Everything you need to know about the New York Rangers playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off

This year, in place of the NHL All-Star game, there will be a 4 Nations Face-Off. Six of the New York Rangers will be playing on three of the four nations represented — the United States, Sweden and Finland teams. The best-on-best tournament starts in Montreal and end in Boston.

The ultimate game of hockey is rapidly upcoming. Usually, the NHL hosts an All-Star competition, but this year, it’s the 4 Nations Face-Off. The 4 Nations Face-Off consists of seven best of the best hockey games round-robin style, where each team plays three games. The Four Nations are the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland. Teams in the league incorporate players from each nation, who are selected by their nation’s team. The players get to represent their nation and prove to be the best nation in this competition.

The games start in Montreal for the first week and then move to Boston for the second and final week. 

While the rest of the New York Rangers take their break to rest and maybe vacation — but more importantly — get their heads ready to get the wildcard spot, six Ranger players head to cold Montreal to play in the 4 Nations Face-Off. These players are J.T. Miller, Vincent Trocheck, Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, and Urho Vaakanainen. The Rangers have the second-highest number of players in the competition at six. The Florida Panthers are bringing eight players, and they are the only team with more players than the Rangers. 

Who is on which team? Team USA has Fox, Trocheck, Kreider, and Miller. Team Sweden has Zibanejad, and Team Finland has Vaakanainen. It is worth noting that the Rangers have the most players of any league team on the United States' roster — with four.

History of Previous All-Star Games for these players

Miller is a recent addition to the beloved Blueshirts, as he was picked for the team when he was still with the Vancouver Canucks.  He also played in an NHL All-Star game in 2024, where he came in second place for the Rogers Hardest Shot competition with a speed of 102.3 mph. 

Zibanejad was picked for an All-Star game in 2022 as “Last Men In.” He wasn’t able to attend, so this will be his first time attending this type of tournament. Kreider, one of his best friends, will ensure he is comfortable even though he is playing against him on February 17th.

Kreider is no newcomer to these types of games. He played in the All-Star games in 2020 and 2022. He wasn’t supposed to play in 2020, but his teammate Artemi Panarin was hurt, therefore Kreider replaced him in the All-Star game.

Trocheck has also played two All-Star games in his career. Before being a Ranger, he played in the 2017 All-Star game as a Florida Panther. Just last year, Trocheck was named one of the champions of the All-Star Game, along with his teammate Igor Shesterkin.

"“It’s so much fun. There’s so much skill on the ice at the same time and on both sides. I’m just trying to soak it all in.”"

Vincent Trocheck

Fox is a regular at NHL All-Star games, having been selected four years in a row. He didn’t play in 2022 due to an injury but played in 2021, 2023, and 2024. 2025 is his fifth year being selected.

Vaakanainen is new to this type of hockey event. Although he has never been selected before, he is now replacing Miro Heiskanen from the Dallas Stars.

Indeed, it is an honor for these talented players to play in the dynamic and challenging 4 Nations Face-Off. The only downside to playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off is that players are susceptible to injury, which could impact the Rangers' execution for the rest of the season. Let’s hope no one gets hurt so the Rangers can be at full force when they return to the regular NHL season on February 22nd.