The 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off will be held next February, with teams of NHL players from Finland, Sweden, Canada and the United States competing in a round-robin tournament.
A total of seven games will be played during a nine-day period from Feb. 12-20, along with two practice days, Feb. 10-11, and will be held in two yet-to-be named North American cities, one in Canada and one in the United States.
Though the international tournament is more than a year away, NHL.com wanted to get a jump on what the rosters for each country could look like, using a panel of three staff writers and editors to compile a list of 23 players (20 skaters, three goalies) for each team.
Today, a look at the projected roster for Finland as picked by Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial for NHL.com; Tracey Myers, NHL.com staff writer; and Sami Haapasalo, senior writer and editor for NHL.com/fi:
Forwards
Roope Hintz, Dallas Stars
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche
Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes
Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
Matias Maccelli, Arizona Coyotes
Teuvo Teravainen, Carolina Hurricanes
Mikael Granlund, San Jose Sharks
Eeli Tolvanen, Seattle Kraken
Erik Haula, New Jersey Devils
Anton Lundell, Florida Panthers
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Carolina Hurricanes
Artturi Lehkonen, Colorado Avalanche
Eetu Luostarinen, Florida Panthers
Yes, there is some elite offensive talent among the forwards, led by Rantanen, who is a top-line threat for the Avalanche, which won the Stanley Cup two seasons ago. But this is a group, as a whole, that plays a solid two-way game. In fact, it is arguable that the Finns may be the most defensively sound group in the tournament. There are questions about whether they can score enough, especially among the bottom-six forwards, but there is no doubt they won’t let up too many. There are established, dependable players at the top of this group, starting with Rantanen and Barkov, a Selke Trophy-deserving forward who played in the Stanley Cup Final last season. Aho and Teravainen have a ton of big-game experience as well. It’s at the bottom of the lineup where the questions reside. I wanted to include Kaapo Kakko of the New York Rangers and Patrik Laine of the Columbus Blue Jackets, but was outvoted by my co-general managers, who went with players who are more dependable and have chemistry. Lundell and Luostarinen are linemates in Florida, providing the kind of familiarity which is a necessity in a short tournament. Each is a quality penalty killer and trending positively in their development, a statement that does not apply for Laine and Kakko. -- Roarke
