HIGHLIGHTS
- The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off features NHL stars from Canada, USA, Sweden and Finland
- Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Victor Hedman headline stacked rosters
- Keep reading for a full preview of the 4 Nations Face-Off format, schedule and teams
The wait is finally over. The best hockey players on the planet will take the ice this week in the inaugural NHL 4 Nations Face-Off. Teams from Canada, USA, Sweden and Finland will battle it out in a round-robin tournament, followed by a one-game championship.
It’s the first best-on-best international hockey tournament since the 2016 World Cup. Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Victor Hedman and other superstars will don their country’s colors and go head-to-head. The stakes are high, with national pride on the line and Olympic roster spots up for grabs.
Here’s everything you need to know heading into puck drop on February 12th:
Format
The 4 Nations Face-Off begins with a three-game Round Robin for each team. Regulation wins are worth 3 points, OT/shootout wins 2 points, OT/shootout losses 1 point, and regulation losses 0 points.
After the Round Robin, the top two teams in the standings will face off in a winner-take-all Championship Game on February 20th. Round Robin overtimes will be 10 minutes of 3-on-3 sudden death, while the final will have full 20-minute OT periods.
All games will be played under NHL rules at the Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston.
Schedule
Wednesday, Feb. 12 (at Bell Centre)
Canada vs. Sweden, 8 p.m. ET
Thursday, Feb. 13 (at Bell Centre)
United States vs. Finland, 8 p.m. ET
Saturday, Feb. 15 (at Bell Centre)
Finland vs. Sweden, 1 p.m. ET
United States vs. Canada, 8 p.m. ET
Monday, Feb. 17 (at TD Garden)
Canada vs. Finland, 1 p.m. ET
Sweden vs. United States, 8 p.m. ET
Thursday, Feb. 20 (at TD Garden)
Championship Game, 8 p.m. ET
Rosters
Team Canada
| Number | Position | Player Name | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | F | Sam Bennett | FLA |
| 71 | F | Anthony Cirelli | TBL |
| 87 | F | Sidney Crosby | PIT |
| 38 | F | Brandon Hagel | TBL |
| 24 | F | Seth Jarvis | CAR |
| 11 | F | Travis Konecny | PHI |
| 29 | F | Nathan MacKinnon | COL |
| 63 | F | Brad Marchand | BOS |
| 16 | F | Mitch Marner | TOR |
| 97 | F | Connor McDavid | EDM |
| 21 | F | Brayden Point | TBL |
| 13 | F | Sam Reinhart | FLA |
| 61 | F | Mark Stone | VGS |
| 89 | D | Drew Doughty | LAK |
| 8 | D | Cale Makar | COL |
| 44 | D | Josh Morrissey | WPG |
| 55 | D | Colton Parayko | STL |
| 6 | D | Travis Sanheim | PHI |
| 27 | D | Shea Theodore | VGS |
| 5 | D | Devon Toews | COL |
| 50 | G | Jordan Binnington | STL |
| 33 | G | Adin Hill | VGS |
| 35 | G | Sam Montembeault | MTL |
Canada also has some intrigue between the pipes. Jordan Binnington and Adin Hill are battling for the starting job. Both have played well this season and bring championship pedigree.
Team USA
| Number | Position | Player Name | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Forward | Matt Boldy | MIN |
| 81 | Forward | Kyle Connor | WPG |
| 9 | Forward | Jack Eichel | VGS |
| 59 | Forward | Jake Guentzel | TBL |
| 86 | Forward | Jack Hughes | NJD |
| 20 | Forward | Chris Kreider | NYR |
| 21 | Forward | Dylan Larkin | DET |
| 34 | Forward | Auston Matthews | TOR |
| 10 | Forward | J.T. Miller | NYR |
| 29 | Forward | Brock Nelson | NYI |
| 7 | Forward | Brady Tkachuk | OTT |
| 19 | Forward | Matthew Tkachuk | FLA |
| 16 | Forward | Vincent Trocheck | NYR |
| 14 | Defenseman | Brock Faber | MIN |
| 23 | Defenseman | Adam Fox | NYR |
| 15 | Defenseman | Noah Hanifin | VGS |
| 25 | Defenseman | Charlie McAvoy | BOS |
| 85 | Defenseman | Jake Sanderson | OTT |
| 74 | Defenseman | Jaccob Slavin | CAR |
| 8 | Defenseman | Zach Werenski | CBJ |
| 37 | Goalie | Connor Hellebuyck | WPG |
| 30 | Goalie | Jake Oettinger | DAL |
| 1 | Goalie | Jeremy Swayman | BOS |
The Americans counter Canada’s firepower with plenty of their own. Leading the charge is captain Auston Matthews, fresh off a 60-goal season. He’s flanked by skilled wingers like Kyle Connor and Jack Eichel.
