The NHL announced today that three Flyers were named to their respective countries roster for the 2025 Four Nations Faceoff.
Travis Konecny is one of 13 forwards to be named to the Team Canada roster. This marks the London, ON native’s fifth time making a Team Canada roster with his senior national team debut at the 2017 IIHF World Championships. On the international stage, he has played 32 games and registered 11 goals and 25 points.
“I was very caught off guard. I knew for a little bit there had been some speculation that I might be on it, and I never really paid any attention to it because I really didn’t think that there was really that much of a chance,” said Konecny. “But for me and Sanny to both make it, it’s such an awesome experience that we get to do together. Playing for your country at any point is something special that you don’t take for granted so I look forward to it.”
Among Canadians in the NHL, Konecny ranks seventh in points (30), fifth for goals (13), and is tied for third in power play goals (5).
Travis Sanheim was named one of seven defensemen for Team Canada. He has represented Canada on four different occasions, two of those occasions was with Konecny.
“It was very cool to hear the news and obviously a huge honor. To be able to do it with your best buddy kind of tops it all off and something that I’m really excited about,” said Sanheim.
So far this season the Elkhorn, MB native averages the fifth most time on ice in the NHL at 25:30 per game and among Canadian defenseman he is tied for 10th in points (15) and tied for fourth in goals with five.
Rasmus Ristolainen, a native of Turku, Finland, is one of seven defensemen to make Team Finland ahead of the Four Nations Faceoff. The defender has represented his country on the international stage on 17 different occasions while three of those appearances were for the senior team with his debut being at the 2016 IIHF World Championships.
“It’s going to be huge, said Ristolainen. “Always very honored to represent your country and particularly for this tournament. It’s best against the best which we haven’t had for a while and get to play with a lot of good friends so it will be very exciting.”
Ristolainen has seven points (1g-6a) this season which is the fourth most among Finnish defensemen in the NHL.
Head Coach Tortorella will be on the bench for Team USA as assistant coach. The Boston, MA native is ninth in NHL history in wins with 754.
On the international stage, most recently Tortorella served as head coach of Team USA for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. He was an assistant coach for the silver medal-winning 2010 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team and also
served as head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team for the 2008 IIHF Men’s World Championship and associate coach for the U.S. in the 2005 IIHF Men’s World Championship.
The Four Nations Faceoff is a round-robin tournament staged by the NHL and NHLPA. The tournament will feature four national teams, Canada, United States, Sweden, and Finland and will take place Feb. 12-20 in lieu of the annual NHL All-Star Game.
