“Saturday Night Live” cast member Kenan Thompson is sure to make plenty of “Mighty Ducks” references when he hosts the 2019 NHL Awards next month.
Thompson will host the live awards show on Wednesday, June 19, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, the National Hockey League announced Wednesday.
“My first movie role was in ‘D2: The Mighty Ducks’ so my connection to hockey dates back to my childhood,” Thompson said in a statement. “I have a great deal of admiration for hockey players and the NHL, so I’m excited to be a part of the 2019 NHL Awards show and its celebration of the year’s best performances.”
“We are thrilled to have Kenan as the host of the 2019 NHL Awards presented by Bridgestone,” Steve Mayer, NHL chief content officer & executive vice president, said. “Twenty-five years after making his big screen debut in a hockey movie, we are psyched that he will return to his roots to host this year’s event.”
Currently in his record 16th season as a cast member of NBC’s “SNL,” Thompson also appeared in “D3: The Mighty Ducks.”
This summer, Thompson will serve as the executive producer and judge alongside Chrissy Teigen, Jeff Foxworthy and host Amanda Seales on NBC’s comedy competition series “Bring The Funny.” Nickelodeon recently announced that Thompson also will executive produce the upcoming “All That” reboot.
Honoring the best regular-season players in the league, the 2019 NHL Awards presented by Bridgestone will air live June 19 on NBCSN and Sportsnet in the U.S. and Canada, respectively, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Tickets to the event are available for purchase at NHL.com/Awards.
The NHL playoffs are currently airing on NBCSN.