USA’s biggest advantage may be in net. Connor Hellebuyck is putting together a Vezina-caliber season and gives them a rock in the crease. The defense in front of him, anchored by Charlie McAvoy and Adam Fox, is mobile and stout.
Team Sweden
| Number | Position | Player Name | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Forward | Viktor Arvidsson | EDM |
| 63 | Forward | Jesper Bratt | NJD |
| 91 | Forward | Leo Carlsson | ANA |
| 20 | Forward | Joel Eriksson Ek | MIN |
| 9 | Forward | Filip Forsberg | NSH |
| 10 | Forward | Adrian Kempe | LAK |
| 28 | Forward | Elias Lindholm | BOS |
| 88 | Forward | William Nylander | TOR |
| 12 | Forward | Gustav Nyquist | NSH |
| 40 | Forward | Elias Pettersson | VAN |
| 23 | Forward | Lucas Raymond | DET |
| 67 | Forward | Rickard Rakell | PIT |
| 93 | Forward | Mika Zibanejad | NYR |
| 4 | Defenseman | Rasmus Andersson | CGY |
| 25 | Defenseman | Jonas Brodin | MIN |
| 26 | Defenseman | Rasmus Dahlin | BUF |
| 14 | Defenseman | Mattias Ekholm | EDM |
| 42 | Defenseman | Gustav Forsling | FLA |
| 77 | Defenseman | Victor Hedman | TBL |
| 65 | Defenseman | Erik Karlsson | PIT |
| 30 | Goalie | Samuel Ersson | PHI |
| 32 | Goalie | Filip Gustavsson | MIN |
| 35 | Goalie | Linus Ullmark | OTT |
Sweden may not have the top-end forward talent of Canada or the U.S., but their balanced attack is still potent. William Nylander and Elias Pettersson lead a deep group up front that will look to strike quickly in transition.
On the back end, captain Victor Hedman is the headliner. The perennial Norris contender will be tasked with shutting down the opposition’s top guns. He has help in the form of offensive dynamo Erik Karlsson and steady Jonas Brodin.
The Swedes suffered a blow with the loss of Jacob Markstrom to injury. Linus Ullmark will need to step up in his absence for Sweden to have a chance at gold.
Team Finland
| Number | Position | Player Name | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Forward | Sebastian Aho | CAR |
| 40 | Forward | Joel Armia | MTL |
| 16 | Forward | Aleksander Barkov | FLA |
| 64 | Forward | Mikael Granlund | DAL |
| 56 | Forward | Erik Haula | NJD |
| 24 | Forward | Roope Hintz | DAL |
| 84 | Forward | Kaapo Kakko | SEA |
| 92 | Forward | Patrik Laine | MTL |
| 62 | Forward | Artturi Lehkonen | COL |
| 15 | Forward | Anton Lundell | FLA |
| 27 | Forward | Eetu Luostarinen | FLA |
| 96 | Forward | Mikko Rantanen | CAR |
| 86 | Forward | Teuvo Teravainen | CHI |
| 10 | Defense | Henri Jokiharju | BUF |
| 23 | Defense | Esa Lindell | DAL |
| 3 | Defense | Olli Maatta | UTA |
| 77 | Defense | Niko Mikkola | FLA |
| 33 | Defense | Nikolas Matinpalo | OTT |
| 18 | Defense | Urho Vaakanainen | NYR |
| 6 | Defense | Juuso Valimaki | UTA |
| 32 | Goalie | Kevin Lankinen | VAN |
| 1 | Goalie | Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | BUF |
| 74 | Goalie | Juuse Saros | NSH |
The Finns enter as underdogs but have the talent to make noise. Up front, Aleksander Barkov centers a top line with Mikko Rantanen and Sebastian Aho that has the speed and skill to go toe-to-toe with any in the tournament.
Finland will need to overcome injuries on the blue line, with Miro Heiskanen, Jani Hakanpaa and Rasmus Ristolainen all sidelined. They still have a strong two-way presence in Esa Lindell and youngsters Henri Jokiharju and Juuso Valimaki eager to prove themselves.
In net, Nashville’s Juuse Saros gives Finland a chance to win every night. The 2022 Vezina finalist is calm under pressure and Athletic scouts report he’s “as dialed in as we’ve seen him” ahead of the tournament.
February 15th is shaping up to be the tournament’s marquee day, with a Canada-USA showdown headlined by McDavid vs Matthews. But every game will be must-see, with hockey’s biggest stars pushing for national glory and to make their case for the 2026 Olympics.
Buckle up – the road to the first 4 Nations Face-Off title begins now. It’s time for the best to battle the best once again.
