Canada to have ‘a lot of hard decisions to make’ for 2025 4 Nations Face-Off

PLYMOUTH, Mich. -- Canada will take a key step next week in preparation for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. The executives and coaches will meet in Edmonton from Aug. 6-9, gathering as a group for the first time to go over everything from systems to scouting to players.

“Obviously, we felt comfortable with the six guys that we put in place to start,” said Don Sweeney, general manager of Canada and the Boston Bruins, while scouting the World Junior Summer Showcase at USA Hockey Arena on Monday. “[We’ll] build around the core of that group. But we’ll have really tough decisions.”

The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association announced the first six players for Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States on June 28. Canada selected defenseman Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and forwards Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nathan MacKinnon of the Avalanche, Brad Marchand of the Bruins, Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The beginning of the NHL season will be an audition for the rest of the rosters, which will be announced between Nov. 29 and Dec. 2. Each team will be comprised of 23 NHL players (20 skaters and three goalies). The seven-game tournament -- the first best-on-best international event since the World Cup of Hockey 2016 in Toronto -- will be held in Montreal and Boston from Feb. 12-20.

“I know how players are wired,” said Jim Nill, associate GM of Canada and GM of the Dallas Stars, who played for Canada at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. “This is big to them, this is big for them. It’s important, and we’ve gone so long without doing it, and now it’s coming back front and center again, so I think it’s exciting times for players.”

Jon Cooper of the Lightning will coach Canada; Bruce Cassidy (Vegas Golden Knights), Pete DeBoer (Dallas Stars) and Rick Tocchet (Vancouver Canucks) were named his assistants Wednesday. Sweeney said a lot of time has been spent selecting the staff and assigning roles, including power play, penalty kill and neutral zone. The coaches will meet with Sweeney, Nill and other Hockey Canada executives, including Julien BriseBois, assistant GM of Canada for the 4 Nations and GM of the Lightning, and Kyle Dubas, director of player personnel of Canada for the 4 Nations and GM of the Penguins.

“It will be important for management and coaches to be in the same room so we can discuss what potential lineups, mock lineups, look like in around the six guys we’ve selected,” Sweeney said. “I think we have consensus picks in different areas, but we still have to map out how we’re going to scout the fall and how the lineup fills out. We have strength up the middle of the ice, but some guys are going to have to play the wing, so we’re going to kind of see where those players all fit together. …

“The players generally dictate. Obviously, the coaches and how they want to use players will certainly have an influence at times in what our final decisions will make. Health will be a factor. You’re going to be playing a lot of hockey between [the start of the season] and February. You’re going to have to react accordingly if that’s the case. Injuries are part of the game.”

Where are the biggest debates?

“I mean, look, we’re going to try and pick apart every decision,” Sweeney said. “We’re not going to leave any stone unturned in terms of the discussions we’re going to have, not just [at this meeting] but throughout the course of the fall. Leading up to it, we’ve done a lot of work. The coaches have met, and they’re mapping it out. We’ve got a lot of hard decisions to make.”

Each team will play three round-robin games in the 4 Nations Face-Off, earning three points for a regulation win, two for an overtime or shootout win, and one for an overtime or shootout loss. The two teams with the best records will advance to the championship game.

Montreal will host four games: Canada will play Sweden on Feb. 12. The United States will play Finland on Feb. 13. There will be a doubleheader of rivalry games on Feb. 15, with Finland vs. Sweden and the United States vs. Canada.

Boston will host three games: a doubleheader on Feb. 17, with Canada vs. Finland and Sweden vs. the United States, and the championship game Feb. 20.

“There are so many great players, and there are going to be some tough decisions,” Nill said. “There will be some players probably left off that deserve to be there, but the numbers are the numbers. That’s the tough part.”