Story by
4 Nations Face-Off rosters announced for USA, Canada, Finland, Sweden
- Story by
- 4 Nations Face-Off rosters announced for USA, Canada, Finland, Sweden
The final rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off international tournament were unveiled on Wednesday as the NHL prepares for its first best-on-best tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
The United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden announced their initial six players in June and there has been plenty of speculation since about who would make the final cut. The rest of the 23-player teams (20 skaters, three goaltenders ) were announced in two phases.
Advertisement
First up were Sweden and Finland, followed by the USA and Canada.
All of the players named had to have been on NHL rosters as of Monday. Here is who has been named to the February tournament (listed alphabetically):
Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) will play for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off while Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) will play for the USA.
USA 4 Nations Face-Off roster
Initial six players
-
F Auston Matthews , Toronto Maple Leafs
-
F Matthew Tkachuk , Florida Panthers
Rest of the roster
-
F Matt Boldy, Minnesota Wild
-
F Chris Kreider , New York Rangers
-
F Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
-
F J.T. Miller , Vancouver Canucks
-
F Vincent Trocheck , New York Rangers
-
D Brock Faber, Minnesota Wild
-
D Noah Hanifin, Vegas Golden Knights
-
D Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
-
G Connor Hellebuyck , Winnipeg Jets
-
G Jeremy Swayman , Boston Bruins
Analysis
Goaltending is a strength with two-time Vezina Trophy winner Hellebuyck, Oettinger reaching the Western Conference final for two consecutive years and Swayman having a .933 save percentage in the 2024 playoffs. They'll be playing behind a strong defense that features former Norris Trophy winners Quinn Hughes and Fox and a good mix of two-way players.
Advertisement
The forward group is strong, too. Matthews had 69 goals last season, Eichel is fourth in the NHL in points this season and Jack Hughes is 10th. Connor is a six-time 30-goal scorer on pace for 40 this season. In addition to the Hughes brothers, the Tkachuk brothers also are on the team. Guentzel complements stars well. Though the Rangers are struggling recently, Trocheck and power-play specialist Kreider made the team. So did Miller, who's taking a personal leave of absence from the Canucks.
Canada 4 Nations Face-Off roster
Initial six players
-
F Brad Marchand , Boston Bruins
-
F Brayden Point , Tampa Bay Lightning
-
D Cale Makar , Colorado Avalanche
Rest of the roster
-
F Sam Bennett , Florida Panthers
-
F Anthony Cirelli , Tampa Bay Lightning
-
F Brandon Hagel , Tampa Bay Lightning
-
F Seth Jarvis , Carolina Hurricanes
-
F Mitch Marner , Toronto Maple Leafs
-
F Sam Reinhart , Florida Panthers
-
F Mark Stone , Vegas Golden Knights
-
D Josh Morrissey , Winnipeg Jets
-
D Colton Parayko , St. Louis Blues
-
D Alex Pietrangelo , Vegas Golden Knights (won't play)
-
D Travis Sanheim , Philadelphia Flyers
-
D Shea Theodore , Vegas Golden Knights
-
D Devon Toews , Colorado Avalanche
-
G Adin Hill , Vegas Golden Knights
Analysis
Canada will be a favorite, especially with tons of offense (McDavid, MacKinnon, Reinhart, Makar, Crosby, etc.), depth down the middle and snarly players (Marchand, Bennett). The defense is mobile and Parayko is 6-6. Plenty of familiarity: Makar and Toews are Avalanche defensive partners and Cirelli and Hagel are Lightning linemates. Point, Cirelli and Hagel play on the Tampa Bay power play. The goaltending might be considered a weakness, but Binnington and Hill have won Stanley Cup titles.
Advertisement
Update: The Golden Knights announced that Pietrangelo was withdrawing from the tournament "to tend to an ailment and prepare for the remainder of the regular season with Vegas."
