Amanda Kessel highlights Four Nations roster for Team USA

USA Hockey released their 23-player roster for the 2016 Four Nations Cup on Tuesday afternoon. This year’s Four Nations Cup will be in Vierumaki, Finland, at a the Jarvenpaa Arena, Kerala Arena and Vierumaki Arena from November 1-5.

Though many of the favorites made the cut, the biggest name on the roster is undoubtedly Amanda Kessel, who made her return to hockey at the University of Minnesota last season after concussion symptoms sidelined her after the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.

Kessel will be also reunited with former Minnesota teammate Hannah Brandt on the international stage for the first time.

12 of the players who made the US roster are NWHL players, with five coming from the Boston Pride (Hilary Knight, Brianna Decker, Kacey Bellamy, Alex Carpenter and Meghan Duggan), three from the Buffalo Beauts (Emily Pfalzer, Megan Bozek and Anne Schleper) three from the Connecticut Whale (Kelli Stack, Haley Skarupa and Dana Trivigno) and Kessel as the lone representative from New York.

Topping them all is the Minnesota Whitecaps, who have eight players who cracked the roster: Monique and Jocelyn Lamoureux, Alex Rigsby, Kendall Coyne, Stephanie Anderson, Shelby Amsley-Benzie, Nicole Hensley and Brandt.

From the college side of things, three players that are still in school made the cut. The WCHA sent Minnesota’s Lee Stecklein and Wisconsin’s Annie Pankowski.

Representing Hockey East is sophomore phenom Megan Keller, who competed at the 2016 and 2015 IIHF Women’s World Championships.

You can look at the full roster of players here.