Finland is adding defensemen Henri Jokiharju of the Buffalo Sabres and Urho Vaakanainen of the New York Rangers to its roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The Finnish Ice Hockey Federation on Sunday named Jokiharju and Vaakanainen as injury replacements for Miro Heiskanen and Jani Hakanpää. Finland had only four players left to choose from to fill those spots because only 11 defensemen from that country have played in the NHL this season; the other seven already were on the roster.
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Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen skates with the puck against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period of an NHL game Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
New York Rangers' Urho Vaakanainen, left, and Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov compete for the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) tries to hold off Buffalo Sabres defenseman Henri Jokiharju (10) with his stick during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
FILE - Finland's Jani Hakanpaa (58) checks Canada's Anthony Mantha, right, during the Ice Hockey World Championships gold medal match at the Ondrej Nepela Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia, Sunday, May 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)
Jokiharju and Vaakanainen were by far the most experienced of that quartet. Winnipeg's Ville Heinola has appeared in just 51 games and Ottawa's Nikolas Matinpalo 19 since debuting in the league.
“It’s great to have Henri and Urho on board,” coach Antti Pennanen said in announcing the decisions. “Both are very motivated and looking forward to the tournament and the opportunity to represent their country.”
Finland on Saturday ruled out Hakanpää, who appeared in only two games this season for Toronto and none since mid-November because of a lower-body injury.
Miro Heiskanen would have been Finland's No. 1 defenseman, but he was injured on a hit by Mark Stone in Dallas' game against Vegas on Tuesday night. The Stars listed Heiskanen as week to week with a lower-body injury, and Finland acknowledged he won't be playing 4 Nations.
“He’s that type of player that any team in the world would love to have,” captain Aleksander Barkov said Thursday of Heiskanen. “He is a leader defensively and really good offensively, so he’s a huge part of Team Finland’s success. ... All the best and try and get back as soon as possible and as healthy as possible. Health is the most important thing.”
Finland opens Feb. 13 against the U.S., plays rival Sweden on Feb. 15 and finishes round-robin play Feb. 17 against Canada.
Sweden also has a few injury situations to monitor. Vegas' William Karlsson and Minnesota's Jonas Brodin remain out, and Boston's Hampus Lindholm is close to returning from his absence. Canada must still name a replacement for two-time Stanley Cup champion and 2014 Olympic gold medalist Alex Pietrangelo, who withdrew “to tend to an ailment and prepare for the remainder of the regular season,” the Golden Knights said.
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Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen skates with the puck against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period of an NHL game Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
New York Rangers' Urho Vaakanainen, left, and Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov compete for the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) tries to hold off Buffalo Sabres defenseman Henri Jokiharju (10) with his stick during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
FILE - Finland's Jani Hakanpaa (58) checks Canada's Anthony Mantha, right, during the Ice Hockey World Championships gold medal match at the Ondrej Nepela Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia, Sunday, May 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)
ALEPPO, Syria (AP) — First responders on Sunday entered a contested neighborhood in Syria’ s northern city of Aleppo after days of deadly clashes between government forces and Kurdish-led forces. Syrian state media said the military was deployed in large numbers.
The clashes broke out Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid after the government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main Kurdish-led force in the country, failed to make progress on how to merge the SDF into the national army. Security forces captured Achrafieh and Bani Zaid.
The fighting between the two sides was the most intense since the fall of then-President Bashar Assad to insurgents in December 2024. At least 23 people were killed in five days of clashes and more than 140,000 were displaced amid shelling and drone strikes.
The U.S.-backed SDF, which have played a key role in combating the Islamic State group in large swaths of eastern Syria, are the largest force yet to be absorbed into Syria's national army. Some of the factions that make up the army, however, were previously Turkish-backed insurgent groups that have a long history of clashing with Kurdish forces.
The Kurdish fighters have now evacuated from the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood to northeastern Syria, which is under the control of the SDF. However, they said in a statement they will continue to fight now that the wounded and civilians have been evacuated, in what they called a “partial ceasefire.”
The neighborhood appeared calm Sunday. The United Nations said it was trying to dispatch more convoys to the neighborhoods with food, fuel, blankets and other urgent supplies.
Government security forces brought journalists to tour the devastated area, showing them the damaged Khalid al-Fajer Hospital and a military position belonging to the SDF’s security forces that government forces had targeted.
The SDF statement accused the government of targeting the hospital “dozens of times” before patients were evacuated. Damascus accused the Kurdish-led group of using the hospital and other civilian facilities as military positions.
On one street, Syrian Red Crescent first responders spoke to a resident surrounded by charred cars and badly damaged residential buildings.
Some residents told The Associated Press that SDF forces did not allow their cars through checkpoints to leave.
“We lived a night of horror. I still cannot believe that I am right here standing on my own two feet,” said Ahmad Shaikho. “So far the situation has been calm. There hasn’t been any gunfire.”
Syrian Civil Defense first responders have been disarming improvised mines that they say were left by the Kurdish forces as booby traps.
Residents who fled are not being allowed back into the neighborhood until all the mines are cleared. Some were reminded of the displacement during Syria’s long civil war.
“I want to go back to my home, I beg you,” said Hoda Alnasiri.
Associated Press journalist Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.
Sandbag barriers used as fighting positions by Kurdish fighters, left inside a destroyed mosque in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Burned vehicles at one of the Kurdish fighters positions at the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
People flee the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
A Syrian military police convoy enters the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Burned vehicles and ammunitions left at one of the Kurdish fighters positions at the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
