San Jose Sharks rookies Will Smith and Collin Graf are American and will root for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Every hockey player dreams of winning a gold medal with their home nation, and this tournament will feature the first best-on-best action since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
“Oh, for sure. It’s all-star caliber players playing against each other,” Graf said. “It’ll be really good hockey. It’ll definitely be fun to watch.”
“It’s gonna be fun to watch,” Smith said. “Obviously, being an American, I am going to root for the USA team, and it’s gonna be best on best.”
Team USA’s first game is on Thursday against Mikael Granlund and Finland. The tournament structure will be round-robin with a 3-2-1-0 points structure, making regulation wins even more critical.
At 19, Smith grew up watching the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, specifically Team North America. Team North America comprised the U.S. and Canada combined as a U23 roster. The team’s stars were Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, and other current NHL superstars.
“I remember watching the World Cup of Hockey and Team North America. All those teams, they were stacked. It’s fun to watch, and I’m excited,” Smith said.
“I’m trying to think who I know on that U.S. team, not like a ton of guys,” Graf said. “I’ve definitely skated with a couple of them over the summer. I am definitely rooting for [Granlund], for sure. I would say U.S. [and I] hope Granny does well.”
Smith, Graf, and Canadian-born Macklin Celebrini are part of the next crop of NHL superstars and could feature in upcoming international best-on-best hockey tournaments, including the Olympics.
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