Finland adds Sabres’ Jokiharju, Rangers’ Vaakanainen for 4 Nations Face-Off

Finland is adding defencemen Henri Jokiharju of the Buffalo Sabres and Urho Vaakanainen of the New York Rangers to its roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The Finnish Ice Hockey Federation on Sunday named Jokiharju and Vaakanainen as injury replacements for Miro Heiskanen and Jani Hakanpää. Finland had only four players left to choose from to fill those spots because only 11 defencemen from that country have played in the NHL this season; the other seven already were on the roster.

Jokiharju and Vaakanainen were by far the most experienced of that quartet. Winnipeg’s Ville Heinola has appeared in just 51 games and Ottawa’s Nikolas Matinpalo 19 since debuting in the league.

“It’s great to have Henri and Urho on board,” coach Antti Pennanen said in announcing the decisions. “Both are very motivated and looking forward to the tournament and the opportunity to represent their country.”

Finland on Saturday ruled out Hakanpää, who 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 defenceman, 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.”

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 medallist Alex Pietrangelo, who withdrew “to tend to an ailment and prepare for the remainder of the regular season,” the Golden Knights said.

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