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.
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):
USA 4 Nations Face-Off roster
Initial six players
F Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights
F Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
F Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
D Adam Fox, New York Rangers
D Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
D Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins
Rest of the roster
F Matt Boldy, Minnesota Wild
F Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
F Jake Guentzel, Tampa Bay Lightning
F Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
F Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
F Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
F J.T. Miller, Vancouver Canucks
F Brock Nelson, New York Islanders
F Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
F Vincent Trocheck, New York Rangers
D Brock Faber, Minnesota Wild
D Noah Hanifin, Vegas Golden Knights
D Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
D Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
G Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
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.
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 Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
F Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
F Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
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 Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
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
D Travis Sanheim, Philadelphia Flyers
D Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights
D Devon Toews, Colorado Avalanche
G Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
G Adin Hill, Vegas Golden Knights
G Sam Montembeault, Montreal Canadiens
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.
Finland 4 Nations Face-Off roster
Initial six players
F Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes
F Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
F Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche
D Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars
D Esa Lindell, Stars
G Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators
Rest of the roster
F Joel Armia, Montreal Canadiens
F Mikael Granlund, San Jose Sharks
F Erik Haula, New Jersey Devils
F Roope Hintz, Dallas Stars
F Kaapo Kakko, New York Rangers
F Artturi Lehkonen, Colorado Avalanche
F Anton Lundell, Florida Panthers
F Patrik Laine, Montreal Canadiens
F Eetu Luostarinen, Florida Panthers
F Teuvo Teravainen, Chicago Blackhawks
D Jani Hakanpaa, Toronto Maple Leafs
D Niko Mikkola, Florida Panthers
D Olli Maatta, Utah Hockey Club
D Rasmus Ristolainen, Philadelphia Flyers
D Juuso Valimaki, Utah Hockey Club
G Kevin Lankinen, Vancouver Canucks
G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Buffalo Sabres
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.
There is also built-in chemistry because the Panthers bring in four players and the Stars have three. Rantanen and Lehkonen are linemates in Colorado.
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 Leo Carlsson, Anaheim Ducks
F Joel Eriksson Ek, Minnesota Wild
F William Karlsson, Vegas Golden Knights
F Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles Kings
F Elias Lindholm, Boston Bruins
F Gustav Nyquist, Nashville Predators
F Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
F Lucas Raymond, Detroit Red Wings
D Rasmus Andersson, Calgary Flames
D Jonas Brodin, Minnesota Wild
D Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
D Mattias Ekholm, Edmonton Oilers
G Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild
G Jacob Markstrom, New Jersey Devils
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.
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.
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