Team Finland has announced that they are adding two defencemen to their roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. Henri Jokiharju of the Buffalo Sabres and Urho Vaakanainen of the New York Rangers have been added to the roster.
Team Finland Adds Defencemen
#NYR defenseman Urho Vaakanainen has been added to the Team Finland roster for the #4Nations Face-Off. pic.twitter.com/t4roymKxiJ
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 2, 2025
Henri Jokiharju has been named to Team Finland for the #4Nations Face-Off!
Congrats, Joki! ?
Details → https://t.co/LSE4SnLlWa pic.twitter.com/AyjQ3HF0sA
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) February 2, 2025
Vaakanainen and Jokiharju are replacing Miro Heiskanen and Jani Hakanpaa on the Team Finland roster. Hakanpaa has only played in two games this season while nursing a lower-body injury. Heiskanen was injured and is considered week-to-week.
“It’s great to have Henri and Urho on board,” Finland head coach Antti Pennanen said. “Both are very motivated and looking forward to the tournament and the opportunity to represent their country.”
4 Nations Face-Off Starts Soon
With the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off starting February 12th, teams are finalizing their rosters. Like Finland, other teams have had to make roster changes due to injuries. Team Canada still needs to replace defenceman Alex Pietrangelo. Team Sweden is monitoring injuries pertaining to William Karlsson, Jonas Brodin, and Hampus Lindholm.
The NHL schedule pauses after games on February 8th. The season will pause for two weeks before resuming on February 22nd. During this time, the NHL will also implement a roster freeze. While we have been seeing some big trades lately, that will pause during the tournament.
Last Word On Hockey will provide updates as teams finalize their rosters this upcoming week.
Main Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig- Imagn Images
