The final projection of Canada’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Canada is the favorite to win the first-ever 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February – the first best vs. best competition with NHL players since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Canada won that tournament eight years ago, and the country also won the gold medal at the last Winter Olympics involving NHL players, in 2010 and 2014.
What are the chances that the United States, Sweden or Finland can dethrone Canada in a few months at the 4 Nations Face-Off?
It is certainly possible. The United States has produced more and more top talent in recent years, and the Americans have a huge advantage over Canada at the goalkeeper position. Sweden is also packed with top talent at almost every position, and Finland has many quality players as well.
Here is the full schedule for the tournament, which is hosted by the Bell Center in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston:
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Wednesday, February 12 at 8 p.m: Canada vs. Sweden at the Bell Center
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Thursday, February 13 at 8:00 PM: USA vs. Finland at the Bell Center
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Saturday, February 15 at 1:00 PM: Finland vs. Sweden at the Bell Center
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Saturday, February 15 at 8:00 PM: USA vs. Canada at the Bell Center
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Monday, February 17 at 1:00 PM: Canada vs. Finland at TD Garden
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Monday February 17 at 8:00 PM: US vs. Sweden at TD Garden
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Thursday, February 20 at 8:00 PM: Championship match at TD Garden
The final selections for each of the four teams will be revealed on December 2. View our final selection for Canada below. Six players have already been selected and their names are in bold.
Come on
Zach Hyman–Connor McDavid-Sam Reinhart
Brad Marchand—Sidney Crosby—Nathan Mackinnon
Brandon Hagel–Brayden Point–Mitch Marner
Travis Konecny-Mark Scheifele-Steven Stamkos
Extra: Connor Bedard
No other country has as much elite talent as Canada. It’s really amazing. There are also a lot of centers in the mix, and some of them will likely have to play on the wing.
In a tournament where there aren’t that many games, it’s a challenge to develop chemistry between guys who have rarely or never played together. That’s why we constructed these lines with the idea of bringing teammates together, but also guys who train together in the off-season.
Marchand, Crosby and MacKinnon are all from Nova Scotia and have practiced there together numerous times over the summer. Hyman and McDavid are one of the most productive duos in the league as part of the Oilers’ first line. Hagel and Point are teammates on the Lightning.
It was a tough choice to leave Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere off the squad. He’s having a strong season and Canada doesn’t have many natural lefties in the mix here. Does he deserve a spot above Stamkos, who is having just an average season with the Predators so far? Probably, but experience is important at an international tournament. Additionally, Stamkos was not selected for the 2010 Olympics and was unable to play in the 2014 Olympics due to injury, so he deserves another chance to represent Canada.
Defenders
Devon Toews–Bald Makar
Noah Dobson-Evan Bouchard
Shea Theodore-Alex Pietrangelo
Additional: Josh Morrissey
Chemistry is very important on the blue line, so it makes sense to bring together teammates like Devon Toews and Cale Makar (Avalanche), as well as Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo (Golden Knights). Evan Bouchard has been essential to the Oilers’ recent success, while Dobson is among the league’s most underrated blueliners. Josh Morrissey has made a huge impact for the Jets at the top spot and could easily be in the mix for a top-six spot.
Goalkeepers
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Logan Thompson
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Adin Hill
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Cam Talbot
Thompson is having a great season for the resurgent Capitals with a 9-1-1 record, a .917 save percentage and a 2.44 GAA. Hill, who was teammates with Thompson on the Golden Knights, is off to a rough start to the campaign with an .887 save percentage and a 2.99 GAA. However, his experience winning the Stanley Cup and his overall resume in the playoffs should help him earn a roster spot.
Talbot has been a model of consistency. He has a save percentage of .921 for the Red Wings, putting him on pace to have a save percentage above .900 for the fourth time in the last five seasons. He has 36 career playoff appearances with a .915 save percentage in those games.
Goaltender is by far Canada’s weakest position. That doesn’t mean the players mentioned above are bad by any means, there’s just no elite, slam-dunk option here. In fact, the other three teams all have better netminders. If Canada doesn’t win this tournament, poor goaltending will likely be the main reason.
