When the rosters for the Four Nations Face-Off are revealed Wednesday, the Vegas Golden Knights are expecting more than a handful of players to make the rosters.
The mid-season tournament, which replaced the NHL All-Star game, will occur from Feb. 12. Until Feb. 20, 2025, in Boston and Montreal. It will be a round-robin format, with all four teams playing each other at least once. The top two teams will play in a championship game.
Here’s a quick look at who Golden Knights fans can expect to be called for national duty:
Finland
Potential Golden Knights: None
The Golden Knights don’t have any Finnish players on their roster.
Sweden
Potential Golden Knights: William Karlsson
While three Swedish players are on the Golden Knights, Karlsson is the best bet to make the Team Sweden roster.
Karlsson is an elite two-way center who can play the wing if needed in a best-on-best format. This season, he has 11 points with four goals and seven assists. Karlsson is also plus-four through 16 games, which is a strong number. For his career, Karlsson is plus-120 in the plus-minus statistic.
“It would be a great honor, obviously, to be a part of the Team Sweden. When all the best players are playing, it would be a huge honor,” Karlsson said. “Hopefully, my name is on that roster.”
Canada
Potential Golden Knights: Adin Hill, Alex Pietrangelo, Mark Stone, Shea Theodore
The Golden Knights are one of the more Canadian-heavy teams in the NHL. So it’s likely that Vegas will send more than one player. Pietrangelo, Stone, and Theodore all have played for Team Canada previously in some form, whether it was at the Olympics, World Juniors, or World Championships. Hill’s value has increased over the past two seasons, making him a viable choice for goalie for Canada.
Many projections have Hill, Pietrangelo, and Theodore making the team.
“It’d be cool,” Theodore said. “Obviously, that’d be a cool experience, and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.”
The biggest question mark is Stone. Between his injury history and lack of play this season, whether the Vegas captain will play in the Four Nations remains to be seen.
USA
Confirmed: Jack Eichel
Potential Golden Knights: Noah Hanifin
Eichel was confirmed as one of the top six U.S.-born players when the Four Nations was first announced.
“We all feel the same way when it comes to wearing the red, white, and blue,” Eichel said. ”It’s going to be super competitive and just a great event for our league in general, and hopefully, the hockey fans in the hockey world enjoy the event.”
Whether or not, fellow Massachusetts-native Hanifin joins him is a bigger question. Some projects have the defenseman in the lineup, while others don’t. He’s been inconsistent this season, but his overall player profile projects well to the U.S. roster.
He, like Stone, remains on the bubble for making the final roster.
Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.
