The final rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off are in, and the international tournament is full of All-Stars, award winners and role players.
The nature of the tournament and the depth of talent, particularly on the United States and Canada, means numerous players had to be left off the 23-player rosters (20 skaters, three goaltenders).
The United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden will take part in the Feb. 12-20 tournament. Each team will play three games in a round robin, with the top two advancing to the championship game.
Here are the winners and losers from the 4 Nations Face-Off roster announcement on Wednesday:
WINNERS
The Tkachuk and Hughes families
The meeting of the Tkachuk brothers is always a big deal for dad/former NHL star Keith Tkachuk and family. Instead of being opponents, Florida’s Matthew and Ottawa’s Brady will be U.S. teammates on a bigger stage than the 2023 NHL All-Star Game. New Jersey’s Jack Hughes will also join his brother, Vancouver’s Quinn, on Team USA.
Strong goaltending
Goaltending will be important in a short tournament and the four national teams have strong representatives in net. Team USA’s Connor Hellebuyck is a two-time Vezina Trophy winner and Sweden’s Linus Ullmark won once. Hellebuyck leads the NHL with 15 wins and Team USA’s Jake Oettinger has 13; Sweden’s Filip Gustavsson and Jacob Markstrom, plus Finland’s Kevin Lankinen have 12 each. Canada is considered to have the weakest goaltending in the tournament, but St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington and Vegas’ Adin Hill have won Stanley Cup titles.
Montreal Canadiens’ Patrik Laine
He’s had a rough go the past two seasons with a broken clavicle, a stint in the NHL/NHLPA Players Assistance Program and a preseason knee injury. He returned Tuesday and scored a goal in his season debut. Wednesday, he made Team Finland.
Well-represented NHL teams
The defending champion Florida Panthers and 2023 champion Vegas Golden Knights, who played in the 2023 final, have the most representatives at eight and seven, respectively. The Tampa Bay Lightning, Minnesota Wild, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and New York Rangers have five each. The Rangers didn’t get hurt by their recent struggles. Vincent Trocheck and power-play specialist Chris Kreider made Team USA. Florida has four players on Finland and Tampa Bay has three on Canada. Avalanche defensive partners Cale Makar and Devon Toews will play for Canada and linemates Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen will skate for Finland.
LOSERS
Chicago Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard
Anaheim’s Leo Carlsson, the 2023 No. 2 overall pick, made Sweden’s roster, but No. 1 pick Bedard will have to wait. That’s a product of Canada’s depth, especially down the middle. But Bedard, the 2023-24 rookie of the year, also has had a little bit of a sophomore slump, going through a 12-game goal drought that ended before Thanksgiving. He told TNT he hasn’t been happy with his production this season. But the 19-year-old has the skill to bounce back and push for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Seattle Kraken and Washington Capitals
Of the 32 NHL teams, every one has a representative except for the Kraken and Capitals. The Kraken are a middling team, but the Capitals were leading the Metropolitan Division when rosters were finalized. No Dylan Strome, John Carlson or Logan Thompson.
Capitals’ Logan Thompson
He’s 10-1-2 with among the best numbers (2.52 goals-against average, .913 save percentage) among Canadian goalies. But Canada went with Binnington, Hill and Sam Montembeault in net.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers went to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, but have only three players at the tournament after an inconsistent start this season. Connor McDavid was part of Canada’s initial roster and only defenseman Mattias Ekholm and injured forward Viktor Arvidsson (both Sweden) were named on Wednesday. Defenseman Evan Bouchard was on some early lists to make Team Canada, but defensive mistakes and a drop in points likely cost him. Same with Zach Hyman, a former 50-goal scorer who has three goals this season and is out with an injury.