A Look at the NHL Four Nations Face-Off
The NHL All-Star Game is not happening in 2025. After the 2024 campaign saw a 7% decrease in viewership from the previous year, the league needed a new way to bring attention to hockey in the middle of the season.
Thatβs why this February, Montreal and Boston are hosting the leagueβs first-ever Four Nations Face Off, where some of the NHLβs best will play for their countriesβ national teams. The United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland will compete in a round-robin style tournament.
Hereβs a preview of each team:
USA:
Team USA is absolutely stacked. A powerful offense studded with NHL superstars, like Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, and Matthew & Brady Tkachuk (just to name a few), immediately poses a massive threat to the other countriesβ defenses. Speaking of defense, the Americans have arguably the best lineup on this list. Quinn Hughes, Charlie McAvoy, Adam Fox, Zach Werenski, Brock Faber, Noah Hanifin, and Jaccob Slavin are some of the best blueliners in the league, not only excelling on defense, but being strong offensive playmakers as well. In net, the United States has yet another awesome tandem with top 10 goaltenders in the Jetsβ netminder Connor Hellebuyck, Starsβ Jake Oettinger, and Bruinsβ Jeremy Swayman. Each player on this roster has been an NHL all-star and consistently puts up dominant numbers in their respective positions. Having all of these guys on one team is just unfair β look for Team USA to have an unforgettable run in this tournament.
Canada:
Headlining Team Canadaβs roster are two of the best players in NHL history, hands-down, in the Pittsburgh Penguinsβ captain Sidney Crosby and Edmonton Oilersβ captain Connor McDavid. Just the prospect of them playing together is exciting hockey fans around the world. Aiding them on offense are other NHL stars, such as Nathan MacKinnon, Brayden Point, Brad Marchand, Mitch Marner, and many more. On defense, the Canadians are just as strong, with league leaders like Cale Makar, Josh Morrissey, Devon Toews, and Alex Pietrangelo, among others. The only potential spot of trouble for Team Canada is their goaltending. Rumored to be the starting goalie, Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues has been slightly inconsistent over the years. Backing him up are Vegasβ Adin Hill and Montrealβs Sam Montembeault, who are having strong seasons, but are relatively less-established in the league. However, Binnington and Hill both have Stanley Cups under their belts, and Montembeault has proven to be very reliable. Plus, with Canadaβs defense, goaltending shouldnβt be too much of an issue. Expect Team Canada to continue to cement their legacy in international hockey, making a strong run in the tournament.
Sweden:
Led by William Nylander, Jesper Bratt, Filip Forsberg, Lucas Raymond, Joel Eriksson Ek, and more on offense, Sweden will absolutely be a force to be reckoned with. Although Swedenβs roster may not have a bonafide star player, the roster is stacked with strong players who add depth to their game. The forwards mentioned above have collectively put up over 210 points over a span of about 45 games this season, showing consistent skill. On defense, Sweden is led by veterans Viktor Hedman and Erik Karlsson, along with upcoming leaders in the Sabresβ Rasmus Dahlin and Panthersβ Gustav Forsling. Swedenβs goaltending tandem is well-established with Jakob Markstrom, Filip Gustavsson, and Linus Ullmark, who are all among the top 20 goalies in the league. Expect Sweden to do well in the tournament, as their solid roster is destined for success.
Finland:
Although Team Finland may seem like it has more inconsistent players at first glance, they have strong offensive capabilities with players like Sebastian Aho, Alexsander Barkov, Mikko Rantanen, as well as other forwards finding their groove like Patrik Laine, Kaapo Kakko, Anton Lundell, and Erik Haula. Donβt sleep on Team Finland, as their offense is full of players in their prime, and can burn defenses due to their younger forward core. A potential problem with Finland, however, could be their defense. Although they are led by established players like Dallas Starsβ D-men Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell, they are backed up by good, but still developing players in Olli Maata, Juuso Valimaki, Jaani Hakanpaa, who have bounced around teams in their careers. Nonetheless, playing more and on an international stage can certainly give them a boost and contribute to Finlandβs run. Meanwhile, Finlandβs goalies are solid, with Juuse Saros, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Kevin Lankinen each having breakthrough seasons of late. Finland, while a slight underdog, is no slouch and can pull off some pretty special upsets this tournament.
My predictions:
Round Robin:
Canada over Sweden
USA over Finland
Sweden over Finland
Canada over USA
Canada over Finland
USA over Sweden
The two teams with the most points advance to the Championship game:
USA beats Canada in the Finals
Expect the Four Nations Face Off to be action-packed, competitive, and filled with close games and outstanding play. It will also serve as an interesting look at what the future of the NHL All-Star game looks like, as well as a peek at the 2026 Winter Olympics, as many players will be returning to international competition in Milan next year.
The 8-day tournament starts on Wednesday, February 12, and ends on Thursday, February 20.