Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad already knew they would represent the Rangers in the Four-Nation Tournament in February, but on Wednesday Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck and Kaapo Kakko It was revealed that he will also be participating in the tournament. .
Kreider and Trocheck were selected to be members of Team USA, while Kakko, propelled by a strong start to the season, was selected to the Finnish group in a separate announcement.
Fox will also skate for Team USA, while Zibanejad will be a member of Sweden's national team. Alexis Lafreniere — a bubble forward who got off to a strong start to the 2024-25 season but has stalled over the past 17 games — is among the 13 forwards named to Canada's national roster. There wasn't.
“It's a great honor to have the emblem of the United States on my shirt,” Trocheck said Wednesday after the Rangers practiced in the hours leading up to the announcement. “And representing your country is everyone’s dream.”
The four-nation tournament will be held in place of the annual All-Star Game in February, with teams from the United States, Sweden, Canada, and Finland competing in a round-robin format, with the top two advancing to the championship game on February 20th. Proceed to. Rounding out events in Montreal and Boston.
Trocheck's previous international experience includes the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, where he skated as part of the North American team, which he called “one of the most fun events in hockey.” I was there.
Asked if he had tried to convince Fox to make the roster, he had no idea, at least as of Wednesday afternoon, about the final roster decisions, but when asked if he had tried to persuade Fox to make the roster, he said he scored a career-best 77 points last year and set the all-time record. Mr. Trocheck, who had been collecting them, replied: The 12-year-old said jokingly this season. “I don't think Fox has any appeal. So, no, I'm not lobbying myself.”
Kreider, who has scored 10 goals for the Rangers this year, has represented Team USA in events dating back to the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship, while Kakko (four goals, nine assists on the Rangers' strong third line) and Zibanejad (5 goals, 13 goals, assists) have also played in Finland and Sweden, respectively.
Kakko scored Finland's winning goal in the gold medal game at the 2019 World Junior Hockey Championship.
And Trocheck said the five Rangers players, whose numbers “say a lot about the New York Rangers organization and current team,” will all compete in the nine-day tournament. It will be.
“I've never played against them,” Kakko said Tuesday afternoon before the roster was announced. “everytime [on] We're on the same team. So it might be a little strange. ”
When asked about how Igor Shesterkin has been doing over the last seven games, where the star goaltender has a 2-5 record and a .903 save percentage, Rangers manager Peter Laviolette said:
“There were some things we did well,” Laviolette continued. “There are things we haven't done enough. For our team, our group, to be successful, we have to do things at a better level, at a higher level. He's a great goalkeeper. He's a world-class goalkeeper. He's one of the best players. I also don't think the team that had any success last year is in the current situation.
“So everyone's got to try a little bit harder. Everyone's got to give a little bit more. Everyone's got to play a little bit better to get out of this situation.”
Forwards Artemi Panarin (maintenance) and Brett Berard (upper body) did not practice Wednesday, but both skated earlier in the day.
