The young Wild stars are the exception on a team put together by Minnesota GM Bill Guerin, which is heavily weighted toward dependable veterans.
ST PAUL, Minn. — The United States mostly chose dependable veterans over younger alternatives in picking its roster to compete against Canada, Sweden and Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off, the first international tournament featuring the NHL’s best players in nearly a decade.
Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers and Brock Nelson of the rival Islanders were among the final 17 players chosen, with USA Hockey prioritizing experience from world championships and other events over future potential. Team general manager Bill Guerin, who holds the same position with the Minnesota Wild, said the depth of talent to choose from was a testament to the grassroots growth of the sport in the U.S.
“It was extremely challenging to get to a final roster,” reflected Guerin, himself a veteran …