Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Erik Karlsson of the Pittsburgh Penguins are among the first six players named to the Sweden team for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
Sweden, the United States, Canada and Finland will play in the tournament, scheduled for Feb. 12-20 at TD Garden in Boston and Bell Centre in Montreal.
Joining them will be Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling and forwards Filip Forsberg (Nashville Predators), William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs), and Mika Zibanejad (New York Rangers). The remainder of the roster, which will consist of 23 NHL players (20 skaters, three goalies) will be named later this year.
Hedman is a two-time Stanley Cup champion (2020, 2021) during his 15 NHL seasons. The 33-year-old is a six-time finalist for the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the League, winning it in 2018.
Born in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, Hedman was fifth among defensemen this season with 76 points (13 goals, 63 assists) in 78 games, and had seven points (one goal, six assists) in five Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Selected by the Lightning with the No. 2 pick of the 2009 NHL Draft, Hedman is fourth all-time among Sweden-born defensemen with 728 points (156 goals, 572 assists) in 1,052 games. He also has 117 points (23 goals, 94 assists) in 165 playoff games, and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the postseason in 2020.
Karlsson is a three-time Norris Trophy winner (2012, 2015, 2023) during his 15 NHL seasons. Last season he became the sixth defenseman to have 100 points (101; 25 goals, 76 assists), and the first since Brian Leetch in 1991-92.
The 34-year-old had 56 points (11 goals, 45 assists) in 82 games this season.
Karlsson, a native of Landsbro, Sweden, was selected by the Ottawa Senators with the No. 15 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft. He has 817 points (189 goals, 628 assists) in 1,002 regular-season games with the Penguins, San Jose Sharks and Senators, second all-time among Sweden-born defensemen after Nicklas Lidstrom (1,142). Karlsson also has 53 points (eight goals, 45 assists) in 67 playoff games.
Forsling led Panthers defensemen with 39 points (10 goals, 29 assists) in 79 regular-season games and had 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 24 playoff games to help them win the Stanley Cup.
The 28-year-old native of Linkoping, Sweden was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the fifth round (No. 126) of the 2014 NHL Draft. He has 161 points (46 goals, 115 assists) in 397 games with the Panthers and Chicago Blackhawks, and 26 points (seven goals, 19 assists) in 61 playoff games.
Forsberg set a Predators record with 48 goals this season, and led them with 94 points in 82 games. The 29-year-old also had six points (two goals, four assists) in six playoff games.
The native of Ostervala, Sweden, has 605 points (287 goals, 318 assists) in 698 games and 59 points (31 goals, 28 assists) in 81 playoff games. He was selected by the Washington Capitals with the No. 11 pick in the 2012 NHL Draft and traded to the Predators on April 3, 2013, before he had played an NHL game.
Nylander had an NHL career-best 98 points (40 goals, 58 assists) in 82 games this season, and signed an eight-year, $92 million contract ($11.5 million average annual value) on Jan. 8. He also scored three goals in four playoff games.
The 28-year-old was born in Calgary but lived in Sweden from the time he was 14 until he joined the Maple Leafs in 2015. Toronto selected him with the No. 8 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, and he has 528 points (217 goals, 311 assists) in 603 games and 43 points (20 goals, 23 assists) in 54 playoff games.
Zibanejad had 72 points (26 goals, 46 assists) in 81 games and 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in 16 playoff games.
The 31-year-old native of Stockholm has 678 points (294 goals, 384 assists) in 848 games with the Rangers and Senators, and 63 points (19 goals, 44 assists) in 74 playoff games. Ottawa selected him with the No. 6 pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.
Anders Lundberg, the general manager for Sweden at the past three IIHF World Championships, will be the GM for the 4 Nations Face-Off. The coach will be Sam Hallam, who has coached Sweden at the World Championship the past two years.
Sweden will play Canada at Bell Centre on Feb. 12, Finland at Bell Centre on Feb. 15 and the United States at TD Garden on Feb. 17.
