Rangers defenseman added to 4 Nations Face-off roster

Add another New York Rangers player to the list of those participating in the 4 Nations Face-off later in February.

Urho Vaakanainen was added to Finland’s roster Sunday, bringing the total to six Rangers taking part in the international tournament that runs from Feb 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.

Vaakanainen joins Mika Zibanejad of Sweden and Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller for the United States at the tournament, which also includes Canada.

A pair of openings on Finland’s blue line opened an opportunity for the Rangers defenseman to be added to the roster. Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen is week to week with a recent lower-body injury and ruled out of the tournament for Finland. Jani Hakanpaa of the Toronto Maple Leafs has been on injured reserve since early December.

Henri Jokiharju of the Buffalo Sabres was added along with Vaakanainen, who helped Finland win the gold medal at the 2019 World Junior Championship, the last time he represented his country in international play.

Vaakanainen actually played for Finland at the WJC three times from 2017-19.

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The 26-year-old defenseman has been very steady for the Rangers in 22 games played since being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in the Jacob Trouba trade two months ago. Vaakanainen is a regular on the blue line, playing the left side on the third pair alongside Braden Schneider. He’s averaging 15:25 TOI, nearly two minutes more per game than with the Ducks earlier this season, has five assists and is plus-2.

Vaakaninen’s strong play has relegated an unhappy Zac Jones to the press box. A lineup regular to begin the season, Jones has been a healthy scratch in 18 straight games, including the 4-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.

In an NHL career-high 68 games with the Ducks last season, Vaakanainen had 14 points (one goal, 13 assists) and averaged 17:29 TOI in more of a top-four role for a weak team.

The native of Joensuu, Finland, was a first-round pick (No. 18 overall) in the 2018 draft by the Boston Bruins. He played 31 games over four seasons with them before heading to the Ducks in 2021-22.

Vaakanainen is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights at the end of this season. He’s making $1.1 million this season on his current contract.

Jim Cerny is Executive Editor at Forever Blueshirts and Managing Editor at Sportsnaut, with more than 30 years of ... More about Jim Cerny
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