Ryan Kesler and brothers Daniel and Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks were named Tuesday to participate in the NHL all-star game.

The three will skate in the game in Raleigh, N.C., but not necessarily as teammates. The game will feature a new format, with two captains to select their own teams in a draft.

“It could happen and we’re fine with that,” Henrik Sedin said of the possible split, to the Canucks' website. There’s a lot of good players there, so it’s not a big deal.”

The contest, hosted by the Carolina Hurricanes, will be played on Jan. 30 (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 4 p.m. ET).

“It’s going to be fun,” Kesler said. “I’m just going to take it all in, who knows if I’ll ever be back. It’s going to be an experience I’m going to relish.”

The other players from Canadian teams selected for the game on Tuesday included Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, Toronto Maple Leafs sniper Phil Kessel, Edmonton Oilers forward Ales Hemsky, and Ottawa Senators defenceman Erik Karlsson.

There were a host of first-time participants picked, led by young Tampa Bay Lightning star Steven Stamkos. Forwards Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers), Matt Duchene (Colorado Avalanche) and Patrick Sharp (Chicago Blackhawks), and defencemen Dustin Byfuglien (Atlanta Thrashers) and Brent Burns (Minnesota Wild) are among the other players also making their first trip

Veterans selected on Tuesday included Washington Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin, Tampa Bay playmaker Martin St. Louis, Anaheim forward Corey Perry, and all-star perennial Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings.

Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby — currently out with a concussion — led a group of six players chosen last week as a result of fan voting. Crosby's teammates Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury were also voted in, along with Chicago's Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith.

Crosby was the top-voted player with 635,509 total votes.

In addition to Price and Fleury, the goaltenders selected were Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers), Tim Thomas (Boston Bruins), Jonas Hiller (Anaheim Ducks), and Cam Ward (Carolina Hurricanes).

The players from the group of 42 selected for the game will vote for team captains and two alternates per squad, who will then draft their team on Jan. 28 from the full pool of players. A roster of 21 players — 12 forwards, six defence, three goalies — will be drafted with no guidelines on choosing by position.

A coin flip will decide which pair of captains will select first. The captains are expected to be announced in the coming days.

"I'll tell you one guy who won't be getting my vote [for captain] is Jonathan Toews, that's for sure," Blackhawks teammate Patrick Kane joked to reporters in Chicago. "It will be nice to play against him for once and go up head-to-head."

The SuperSkills competition takes place on Jan. 29 (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 7 p.m. ET). Skills events include fastest skater, breakaway challenge, accuracy shooting, skills challenge relay, hardest shot and elimination shootout.

Edmonton Oilers rookies Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle lead the group of 12 rookies who will compete in the skills events, with other first-year players Tyler Seguin of the Boston Bruins, Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks, and Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes.

By virtue of winning the 2010 Stanley Cup, Chicago coach Joel Quenneville will be the head coach of one all-star team. Philadelphia's Peter Laviolette and Alain Vigneault of the Vancouver Canucks will serve as co-coaches of the other team.

Here is the full list of the players selected for the all-star game:

The following rookies have been selected for the skills competition:

With files from CBCSports.ca staff, The Canadian Press