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HomeSportThe Showdown of Nations: Roster Highlights and Key Takeaways from the 4...

The Showdown of Nations: Roster Highlights and Key Takeaways from the 4 Nations Face-Off

 

 

The 4 Nations Face-Off: Who Made the Roster and Who Didn’t


The rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament have been revealed, showcasing an impressive lineup filled with All-Stars, award recipients, and supportive team players.

Teams from the United States, Canada, Finland, and Sweden will compete in the tournament from February 12-20. Each team is set to play three round-robin games, with the top two teams moving on to the final match.

Below are the highlights from the roster announcements made on Wednesday, including the winners and losers:

 

WINNERS

The Tkachuk and Hughes Siblings

The Tkachuk brothers’ participation is always significant for their family, particularly their dad and former NHL player, Keith Tkachuk. Instead of competing against each other, Florida’s Matthew and Ottawa’s Brady will join forces on Team USA, a larger platform than the 2023 NHL All-Star Game. Additionally, Jack Hughes from New Jersey will be teaming up with his sibling, Quinn, from Vancouver in this prestigious event.

 

Solid Goaltending Options

Strong goaltending will be essential in this short tournament, and all four national teams have exceptional goalies. Team USA’s Connor Hellebuyck has won the Vezina Trophy twice, while Sweden’s Linus Ullmark has also claimed the award once. Hellebuyck currently leads the NHL with 15 wins, closely followed by Team USA’s Jake Oettinger with 13. Sweden boasts several capable goalies including Filip Gustavsson and Jacob Markstrom, as well as Finland’s Kevin Lankinen, all with 12 wins. Canada has been considered to have less robust options in goal, but both Jordan Binnington of St. Louis and Adin Hill of Vegas are Stanley Cup winners.

 

Patrik Laine of the Montreal Canadiens

After facing numerous challenges over the last two seasons, including a fractured clavicle and a preseason knee injury, Laine made a successful return on Tuesday, scoring a goal in his first game back. On Wednesday, he was named to Team Finland.

 

NHL Teams Making Their Mark

Reigning champions the Florida Panthers and 2023 winners the Vegas Golden Knights lead the representation with eight and seven players respectively. Other notable teams with five representatives include the Tampa Bay Lightning, Minnesota Wild, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, and New York Rangers. Despite recent struggles, the Rangers secured spots for Vincent Trocheck and Chris Kreider on Team USA. For Florida, four players will represent Finland, while Tampa Bay has three on Canada. Avalanche star defensemen Cale Makar and Devon Toews will both skate for Canada, while forwards Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen will compete for Finland.

LOSERS

Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks

Though Anaheim’s Leo Carlsson, the 2023 No. 2 pick, made Sweden’s roster, the number one pick, Bedard, will have to sit this one out due to the depth of Canada’s roster, particularly at center. The 2023-24 rookie of the year has struggled recently with a 12-game goal drought that ended just before Thanksgiving. He has openly expressed his dissatisfaction with his performance this season. However, the young talent still has potential to rebound and could set his sights on the 2026 Winter Olympics.

 

The Seattle Kraken and Washington Capitals

Out of all 32 NHL teams, the Kraken and Capitals failed to secure any spots on the rosters. While the Kraken are a mid-tier team, the Capitals were atop the Metropolitan Division when the rosters were finalized. Notably missing from the roster are Dylan Strome, John Carlson, and Logan Thompson.

 

Logan Thompson from the Capitals

Thompson has impressive stats with a 10-1-2 record, boasting a strong 2.52 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage among Canadian goalies. Nevertheless, Canada opted for Binnington, Hill, and Sam Montembeault as their options in goal.

Edmonton Oilers

Despite their playoff run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season, the Oilers only have three players participating in this tournament after a rocky start to their current season. Connor McDavid was initially included in Canada’s roster, but now only defensemen Mattias Ekholm and injured forward Viktor Arvidsson (both representing Sweden) made the final cut. Evan Bouchard, who was considered for Team Canada, saw his chances diminish due to defensive errors and a concerning dip in his overall performance. Similarly, Zach Hyman, who was once a 50-goal scorer, has only netted three goals this season and is currently sidelined with an injury.