Jake Oettinger was selected as one of three goaltenders to represent Team USA at the Four Nations Face-off.
Jake Oettinger has always thought it to be one of the highest honors to represent his country in a best-on-best international tournament, and after getting selected as one of the three goaltenders for Team USA in the upcoming Four Nations Face-off, he has a chance to do just that.
Oettinger joins alongside Connor Hellebyuck of the Winnipeg Jets and Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins as the three-headed monster between the pipes for the United States in February. Oettinger and Hellebuyck are arguably the top two goalies in the world right now, so it is quite a commodity for Team USA to have both as options to backstop their squad not only in this tournament, but in the upcoming 2026 Olympics.
It was no surprise to Dallas Stars fans or the coaching staff when all three Finnish players on the Stars made Team Finland's final roster, with Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell even getting locked in during the top six player release earlier this season. However, there was some chatter about which American, Canadian or Swedish players would make the cut as none had been pre-selected in the initial roster reveal.
Oettinger seemed like a no-brainer, and ended up being an easy addition for Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan and General Manager Bill Guerin. Jason Robertson is one of the top American forwards only just over a season removed from a 100 point campaign, but was left off the roster perhaps due to a lack of elite impact so far this season. Canadians Matt Duchene and Mason Marchment are off to a hot start, but didn't move the needle enough to make a deep Canadian roster.
Oettinger, who is in his fifth season at 25 years old, has a career save percentage of .913 and a goals-against average of 2.50. This season, he has 13 wins, which is second in the league. In his 18 starts, he has a .915 save percentage and a 2.41 goals against average so far this season.
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