The United States’ roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off has been revealed.
Team USA’s administration group, which consists of GM Bill Guerin, assistant GMs Chris Drury, Tom Fitzgerald and Bill Zito, and director of participant personnel Chris Kelleher, introduced Wednesday that forwards Jack Hughes, Matt Boldy, Brady Tkachuk, Kyle Connor, Jake Guentzel, Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller, Vincent Trocheck, Dylan Larkin and Brock Nelson are becoming a member of the crew’s roster for the worldwide best-on-best occasion in February, in addition to defensemen Jaccob Slavin, Zach Werenski, Brock Faber and Noah Hanifin.
Forwards Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk and defensemen Quinn Hughes, Adam Fox and Charlie McAvoy have been the primary six gamers added to the roster, unveiled in June.
The Americans’ goaltending trio shall be reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman.
Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan is assuming the identical duties for Team USA, joined by assistants John Hynes, John Tortorella and David Quinn.
The administration and training staffs have been assembly nearly and in individual for the reason that summer time to debate the roster. Asked what it’s prefer to be a part of such a group of characters, Sullivan mentioned, “There are numerous laughs, I’ll inform you that. There’s numerous laughs. And no person’s funnier than Billy G. He simply has an uncanny technique to get all people laughing … at a number of the most inopportune instances.
“It’s a enjoyable a bunch to be related to as a result of no person takes themselves too critically. We get very critical in regards to the enterprise at hand, however the entire group likes to have numerous enjoyable. And all people understands that this endeavor is method larger than any considered one of us. All the egos are checked on the door. We simply wish to do the best factor and work exhausting to attempt to do our greatest to be essentially the most aggressive group we will to set us up for fulfillment.”
The 4 Nations Face-Off will run Feb. 12 to twenty in Montreal and Boston.
Full roster
(Note: Highlighted gamers had already been named to the roster.)
Snubs
Cole Caufield leads all American NHLers with 16 objectives, but regardless of the match beginning in his house area and having earned administration’s respect on the World Championship, the flashy scorer was left off the roster. Same with Tage Thompson, the 6-foot-6 heart who has scored 13 objectives this season.
These have been robust selections, however the U.S. administration group felt that Caufield must conform to being a fourth-liner and that different gamers could be higher suited to that position, along with killing penalties. In essence, he was an excessive amount of like Boldy and Jack Hughes.
As for Thompson, it’s the same rationale. Matthews, Eichel, who may very well be a Hart Trophy contender, and Hughes, who has been distinctive of late, are merely larger on the middle depth chart, and administration thinks different forwards are extra versatile. Fair or not, administration additionally desires battle-tested gamers, and the Sabres have been a perennial playoff outsider throughout Thompson’s six years there.
If a middle has to bow out earlier than the match, he’s probably first out of the bullpen.
Other snubs up entrance embrace future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, Jason Robertson, Clayton Keller and Brock Boeser. On the again finish, essentially the most obtrusive are John Carlson, Neal Pionk, who’s having a superb season, and Jake Sanderson.
Sanderson, 22, was shut to creating the crew and will very properly be an Olympian in a 12 months’s time. — Michael Russo
Surprises
There was numerous debate round Brock Nelson, Vincent Trocheck and Chris Kreider, and all three ended up on the roster due to the totally different roles they may play.
It is probably not truthful to name Nelson a shock. He could also be from the surface, however the U.S. administration group and training employees adore the Islanders ahead, contemplating him a chameleon who can play anyplace — up the lineup, down the lineup, taking massive attracts, wing or heart, and killing penalties. That flexibility was too interesting to go away off.
Kreider and Trocheck haven’t had nice years for a New York Rangers crew that’s spiraling uncontrolled, however in a brief match, the employees feels they’d be suited to fourth-line and penalty-kill roles.
Boldy performed himself onto the crew as point-per-game participant for the NHL-leading Minnesota Wild, as did Zach Werenski, who could also be taking part in higher than any of the U.S. defensemen proper now, and Noah Hanifin. — Russo
Expectations
Plain and easy, the expectation is to win the match as a precursor to an Olympic gold medal in Milan in 2026.
The U.S. is elite up the center, led by Matthews, the very best purpose scorer within the recreation, and Eichel, who stands out as the crew’s greatest matchup heart.
The Americans even have tons of goal-scoring on the wing with the Tkachuk brothers, Connor, Guentzel and Boldy, plus a well-balanced blue line with elite power-play guys Fox and Quinn Hughes, in addition to two-way, elite-skating defensemen like McAvoy and Faber. And they’ve the very best goalie trio within the match.
What Guerin shall be in search of is buy-in, and up to now, so good.
On Thanksgiving, Fitzgerald referred to as his Devils participant, Jack Hughes, and cousin, Brady Tkachuk, to inform them they made the crew. Guerin referred to as all people else — excluding the six named in June.
“Pure pleasure from each single considered one of them,” Guerin mentioned. “It was superior. Just the joy, the appreciation to be a part of this crew. Every man mentioned, ‘Whatever you want, no matter it takes, I’ll do something, play anyplace, play with anyone.’” — Russo
Required studying
Other rosters
(Photo of Brock Faber and Matt Boldy: David Berding / Getty Images)