Finland 4 Nations Face-Off roster
Initial six players
-
F Sebastian Aho , Carolina Hurricanes
-
F Aleksander Barkov , Florida Panthers
-
F Mikko Rantanen , Carolina Hurricanes
-
D Miro Heiskanen , Dallas Stars
-
D Esa Lindell , Stars
Rest of the roster
-
F Joel Armia , Montreal Canadiens
-
F Erik Haula , New Jersey Devils
-
F Roope Hintz , Dallas Stars
-
F Artturi Lehkonen , Colorado Avalanche
-
F Anton Lundell , Florida Panthers
-
F Patrik Laine , Montreal Canadiens
-
F Eetu Luostarinen , Florida Panthers
-
D Jani Hakanpaa , Toronto Maple Leafs
-
D Niko Mikkola , Florida Panthers
-
D Rasmus Ristolainen , Philadelphia Flyers
-
D Juuso Valimaki , Utah Hockey Club
-
G Kevin Lankinen , Vancouver Canucks
Analysis
It's a strong, two-way team, led by Panthers captain Barkov, who has won the Selke Trophy twice as the NHL's top defensive forward. There's plenty of offense with Rantanen, Aho, Hintz, Granlund, Teravainen and Laine. The defense, outside of Heiskanen, lacks the big names from other countries but will be solid enough. Saros is probably the No. 1 goalie based on reputation, but Lankinen and Luukkonen have nearly similar statistics. Lankinen has been impressive filling in for an injured Thatcher Demko in Vancouver.
Advertisement
There is also built-in chemistry because the Panthers bring in four players and the Stars have three. Rantanen and Lehkonen were linemates in Colorado before Rantanen's trade and now he and Aho are teammates in Carolina.
Sweden 4 Nations Face-Off roster
Initial six players
-
F Filip Forsberg , Nashville Predators
-
F William Nylander , Toronto Maple Leafs
-
F Mika Zibanejad , New York Rangers
-
D Gustav Forsling , Florida Panthers
-
D Victor Hedman , Tampa Bay Lightning
-
D Erik Karlsson , Pittsburgh Penguins
Rest of the roster
-
F Viktor Arvidsson , Edmonton Oilers
-
F Jesper Bratt , New Jersey Devils
-
F Joel Eriksson Ek , Minnesota Wild
-
F William Karlsson , Vegas Golden Knights
-
F Elias Lindholm , Boston Bruins
-
F Gustav Nyquist , Nashville Predators
-
F Elias Pettersson , Vancouver Canucks
-
F Lucas Raymond , Detroit Red Wings
-
D Jonas Brodin , Minnesota Wild
-
D Rasmus Dahlin , Buffalo Sabres
-
D Mattias Ekholm , Edmonton Oilers
-
G Samuel Ersson , Philadelphia Flyers (injury replacement for Devils' Jacob Markstrom )
-
G Filip Gustavsson , Minnesota Wild
-
G Linus Ullmark , Ottawa Senators
Analysis
Plenty of speed and scoring possibilities, with Bratt and Raymond among the NHL's hottest players at the moment and Pettersson's play picking up. Nylander has 15 goals and Kempe is a pure scorer. Eriksson Ek is used against other teams' top centers and William Karlsson is a strong penalty killer. Originally named forwards Forsberg and Zibanejad are having down seasons, though they could change that in a short tournament.
Advertisement
The defense is dynamic, led by Hedman and Dahlin. Ekholm is steady on the blue line, though Erik Karlsson has struggled this season.
You can't go wrong in net. Gustavsson is the best of the group this season, and he and Markstrom are tied with 12 wins. Ullmark's numbers are down since being traded to Ottawa, but he's a former Vezina Trophy winner.
Update: Markstrom is out with an injury and was replaced by Ersson. Ullmark is getting closer to returning from an injury.
4 Nations Face-Off schedule
(Times p.m. ET)
-
Wednesday, Feb. 12: Canada vs. Sweden at Montreal, 8, TNT
-
Thursday, Feb. 13: USA vs. Finland at Montreal, 8, ESPN
-
Saturday, Feb. 15: Finland vs. Sweden at Montreal, 1, ABC
-
Saturday, Feb. 15: USA vs. Canada at Montreal, 8, ABC
-
Monday, Feb. 17: Canada vs. Finland at Boston, 1, TNT
-
Monday, Feb. 17: Sweden vs. USA at Boston, 8, TNT
-
Thursday, Feb. 20: Championship game at Boston, 8, ESPN
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 4 Nations Face-Off: USA, Canada, Finland, Sweden rosters
