The New Jersey Devils have a ton of talented players on their roster. A few of them have been selected to play for their countries at the 4 Nations Face-Off. New Jersey would have even more participants if countries like Switzerland, Czechia, and Slovakia were invited.
Nobody from the Devils made Team Canada, but Jack Hughes is on Team USA, Jesper Bratt will play for Sweden, and Erik Haula will represent Finland. Jacob Markstrom was initially named to be a goalie on Team Sweden, but he backed out due to injury.
On Monday, these teams all started to practice with each other to get ready for the games which begin on Wednesday. For Team Finland, they only had 11 skaters so it is hard to tell where Haula will fit into the lineup. You can probably expect him to be in the bottom six.
With Team Sweden, Bratt skated with Joel Eriksson Ek of the Minnesota Wild and Lucas Raymond of the Detroit Red Wings. That’s a line that can create a ton of offense and defend well.
With Team USA, Jack Hughes was skating with captain Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Jake Guentzel of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hughes, a dual threat offensively, playing with two snipers like that (who could also make plays) can create a ton of goals for the Americans.
Hughes and Bratt are each in the top three on their respective teams in points per game this NHL season. Both of them must contribute offensively if their teams are going to have a chance at taking down Canada.
Jack Hughes’s brother Quinn Hughes is going to miss the tournament because of an injury. It’s a tough break, but he made the respectful decision, as his Vancouver Canucks need him down the stretch.
There are a lot of superstars participating in this tournament and some of New Jersey’s best are right in the middle of it. This tournament is going to be short but good.