4 Nations Face-Off: 12 players to watch in tournament of NHL stars
There’s no NHL All-Star Game this season. Instead, there’s an international star-filled tournament.
Players from the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden will suit up in their national team jerseys at the 4 Nations Face-Off. It’s a major gathering of star power in Montreal and Boston before the NHL returns to the Olympics in 2026.
Players on the teams have combined for seven Hart (MVP) trophies, seven Norris (defenseman) trophies and three Vezina (goaltender) trophies. There are 35 combined Stanley Cup titles and five playoff MVP wins.
There are six goal titles, three by the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews (USA), who scored 69 times last season. There are seven scoring titles, led by Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid’s five. The three-time MVP is playing on Team Canada with reigning MVP Nathan MacKinnon.
Here are 12 players to watch (three from each team):
4 NATIONS FACE-OFF: Rosters, schedule, format and more
USA 4 Nations Face-Off players to watch
G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets: He’s a two-time Vezina Trophy winner and could become the first back-to-back winner since Martin Brodeur in 2007 and 2008. He’s the NHL leader in shutouts (6), goals-against average (2.06) and save percentage (.925), while facing nearly 1,200 shots.
D Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets: With Quinn Hughes out because of injury, Werenski takes on a greater role. He’s the USA’s top scorer from the blue line (59 points, tied with Hughes) and one of the front-runners for the Norris Trophy. His play has helped the Blue Jackets be in the playoff mix despite the offseason death of Johnny Gaudreau and lengthy injury absences for Boone Jenner and Sean Monahan.
F Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers: Tkachuk has a six-game goal streak with 13 points in that span. He gets under opponents’ skin. He won a Stanley Cup last season. And he’s on the team with brother Brady.
Others to watch: Matthews, Jack Eichel, Kyle Connor, Jack Hughes, Adam Fox.
Canada 4 Nations Face-Off players to watch
F Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche: Last year’s MVP is making a case again. He leads the NHL with 87 points and is averaging 1.6 points a game since early December. He’s putting up big points even after the trade of his regular winger Mikko Rantanen in January. He and his Colorado teammates lit up Hellebuyck (5.23 goals-against average) in last season’s playoffs.
Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers: A 57-goal scorer last season, he’s on a 44-goal pace this season. But he’s a threat anytime he’s on the ice and likely will play on a line with McDavid, plus on the top power-play unit. He has nine power-play goals and more important, a league-best five short-handed goals. His explosiveness means teams will have to be cautious when they’re on the power play.
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins: The Penguins captain is Canada’s captain. He scored the gold-medal game overtime goal in the 2010 Olympics, scored in the championship game in 2014 and was MVP as Canada picked up a third consecutive win in best-on-best tournaments at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. It looked like an upper-body injury might keep him out of this tournament, but he got the go-ahead to play. It’s worth watching how he’s affected by the injury and the two-game absence.
Others to watch: McDavid, Cale Makar, Mitch Marner, Brad Marchand, Brayden Point
Finland 4 Nations Face-Off players to watch
Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers: How best to stop the powerful offenses in the tournament? Strong two-way play. Barkov is one of the best in the league. He has won the Selke Trophy twice as the league’s top defensive forward. He puts up points, too, and has 11 in his last six games.
Mikko Rantanen, Carolina Hurricanes: Which version does Finland get? He had 64 points with Colorado before the trade and two points in six games after being moved. He’ll have former Avalanche linemate Artturi Lehkonen with him on Team Finland, along with current teammate Sebastian Aho. He missed the last game before the break with an injury.
Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators: Finland is known for producing top goalies, and Saros is one of them. But his numbers have dropped as the Predators have unexpectedly struggled. His 23 losses are two off his career worst and he has a sub-.900 save percentage. He never has finished below .900.
Others to watch: Aho, Roope Hintz, Mikael Granlund, Lehkonen, Anton Lundell.
Sweden 4 Nations Face-Off players to watch
D Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning: He replaced Steven Stamkos as Lightning captain and is captain of Team Sweden. He has won two Stanley Cups, one playoff MVP award and one Norris Trophy during a stretch of six seasons as a finalist.
F William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs: His 33 goals lead Swedish players. Seven of those have been game-winners and 25 were scored at even strength. He has 21 power-play points, third on Team Sweden.
G Linus Ullmark, Ottawa Senators, or Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild: In theory, Sweden would go with former Vezina winner Ullmark as their No. 1 goalie. But he has just returned from an injury, getting in two games (facing a combined 84 shots) before the tournament. Gustavsson has 22 wins in 37 starts and has won four of his last five games. Ullmark has the better goals-against average. They’re even in save percentage and shutouts. It will be interesting to see how Sweden deploys its goaltenders.
Others to watch: Lucas Raymond, Jesper Bratt, Adrian Kempe, Filip Forsberg, Rasmus Dahlin