How Jaccob Slavin has been the quiet hero of Team USA - ESPN

BOSTON — What makes Team USA a team — and not just a collection of All-Stars — is having Jaccob Slavin on the roster.

That's not conjecture. That's what Team USA coach Mike Sullivan said when asked what the Carolina Hurricanes defenseman means to the men's national team at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Practically everything about Team USA is a spectacle. The way they win is a spectacle. Their personalities are spectacles upon spectacles. Even hearing the song «Free Bird» after each goal is a spectacle; the reaction it draws from Team USA's fans comes with the expectation that a bald eagle is going to soar throughout the arena to the backdrop of fireworks.

And while Slavin is the antithesis of that spectacle, what he does for the team is one of the main reasons the spectacle exists in the first place. Goals and those who score those goals receive the bulk of the attention. Goal prevention is not always guaranteed acclaim.

But this is what defines Slavin. It's also what could help America sit atop the hockey world with another win over Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off final (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+/Disney+).

«He's so underrated and he's honestly one of my favorite players to watch,» Team USA defenseman Jake Sanderson said. «He just flies under the radar and makes great plays. He's so solid defensively and such a great skater. It's the sort of attribute I want in my game someday.»

LEADING INTO THE TOURNAMENT, a big talking point was what Team USA's defensive structure would look like. While Connor Hellebuyck was long believed to be the starting goalie, there was a thought that whoever would be in front of America's goalies was going to give opponents fits.

The U.S. created a defensive corps featuring Brock Faber, Adam Fox, Charlie