The 4 Nations Face-Off in February will be the first best-on-best men's hockey tournament in eight years and the first ever to be held a year before the Olympics.
With NHL players expected to return to the 2026 Olympics for the first time since 2014, the four-nation clash should provide a first look at the medal favorites for the Milan Games in Cortina.
The 4 Nations Face-Off consists of the USA, Canada, Sweden and Finland – the nations that have collectively won the last six Olympic medals with NHL participation.
The 4 Nations Face-Off rosters announced Wednesday, each containing 23 NHL players, were selected by the same national associations that will select the 2026 Olympic rosters of 25 players.
So four-nation face-off teams are essentially early blueprints for Olympic teams, although Sweden and Finland have regularly included some players from European leagues in their Olympic squads.
USA 4-Nation Confrontation List
goalkeeper
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins
defender
Brock Faber, Minnesota Wild (2022 Olympians)
Adam Fox, New York Rangers
Noah Hanifin, Vegas Golden Knights
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins
Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
Forward
Matt Boldy, Minnesota Wild
Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights
Jake Guentzel, Tampa Bay Lightning
Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
JT Miller, Vancouver Canucks
Brock Nelson, New York Islanders
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
Vincent Trocheck, New York Rangers
Hellebuyck won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender last season. … Faber, the youngest player on this roster, led all skaters on the 2022 Olympic team in ice time. … Two of the three Hughes brothers made the team, with the youngest, Luke, out after missing the first nine games of the season with a shoulder injury. The last two brothers to make the same U.S. Olympic team were Derian and Kevin Hatcher in 1998. If all three Hughes make the Olympic team, they would be the second group of three brothers to make the Olympic team, following Anton and Marian Olympic ice hockey team and Peter Stastny played for Czechoslovakia in 1980. For once in history, three siblings competed in the same sport at the US Winter Olympics: the bobsledders Curtis, Hubert and Paul Stevens in 1932, according to Olympic historian Bill Mallon. … Larkin has the most World Championship games played of any non-Olympic American (45, Aaron Broten). … Matthews scored 69 goals last season, more than any player since Mario Lemieux scored 69 goals in 1995-96. …Nelson is from Warroad, Minnesota – Hockeytown, USA – with a population of about 2,000 that has already produced at least seven Olympic hockey players (Bill, Dave, Gordon and Roger Christian; Henry Boucha; Gigi Marvin and TJ Oshie). Dave Christian, a member of the 1980 Miracle on Ice team, is Nelson's uncle. Bill Christian, a member of the 1960 Olympic champion team, is Nelson's grandfather. … The Tkachuk family may be the first to have a father and son on U.S. Olympic ice hockey teams in the era of NHL participation. Keith Tkachuk played in the first three Olympics with NHL players in 1998, 2002 and 2006.
Canada 4-nation duel squad
goalkeeper
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
Adin Hill, Vegas Golden Knights
Sam Montembeault, Montreal Canadiens
defender
Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets
Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues
Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas Golden Knights (2014 Olympian)
Travis Sanheim, Philadelphia Flyers
Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights
Devon Toews, Colorado Avalanche
Forward
Sam Bennett, Florida Panthers
Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins (Olympic champion 2010, 2014)
Brandon Hagel, Tampa Bay Lightning
Seth Jarvis, Carolina Hurricanes
Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning
Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers
Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
Crosby, who turns 38 next August, would be the third-oldest Canadian to play Olympic hockey in the NHL era, following Martin St. Louis (2014) and Al MacInnis (2002). According to the OlyMADMen, he could become the second Canadian to complete an Olympic career, 16 years after Terry O'Malley (1964-80). In 2006, the last time Italy hosted the Winter Olympics, an 18-year-old Crosby was left off the Canadian squad. When the Canadian team was named in December 2005, Crosby was tied for 14th among Canadian skaters in the NHL.
Sweden 4-nation duel squad
goalkeeper
Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild
Jacob Markstrom, New Jersey Devils
Linus Ullmark, Ottawa Senators
defender
Rasmus Andersson, Calgary Flames
Jonas Brodin, Minnesota Wild
Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabers (2018 Olympians)
Mattias Ekholm, Edmonton Oilers
Gustav Forsling, Florida Panthers
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins (2014 Olympian)
Forward
Viktor Arvidsson, Edmonton Oilers
Jesper Bratt, New Jersey Devils
Leo Carlsson, Anaheim Ducks
Joel Eriksson Ek, Minnesota Wild
Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators
William Karlsson, Vegas Golden Knights
Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles Kings
Elias Lindholm, Boston Bruins
Gustav Nyquist, Nashville Predators (2014 Olympians)
William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs
Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
Lucas Raymond, Detroit Red Wings
Mika Zibanejad New York Rangers
Gustavsson leads the NHL this season in goals-against average (2.04) and save percentage (.929) among goaltenders with at least 10 games played. … Ullmark won the 2023 Vezina. … Dahlin is the youngest Olympic men's ice hockey player in the last 40 years, playing in PyeongChang at age 17 before becoming the No. 1 overall NHL draft pick in 2018. … Hedman and Erik Karlsson together own four Norris Trophies as the NHL's best defenseman.
Finland 4-nation duel squad
goalkeeper
Kevin Lankinen, Vancouver Canucks
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Buffalo Sabres
Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators
defender
Jani Hakanpää, Toronto Maple Leafs
Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars (2018 Olympians)
Esa Lindell, Dallas Stars
Niko Mikkola, Florida Panthers
Olli Määttä, Utah Hockey Club (2014 Olympian)
Rasmus Ristolainen, Philadelphia Flyers
Juuso Valimäki, Utah Hockey Club
Forward
Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes
Joel Armia, Montreal Canadiens
Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers (2014 Olympian)
Mikael Granlund, San Jose Sharks (2014 Olympian)
Erik Haula, New Jersey Devils
Roope Hintz, Carolina Hurricanes
Kaapo Kakko, New York Rangers
Patrik Laine, Montreal Canadiens
Artturi Lehkonen, Colorado Avalanche
Anton Lundell, Florida Panthers
Eetu Luostarinen, Florida Panthers
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche
Teuvo Teravainen, Chicago Blackhawks
Saros led the NHL in starts last season and has appeared in 21 of Nashville's 25 games so far this season. … Barkov captained Florida to the Stanley Cup last season. … Barkov (18 in 2014) and Heiskanen (18 in 2018) are the two youngest Olympic men's ice hockey players in Finland's history, according to OlyMADMen. Barkov, Määttä and Granlund were Finland's three youngest players on the 2014 men's Olympic team. … None of the members of Finland's 2022 Olympic gold medal team are currently in the NHL.
2026 Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Tournament: Which teams qualify?
The 12-team Olympic men's ice hockey rink is almost complete. All that remains to be decided is whether Russia will be there.
Russia has been banned from international ice hockey since shortly after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, if the ban is lifted, it will have a provisional place in the Olympic field. The IIHF has not set a deadline for a final decision on Russia's Olympic berth. If Russia remains banned, France will move into the Olympic field.
2026 Winter Olympics men's hockey groups:
Group A: Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy
Group B: Finland, Germany, Czech Republic, Denmark
Group C: Russia (if the ban is lifted), USA, Slovakia, Latvia
Groups if Russia's suspension is not lifted:
Group A: Canada, Switzerland, Czech Republic, France
Group B: Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Italy
Group C: USA, Germany, Latvia, Denmark
