 12 before picking up a pair of helpers in a 5-2 triumph over the Philadelphia Flyers Jan. 14. Thompson then registered 3-2—5, notching his third career five-point performance, ninth career hat trick, 22nd career game-winning goal and 200th career goal, in a 5-3 victory against the Montreal Canadiens Jan. 15. He added one assist in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild Jan. 17. The 28-year-old Thompson, who owns 5-8—13 during a seven-game point streak dating to Jan. 6, shares seventh place in the League with 25 goals and tops Buffalo with 50 points through 47 total appearances this season (25-25—50). More than half of those points have come in Thompson’s past 18 games dating to Dec. 9 (12-15—27), during which the Sabres have compiled an NHL-best 15-2-1 record (31 points) to climb into the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Second Star – Roman Josi (D – NAS)
- Josi recorded 2-5—7 in three outings to lift the Predators (23-21-4, 50 points) to a 2-1-0 week and within one point of the final playoff position in the Western Conference. He scored twice, capped by his 10th career overtime goal, in a 4-3 win against the Edmonton Oilers Jan. 13. Josi then produced his 17th career three-assist game as Nashville became the first visiting team to earn a regulation victory at Ball Arena this season, triumphing 7-3 over the Colorado Avalanche Jan. 16. He picked up two more helpers in a 7-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights Jan. 17, Josi’s fourth consecutive multi-point performance dating to Jan. 11 (3-7—10). The 35-year-old Predators captain, who is two games shy of 1,000 for his NHL career (198-554—752 in 998 GP), owns 8-20—28 through 36 total contests in 2025-26.
Third Star – Karel Vejmelka (G – UTH)
- Vejmelka went 3-0-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average and .926 save percentage to guide the Mammoth (25-20-4, 54 points) to a perfect week as they moved into the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. He yielded one goal in each of his first two starts, making 19 saves in a 6-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Jan. 13 and turning aside 26 shots in a 2-1 triumph versus the Dallas Stars Jan. 15. Vejmelka then stopped 18 shots, including 11 in the first period, in a 6-3 victory against the Seattle Kraken Jan. 17. The 29-year-old Vejmelka, who has won each of his last six appearances dating to Jan. 5 (1.66 GAA, .935 SV%), tops the NHL with 23 victories – three more than the next-closest goaltender – through 37 total games this season (23-11-2, 2.55 GAA, .902 SV%, 1 SO).
*All Graphics courtesy of the NHL, Buffalo Sabres, Nashville Predators, and Utah Mammoth.
*Player Profiles written by NHL PR Staff.
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