It has been turbulent times for Winnipeg Jets star Kyle Connor. Last month, he was left out of the 4 Nations Face-Off final in what was a shocking move by Team USA. The 28-year-old warmed up but was scratched from the lineup as he was replaced by Rangers’ Chris Kreider. But a disappointing few days with the national team is not a good sample size. Why, you may ask? Well, because in the regular season Kyle Connor is showing his true colors.

As many as 11 players have 69 or more points in the current NHL season. While Nathon MacKinnon leads the pack with 90 points, he is closely followed by Leon Draisaitl with 88 points. However, among American NHLers, Connor leads the pack with 73 points, beating out the likes of Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews. The American star shares the fifth spot with Mitch Marner and David Pastrnak. He is clearly in good company!

One of the reasons that Kyle Connor was left out of the 4 Nations Face-Off final was his poor run of form during the round-robin games. He recorded just a solitary assist in his three outings and failed to score a goal. As a result, he was replaced by Kreider, who scored the Americans’ lone goal in their 2-1 loss to Sweden.

Meanwhile, Connor wasn’t happy that he was scratched despite being one of the top American performers in the NHL this season. He expressed his disappointment, saying, “It was frustrating. I felt I could have made an impact. Stuff like that happens as it is such a short tournament. They went a different route.” But despite this downturn, Connor did reveal some precious moments that he took home from the tournament.

Kyle Connor reflects on the positives from the tournament

Despite playing a limited role for Team USA under head coach Mike Sullivan, the Jets star took back some crucial learnings from the tournament. The leading American points scorer in the NHL could have made an impact in the 4 Nations final but was left out of the team, even as his replacement, Kreider, had limited impact against Canada.

Nonetheless, Connor’s experience overall proved to be quite the educational experience. Despite the scratch in the final, he was positive that the tournament served as a useful lesson for him.

After the event, he spoke candidly with no trace of resentment. “It was good playing against the top players in the world and able to bond and connect with all those guys,” he said.

“You take everything you can out of it, whether it is little things like how to prepare, how to approach certain games, or small details like the power play. I was just trying to soak it all up. It was good experience and great for the game as you saw how much media and attention it has it was fun to be a part of.”

His 4 Nations campaign may have ended in disappointment, but the tournament is over now, and Kyle Connor has other things to focus on. Like extending his points record and continuing to help his team put up dominant performances as the playoffs inch closer. Can Connor’s offensive contributions propel the team to their first Stanley Cup? Let us know your views in the comments below.