Finland ruled out Jani Hakanpaa for the 4 Nations Face-Off, making management find replacements for two injured defensemen.
The Finnish Ice Hockey Federation confirmed Saturday that Hakanpää will not play in the NHL-run tournament later this month in Montreal and Boston. Hakanpää has appeared in only two games this season for Toronto and none since mid-November because of a lower-body injury.
Miro Heiskanen would have been Finland’s No. 1 defenseman, but he was injured on a hit by Mark Stone in Dallas’ game against Vegas on Tuesday night. The Stars listed Heiskanen as week to week with a lower-body injury, and Finland acknowledged he won’t be playing 4 Nations.
“He’s that type of player that any team in the world would love to have,” captain Aleksander Barkov said Thursday of Heiskanen. “He is a leader defensively and really good offensively, so he’s a huge part of Team Finland’s success. … All the best and try and get back as soon as possible and as healthy as possible. Health is the most important thing.”
General manager Jere Lehtinen, who built Finland’s roster that won Olympic gold in Beijing in 2022 when the NHL pulled out late because of pandemic-related scheduling reasons, said replacements would be named next week for Heiskanen and Hakanpää. There are only four eligible players to choose from for the two spots; only 11 Finnish defensemen have played in the league this season.
Buffalo’s Henri Jokiharju, Ottawa’s Nikolas Matinpalo, Winnipeg’s Ville Heinola and the New York Rangers‘ Urho Vaakanainen are the possible replacements. Jokiharju and Vaakanainen, who was traded from Anaheim to New York in December, have the most professional experience of the four.
Finland opens Feb. 13 against the U.S., plays rival Sweden on Feb. 15 and finishes round-robin play Feb. 17 against Canada.
Sweden also has a few injury situations to monitor. Vegas’ William Karlsson and Minnesota’s Jonas Brodin remain out, and Boston’s Hampus Lindholm is close to returning from his absence. Canada must still name a replacement for two-time Stanley Cup champion and 2014 Olympic gold medalist Alex Pietrangelo, who withdrew “to tend to an ailment and prepare for the remainder of the regular season,” the Golden Knights said.