4 Nations Face-Off roster anticipation generating excitement among current participants

Charlie McAvoy is rooting for the '97s.

The defenseman, named as one of the first six players to the United States roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off, already knows he'll have a couple of birth year compatriots joining him, Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk.

But there could always be more.

Players like defensemen Noah Hanifin and Zach Werenski and forward Tage Thompson, not to mention 1998-born forward Clayton Keller and goalie Jake Oettinger, all of whom played at the USA Hockey's National Team Development Program in 2014-15, are potential teammates.

"I'm excited to see what happens tomorrow," McAvoy said. "I know that my 1997 birth year, we have so much talent. I'm curious to see how many of us are going to be on that team. I really think it could be a lot of guys. It's already 'Chuckie,' 'A-Mats' and me. We'll see where it goes from there, but that team had a lot, a lot of talent on it."

He doesn't have much longer to wait.

The rosters for the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland that will compete in Montreal and Boston from Feb. 12-20 have already been submitted and the names will be revealed Wednesday. Finland and Sweden were announced during a live show produced by NHL Network and made available globally.

The United States and Canada will have their rosters unveiled between 6:30 and 7 p.m. ET during live pregame shows on Sportsnet, TNT and TVA Sports leading into doubleheaders on each network. Six players for each team were released in June. Brayden Point was one of the six named to Canada and will play for Jon Cooper, his coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The forward was given no inside information. He'll have to wait like everyone else.

"It's a pretty strict protocol that they have to follow, but it's going to be exciting to see who's on my team," Point said. "I didn't necessarily think of myself in that group. When you look at the names that are there, I was very honored to get picked and I'm excited to be on their team and see how they go about doing their business."

The players with their spots already assured are eagerly anticipating knowing the rest of their teammates.

"You start picturing in your mind, who would I play with and what would the lines look like," said Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes, who will skate for Finland.

The tournament will be the first best-on-best competition since the World Cup of Hockey 2016 in Toronto, an experience that players hold dear and are looking forward to replicating.

"It's going to be a great event," said Jack Eichel, who played for Team North America at the World Cup and will represent the United States in February. "I think we all feel the same way when it comes to wearing the red, white and blue. 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."

Though most of the players have been consumed by their day jobs, the ins and outs of the regular season, the excitement is building.

And fingers are being crossed for certain teammates to join the list.

For Matthews, that's New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes. He also knows that the decisions are difficult, the talent level across the board is high, and that some worthy names will have to bide their time and try again for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.

"There's so much talent to choose from," said Matthews, captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. "It's just really exciting we are going to have the chance to represent the country again,"

That goes for every team in the tournament, including Canada, which won the World Cup in 2016 on a short-handed goal from Brad Marchand. The Boston Bruins captain was among the first six named to Canada's team with fellow Nova Scotia natives Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon.

"It's always a lot more fun playing with them than against them," Marchand quipped. "Those are very fun tournaments, ones you're really proud to be a part of, going through it with guys from my hometown and guys that we know and skate with will make it a little more exciting and a little more meaningful."

The others have been waiting to hear about their future since June. While those 24 players learned their fate early, the remainder of the 4 Nations-eligible players headed into the 2024-25 season wanting to prove themselves, to make sure that their names made the cut.

Mikael Granlund is one. The San Jose Sharks forward, who has 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists), was officially named to Finland's roster.

"It's awesome," he said. "I've always loved to play for national tournaments. I've always loved to play for Team Finland. As a young player in Finland, that's one of the biggest things you can have in a hockey career to play for your country, and I've always just actually loved those moments, and I've had good success on the national team.

"It's really cool and, having the 4 Nations, that's best against best, so that's special for sure."

Are they in or are they out? Which friends have made the roster? Who could be on their line or pairing?

Is this a team that could win?

"Tomorrow will be a great opportunity to find out who's on the team," McAvoy said. "I know I've got a ton of buddies through USA Hockey, a ton of guys that I'm extremely close with. Looking forward to a chance to play with a lot of them again.

"Playing for USA Hockey is always an incredible honor. It tends to be some of the best experiences I've had in hockey and some of the best moments and memories. I can't wait for another opportunity to do that. Really and truly, it is one of the most special things you can do, and I take incredible pride in it."

February, fortunately, will be here before they know it, and the players aren't the only ones eagerly anticipating the 4 Nations Face-Off.

"Ticket sales are brisk," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said, while in Boston celebrating the Bruins' Centennial Game on Sunday. "To the extent there are a limited number of tickets left, they're going quick. They make good stocking stuffers.

"But the excitement is palpable, not just among fans, but among the players. And that's one of the reasons why we brought back international best-on-best. We know how important it is to our players to represent their countries and so we're really looking forward to it."

NHL.com senior writer Tom Gulitti and independent correspondents Paul Delos Santos, Kurt Dusterberg, Corey Long and Dave McCarthy contributed to this report