Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons not only leads in All-Star voting but has been a bright light in the team’s rebuild.
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Every year, fans get to vote on the NHL All-Star Game. There always are surprises. This year is no exception. After two weeks of voting, there is a surprise leader in Sabres’ forward Zemgus Girgensons.

The 20-year old Latvian is in his second year. He’s been one of Buffalo’s standouts during a resurgence that’s seen them win five of their last six. With two goals and an assist in his last three- all Sabre wins- he’s upped his season totals to 8-6-14. His eight markers lead the team and his 14 points rank second behind Tyler Ennis (16).

A center who was selected 14th overall in the first round of 2012, Girgensons is developing into a good player. He still needs work on faceoffs (41.4 percent) but is very noticeable. In a rebuilding year, it’s important for the Sabres to oversee improvement from their young players. With Jhonas Enroth continuing to win in net, things are looking up. Maybe they won’t be as bad as previously thought.