Four Nations Faceoff Rosters Revealed
Mitch Marner will be sporting a different Maple Leaf in February.
The Toronto Maple Leafs star was one of 17 players named Wednesday to round out Canada’s 23-man roster for the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Joining the winger as part of an attack that already featured Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand and Brayden Point — all announced back in June — are Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers along with Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Also making the team up front are Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone, Travis Konecny of the Philadelphia Flyers and Seth Jarvis of the Carolina Hurricanes.
The defence corps led by Cale Makar, who was also tabbed in June, will see Colorado Avalanche teammate Devon Toews suit up in red and white, and also include the Vegas duo of Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo, Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets, Colton Parayko of the St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia’s Travis Sanheim.
Canada doesn’t have the same goaltending pedigree as at past international events, but head coach Jon Cooper of Tampa will likely lean on Stanley Cup winners Jordan Binnington of the Blues and Adin Hill of the Golden Knights. Sam Montembeault of the Montreal Canadiens rounds out the puck-stopping trio.
The 4 Nations tournament, which also includes the United States, Sweden and Finland, runs Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston, and will serve as an appetizer for the NHL’s Olympic return in 2026.
(Canadian Press)
The United States chose dependable veterans over younger alternatives in picking its roster to compete against Canada, Sweden and Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off, the first international tournament featuring the NHL’s best players in nearly a decade.
Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers and Brock Nelson of the rival Islanders were among the final 17 players chosen, with USA Hockey prioritizing experience from world championships and other events over future potential. General manager Bill Guerin said the depth of talent to choose from was a testament to the grassroots growth of the sport in the U.S.
“It was extremely challenging to get to a final roster,” said Guerin, the Minnesota Wild’s general manager. “Hockey in our country is strong and continuing to get better, and this team is no doubt a reflection of that.”
Dallas’ Jason Robertson, 25, Utah’s Clayton Keller, 26, and Buffalo’s Alex Tuch, 27, and Tage Thompson, 28, were among the forwards left off. Kreider and Nelson, the oldest players on the team at age 33, have extensive history playing at the world championships.
The youngest player is also the only one with Olympic experience: 22-year-old Minnesota defenseman Brock Faber, who played at the Beijing Games in 2022 when the NHL pulled out late because of pandemic-related scheduling issues. Winnipeg’s two-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, Dallas’ Jake Oettinger and Boston’s Jeremy Swayman were the slam-dunk choices in net at a position with an embarrassment of strong depth, with Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko injured and unavailable.
Finland also went heavy on recent championship winners, picking Florida’s Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola and Colorado’s Artturi Lehkonen
“It’s big value,” said Finland general manager Jere Lehtinen, who was also in charge of the team that won gold at the 2022 Olympics without NHL talent. “You have a few players who have won and have been in tough situations through their careers, so when it comes to a tournament like that, it’s a quick tournament. You have to be ready right away.”
Sweden, much like the U.S., skewed older with its selections.
The Swedish Hockey Federation opted for veteran experience on defense with Edmonton’s Mattias Ekholm and Minnesota’s Jonas Brodin, to go along with young Buffalo captain Rasmus Dahlin. Up front, the Swedes did not overlook youth, choosing Anaheim’s 19-year-old center Leo Carlsson and Detroit’s 22-year-old winger Lucas Raymond among their forwards.
The Finns took some role players in piecing together a team in front of Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros, including Montreal’s Joel Armia and San Jose’s Mikael Granlund, who’s having something of a career renaissance with the Sharks.
(Canadian Press)
