NY Islanders forward Brock Nelson has his linemates for the 4 Nations Face-Off

While the NHL is on a two-week break, players participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off joined forces on the ice for their first practice session.

The only player representing the NY Islanders, Brock Nelson, took the ice wearing his normal No. 29 jersey for Team USA.

Nelson takes 4th line role

As lines were revealed for day one of practice, Nelson was lined up on the wing alongside Vincent Trochek who is centering the line, with Dylan Larkin and Chris Kreider splitting time on the other wing. Meaning that we could potentially see an all New York line if Kreider slots in instead of Larkin.

When Team USA GM Bill Guerin selected Nelson, it was expected that he’d be utilized in a checking role as Nelson has been a terrific two-way forward throughout the entirety of his career. But like almost every player on the roster, Nelson has upside and is capable of playing on all four lines - not to mention being a threat on the power play and penalty kill.

Team USA took a big blow and the Vancouver Canucks announced that defenseman Quinn Hughes would not be playing in the tournament, dealing with a nagging injury that caused him to miss the last few games before the break.

Jake Sanderson of the Ottawa Senators will be replacing Hughes. 

Nelson and the USA will play their first game on Thursday night against Finland, which can be seen on ESPN in the US and Sportsnet in Canada. The most anticipated matchup against Canada will take place on Saturday, with the US playing what’ll be a road game in Montreal.