Which Blues could end up in the 4 Nations Face-Off squad?

For some Blues, there won’t be a two-week break in mid-February. That’s when the league needed a fortnight without games to host the 4 Nations Face-Off, a four-team tournament featuring the best players from the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland.

Monday was the deadline for countries to submit their lists. They will be announced on Wednesday. Sweden and Finland will be announced at 1 p.m. on NHL Network, while the 1 p.m. edition of “SportsCenter” on ESPN will also announce these teams. The American and Canadian teams will be announced at 5:30 p.m. on TNT.

The tournament begins on February 12th with Canada playing Sweden in a group stage game in Montreal and ends on February 20th with the championship game in Boston.

So which names should Blues fans be on the lookout for?

Jordan Binnington has been in talks to start as goaltender for Canada, and his inclusion in the World Cup this summer shows he has a desire to build a relationship with Hockey Canada’s top players, including Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, heard.

Over the last two seasons, no Canadian goaltender has played more games than Binnington’s 76. His save percentage of .909 is the second highest among Canadian goaltenders with at least 40 games played.

This season, Binnington has an .899 save percentage and 2.87 goals against average, but has been on a tear lately with a .940 save percentage in his last four starts. That includes a 32-save shutout at New Jersey and a 28-save effort against Philadelphia to help the Blues to a point in an overtime loss.

Other options for Canada include Washington’s Logan Thompson, Detroit’s Cam Talbot, Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner, Vegas’ Adin Hill, San Jose’s Mackenzie Blackwood and Montreal’s Sam Montembeault.

Colton Parayko could fill a role for Canada as a right-handed shutdown defenseman on a roster that is expected to feature a bevy of offensive talent on defense. This season, only two Canadian defensemen (Travis Sanheim and Cale Makar) have averaged more time on ice than Parayko. He also ate up 60% of minutes while the Blues were shorthanded, the fourth-highest rate among Canadian defensemen.

While there will be no shortage of talented forwards (or centers) in Canada, Robert Thomas should be in the running for a spot on the Canadian roster. Thomas returned less than two weeks ago from a broken ankle that forced him to miss 12 games and has since picked up points in four of six games.

Over the last two seasons, Thomas ranked eighth among Canadian forwards with 1.01 points per game. Connor McDavid (first), Nathan MacKinnon (second), Brayden Point (fifth) and Sidney Crosby (sixth) were named to the Canadian team back in June.

While he is tied for 16th among Canadian forwards in goals over the last two seasons, Jordan Kyrou will likely be overlooked without a more versatile game as many superstars will take up the offensive minutes.

For various reasons, Philip Broberg is a great chance to crack the Swedish squad.

There’s the overabundance of defenders the country produces, the lower-body injury he recently recovered from, and the relative lack of consistency in his career. However, it’s worth noting that during his breakout run so far this season, Broberg ranked third among Swedish defensemen in points per game. Victor Hedman (first) has already been named to the team, while Rasmus Dahlin (second) has a good chance of making the team.

If Russia had been included in the event, Pavel Buchnevich would likely have been included in the squad.

Defender Colin Ralph has been named to the USA’s preliminary squad for the Junior World Cup and is one of the few Blues young players who could take part in the annual tournament later this month.

Ralph was a second-round pick by the Blues this summer and is currently in his first season at St. Cloud State. Team USA’s camp will be held Dec. 16-17 in Plymouth and will also include former Blues prospect Paul Fischer, whom St. Louis transferred to Edmonton as part of a trade related to the acquisitions on the offer sheet.

Three Blues prospects were named to the Czech team, with 2024 first-rounder Adam Jiricek as the backup in defense. Jiricek has not played since November 6 due to an injury he suffered while playing for Brantford in the Ontario Hockey League. Forwards Jakub Stancl (fourth-rounder 2023), Ondrej Kos (third-rounder 2024) and Adam Jecho (third-rounder 2024) will represent the Czech Republic.

Defenseman Quinton Burns was not invited to Canada’s selection camp after participating in the World Junior Summer Showcase a few months ago. Burns (2023 third-rounder) currently plays for Kingston in the OHL.

Otto Stenberg and Theo Lindstein are expected to play again for Sweden, while Dalibor Dvorsky (if the Blues send him out of the AHL) and Juraj Pekarcik should play again for Slovakia.

Bruce Affleck will be honored with the True Blue Award at the Blues Hall of Fame ceremony on January 24th. The award honors people who have “made a notable impact on the organization and contributed to its growth and success beyond the ice.”

Affleck played 274 of his 280 NHL games for the Blues from 1974 to 1979 and has served in various roles for the team since then. He is currently the alumni director, but previously served as sales manager, color commentator, vice president of sales, vice president of broadcast, and chief operating officer for business operations.

The Blues will induct Wayne Babych, Curtis Joseph and Jim Roberts into the Hall of Fame next month.

• The Blues did not practice Monday before flying to Winnipeg to face the suddenly struggling Jets on Tuesday night. After a 15-1-0 start to the season, the Jets are 3-6-0 since then, including a three-game losing streak that continues through Tuesday.