Blackhawks' Connor Bedard left off Canada's roster for 4 Nations Face-Off
Connor Bedard will get a two-week vacation in February, but it's not a vacation he would have chosen.The Blackhawks' 19-year-old star forward has been left off of Canada's roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off, a new international tournament between Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland that will take place from Feb. 12-20 in Boston and Montreal.Bedard probably entered the season on the bubble of making the Canadian team, but his somewhat disappointing start to the NHL season caused Canada general manager Don Sweeney (of the Bruins) to choose other options within a loaded pool. The rosters were announced Wednesday.Teuvo Teravainen will be the lone Hawks representative in the tournament. He seemed like a lock for the Finnish team all along; his 12 points this season (entering Wednesday) rank 10th among Finns in the NHL. It'll be his first international appearance since the 2018 World Championships.Hawks defensemen Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic were both left off the American roster despite playing in the 2024 World Championships (although that tournament draws only from players whose NHL teams missed the playoffs). Jones' foot injury, which will sideline him for at least a few more weeks, likely didn't help his case.Bedard's exclusion, while disappointing from a viewership standpoint and surely for him as well, will give him an opportunity to rest before the stretch run of the NHL season. The Hawks won't play between Feb. 8 in St. Louis and Feb. 22 in Columbus, returning to action less than two weeks before the March 7 trade deadline.
Connor Bedard will get a two-week vacation in February, but it's not a vacation he would have chosen.
The Blackhawks' 19-year-old star forward has been left off of Canada's roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off, a new international tournament between Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland that will take place from Feb. 12-20 in Boston and Montreal.
Bedard probably entered the season on the bubble of making the Canadian team, but his somewhat disappointing start to the NHL season caused Canada general manager Don Sweeney (of the Bruins) to choose other options within a loaded pool. The rosters were announced Wednesday.
Teuvo Teravainen will be the lone Hawks representative in the tournament. He seemed like a lock for the Finnish team all along; his 12 points this season (entering Wednesday) rank 10th among Finns in the NHL. It'll be his first international appearance since the 2018 World Championships.
Hawks defensemen Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic were both left off the American roster despite playing in the 2024 World Championships (although that tournament draws only from players whose NHL teams missed the playoffs). Jones' foot injury, which will sideline him for at least a few more weeks, likely didn't help his case.
Bedard's exclusion, while disappointing from a viewership standpoint and surely for him as well, will give him an opportunity to rest before the stretch run of the NHL season.
The Hawks won't play between Feb. 8 in St. Louis and Feb. 22 in Columbus, returning to action less than two weeks before the March 7 trade deadline.
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