With the 4 Nations Faceoff tournament kicking off in just over two months, each country must submit their roster by Wednesday, December 4. There are a few Vancouver Canucks expected to make their respective Nation’s team; however, with JT Miller currently on his leave of absence, his availability was in question.
Well, Andy Strickland put a halt to any of that hesitation. In a post on X on Monday morning, Strickland shares that USA Hockey fully expects the Canucks forward to be available for the tournament:
Miller took a step away from the team after their November 17 game against the Nashville Predators. The 31-year-old was benched in this game, playing a season-low 11:41 minutes of ice time. His stat line in that game showed zeros across the board: zero points, zero penalty minutes, zero shots, zero hits.
Bill Guerin (Team USAs GM) doesn’t seem concerned about the forward’s eligibility to represent his country at the 4 Nations Faceoff. If he is selected for the team, he will join Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs), Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights), Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers), Adam Fox (New York Rangers), Charlie McAvoy (Boston Bruins) and teammate, Quinn Hughes.
The usual linemate for Miller, Brock Boeser, and last year’s runner-up for the Vezina trophy, Thatcher Demko, are also in consideration for the team. Boeser missed seven games in November due to an upper-body injury but still has six goals and 14 points through 16 games this season. While Demko has yet to play this season, his impressive numbers from last season (35-14-2, 2.45 goals against average and a .918 save percentage) speak for themselves as to why he should be a candidate competing for the starter’s crease come February.
While there is no official announcement or update on Miller, having USA Hockey fully expect Miller to be ready for the tournament is a positive sign in his healing process. Canucks conclude their six-game road trip on Tuesday as they take on the Minnesota Wild before returning to Rogers Arena, where they welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets to town on Friday.
