When the 4 Nations Face-Off begins in February, it will mark the first time since the 2014 Olympic Winter Games that an international tournament has featured the ability for the participating countries to have access to select their top players.
“A lot of people I know have been itching for NHL players to have best-on-best,” said Adam Fox, one of the 23 players named to the U.S. team on Wednesday night. “Being able to get back to that and throw on that sweater — it’s going to be exciting and be competitive.”
Fox, a defenseman for the New York Rangers, joined Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins and Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights on a video press conference Thursday to discuss the event, which runs Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston and will pit the U.S. against Canada, Finland and Sweden.
The tournament is taking the place of the 2025 NHL All-Star Game.
However, U.S. general manager Bill Guerin has been clear that he’s not putting together an All-Star team, but rather a balanced team that can win it all. That means some talented players didn’t make the cut, and others who are used to getting heavy minutes for their NHL team may instead be filling specific roles during this tournament.
That won’t be an issue for any of the 23 players on the team, McAvoy said.
“Whatever you can do for the betterment of the team is what you’re going to do,” said McAvoy, one of the seven defensemen on the roster. “That buy in will be absolute from everybody.
“Whatever you’re asked of, you’re going to fall into that role and give it your best.”
The U.S. players will also have plenty of familiarity with one another. Eichel, Fox and McAvoy all have at least one NHL teammate joining them for the tournament, though the bonds on this roster go back even further.
Except for Jake Guentzel of the Tampa Bay Lightning, every player on the 4 Nations roster has previously donned a Team USA sweater in an international competition. On top of that, 15 players came through
USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program.
Eichel is one of the most experienced players on the roster when it comes to the international stage. The 4 Nations Face-Off with be Eichel’s eighth time representing the U.S. at an international event, with his first coming back in 2012 at the Winter Youth Olympic Games.
Eichel is also one of five U.S. players who has experience playing for Team North America, which consisted of U.S. and Canadian players ages 23 and younger – during the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. 4 Nations teammates Connor Hellebuyck, Dylan Larkin, Auston Matthews and J.T. Miller were also part of that team.
“[I’m] pretty familiar with the team,” Eichel said. “It’s good for us that a lot of the guys are familiar faces and know each other, and hopefully it allows us to come together quickly.”
The Americans have a clear goal of winning the tournament. Reaching the championship game at the TD Garden in Boston on Feb. 20 would hold particular significance for several U.S. players.
Four are Massachusetts natives, while eight played college hockey in the state — including seven at Boston College, Boston University or Harvard University. McAvoy, who played at BU, is one of two Boston Bruins on the U.S. team, along with Jeremy Swayman.
“Our fans are first class; they’re going to be there to support us, and it’s going to be incredible when it shifts to Boston,” McAvoy said. “Can’t wait for these guys to experience that building when everybody’s cheering for them.”
The 4 Nations will serve as a preview of the following year’s Olympic Winter Games in Milano and Cortina, Italy, where NHL players will return for the first time since 2014.
When the four star-studded teams face off this February, the Americans are confident they can compete with anybody, Eichel said.
“For a while it was Canada on a pedestal by themselves,” Eichel said. “And for us, we feel like we’ve closed that gap. And this is a great opportunity for us to prove that. Everyone can say what they want now, and look at rosters and compare rosters, but at the end of the day, everything will be figured out on the ice.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
Source: usahockey.com