Aleksander Barkov, who led the Florida Panthers to the Stanley Cup championship this season, is among the first six players named to the Finland team for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
Finland, the United States, Canada and Sweden will play in the tournament, scheduled for Feb. 12-20 at TD Garden in Boston and Bell Centre in Montreal.
Joining Barkov will be Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros, Dallas Stars defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell, and forwards Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes) and Mikko Rantanen (Colorado Avalanche). The remainder of the roster, which will consist of 23 NHL players (20 skaters, three goalies) will be named later this year.
Barkov had 80 points (23 goals, 57 assists) in 73 games and won the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the NHL for the second time (2021). The 28-year-old also tied for the team lead with 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The native of Tampere, Finland, was selected by the Panthers with the No. 2 pick of the 2013 NHL Draft, and has 711 points (266 goals, 445 assists) in 737 regular-season games and 59 points (19 goals, 40 assists) in 71 playoff games.
Saros was 34-24-5 with a 2.86 goals-against average, .906 save percentage and three shutouts in an NHL-high 64 games, the third straight season he's led the League in games played. He also had a 2.02 GAA and .900 save percentage in six playoff games.
The 29-year-old native of Forssa, Finland, is 182-119-32 with 2.63 GAA, .917 save percentage and 23 shutouts in 350 regular-season games (333 starts), and 5-11 with a 2.45 GAA and .911 save percentage in 23 playoff games (16 starts). The Predators selected him in the fourth round (No. 99) of the 2013 draft.
Heiskanen had 54 points (nine goals, 45 assists) and averaged 24:32 of ice time in 71 regular-season games, and had 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 19 playoff games.
Selected by the Stars in the first round (No. 3) of the 2017 NHL Draft, the 24-year-old native of Espoo, Finland, has 258 points (53 goals, 205 assists) in 425 regular-season games and 61 points (16 goals, 45 assists) in 85 playoff games. That includes 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 27 games in the 2020 postseason, setting a record for a Stars/Minnesota North Stars defenseman.
Lindell had 26 points (five goals, 21 assists) and led Dallas with 162 blocked shots in 82 regular-season games. The 30-year-old also had five points (three goals, two assists) in 19 playoff games.
The native of Vantaa, Finland was selected by the Stars in the third round (No. 74) of the 2012 NHL Draft. He has 191 points (49 goals, 142 assists) in 604 regular-season games and 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) in 85 playoff games.
Aho led the Hurricanes with 89 points (36 goals, 53 assists) in 78 regular-season games; he's been first or second in scoring for Carolina in each of his eight NHL seasons. The 26-year-old also had 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 11 playoff games.
A native of Rauma, Finland, Aho was selected by the Hurricanes in the second round (No. 35) of the 2015 NHL Draft. He has 557 points (254 goals, 303 assists) in 598 regular-season games and 70 points (27 goals, 43 assists) in 74 playoff games.
Rantanen was second for the Avalanche with 104 points (42 goals, 62 assists) in 80 games, one off his NHL-best of 105 points (55 goals, 50 assists) he had last season. The 27-year-old also had 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 11 playoff games.
A native of Nousiainen, Finland, Rantanen helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022 when he had 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) in 20 games. Chosen by Colorado in the first round (No. 10) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Rantanen has 617 points (262 goals, 355 assists) in 570 regular-season games and 101 points (34 goals, 67 assists) in 81 playoff games.
Finland will play the United States at Bell Centre on Feb. 13, Sweden at Bell Centre on Feb. 15 and Canada at TD Garden on Feb. 17.
Former NHL forward and longtime Finland national team general manager Jere Lehtinen will hold the same role for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Antti Pennanen, who coaches Ilves in Liiga, the top professional league in Finland, will coach the team.
