Kreider, Trocheck, Kakko join Rangers teammates to play in NHL 4 Nations Face-Off
Five New York Rangers will participate in the 4 Nations Face-Off on Feb. 12-20.
Kaapo Kakko was selected early Wednesday to play for Finland; a few hours later, forward Chris Kreider and center Vincent Trocheck were named to Team USA. They join Mika Zibanejad (Sweden) and Adam Fox (United States), who were among the first group of players named to the tournament in late June.
There were no Rangers selected to play for Team Canada, which also announced its roster Wednesday evening.
The NHL launched the 4 Nations Face-Off in place of the annual All-Star Game this season. It’s a round-robin international tournament featuring the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland, with games taking place in Montreal and Boston.
Six players were originally announced for each team in June; the rest of the rosters were made public Wednesday.
The Florida Panthers lead all teams with eight players in the tournament. The Vegas Golden Knights are second with seven. The Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning and Minnesota Wild are tied for third with five.
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Kreider, Trocheck, Kakko picked to play at 4 Nations Face-Off
Kreider is second on the Rangers with 10 goals, including the only tally Monday in New York’s 5-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils. Don’t be surprised if Team USA coach Mike Sullivan uses Kreider heavily on special teams; he has four of his goals on the power play and two while the Rangers are shorthanded.
Trocheck, who has six goals and 12 points in 24 games, was asked about the possibility of making Team USA after the Rangers practiced Wednesday.
“It’s a huge honor to put the United States crest on your shirt.” he said. “I’ve been able and lucky enough to play in a couple events with Team USA … it’s a lot of fun every time.”
Kakko’s selection by Finland wasn’t a huge surprise, as he was listed on some of the latest projected rosters. However, getting official confirmation must have been welcome news for the 23-year-old forward.
“It would be nice, always nice to play for your country.” Kakko said after practice Wednesday. “So, we’ll see.”
Often derided for not living up to his status as the second player taken in the 2019 NHL Draft, Kakko has become an important third-line player for the Rangers. He has a key defensive role on the team, and the Rangers have outscored opponents 20-7 with Kakko on the ice at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Kakko doesn’t have the raw counting stats of a superstar, but they are perhaps better than most people realize. He’s averaging 2.27 points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, which is better than international teammate Mikko Rantanen’s 2.21.
Like Zibanejad, Kakko has had success playing for his country. He won a gold medal at the World Junior Championships in 2019. Later that year, he scored six goals in 10 games to help Finland win the gold medal at the IIHF World Championship.
“That was in Finland also, so that was really special.” Kakko said, reflecting on that win in 2019.
Mika Zibanejad makes Sweden roster for 4 Nations Face-Off
When Zibanejad was named one of the initial players for Sweden on June 28, the veteran center was coming off a 72-point regular season and had 16 points in 16 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
One of the pitfalls in announcing a player so early is the chance for a steep decline. Zibanejad has been under intense scrutiny for his play during the first few weeks of the 2024-25 season. His 0.75 points per game are his lowest since 2017-18. Once a power-play weapon, he has scored once on the man advantage this season.
Despite those struggles, Zibanejad likely would have made the roster anyway. Only Elias Pettersson has more points among Swedish centers this season. Zibanejad is also a good penalty-killer and can be used in that role if needed.
Zibanejad is a Swedish hero going back a while. He scored the gold medal-winning goal in overtime for Sweden in the 2012 World Junior Championships and was part of the team that won the 2018 IIHF World Championship.
Players sometimes perform much differently for their national team than they do for their club team. The hope for Zibanejad is that he will play with talented wingers, and the change of scenery will do him well.
No other Rangers player was added to Sweden’s roster on Wednesday.
Fox was among Team USA’s first six players, who were named to the squad back in June. He is 10th in scoring among defensemen with 20 points (all assists) and figures to play a big role with the United States.
Alexis Lafreniere was regarded as the member of the Rangers with the best chance to make Team Canada but didn’t get the call — partly because Canada is loaded up front, with a forward group that includes Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid.
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