If you’re a fan of the Florida Panthers, these next two weeks are far from a break.
The NHL’s first best-on-best tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, the Panthers are set to have a league-leading eight players competing at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
Featuring players from the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden, the 4 Nations Face-Off will begin on Feb. 12, and conclude with the championship game on Feb. 20.
The first games will be played in Montreal, with the later games taking place in Boston.
No matter what, the Panthers are guaranteed to have a champion return to South Florida.
With at least one player on each team, Aleksander Barkov, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola will play for Finland, Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart will play for Canada, Matthew Tkachuk will play for the United States, and Gustav Forsling with play for Sweden.
In addition to players, the Panthers are also sending several staff members.
“We’ve got so many people involved with it,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “Personally, I’m very interested. If we didn’t have as many people, I still think it’s really, really good for the game. It’s actually best possibly for the fans because they can cheer for a different team and they get to cheer for their country in-season, which I think is great. The guys that get to go to this tournament, they won’t forget it.”
For more information on the 4 Nations Face-Off, continue reading below.
THE PARTICIPANTS
Aleksander Barkov
Team: Finland
Last International Competition: 2016 World Cup of Hockey
International Medals: 2014 Winter Olympics (Bronze), 2016 World Championship (Silver)
2024-25 Stats: 52 points (14 goals, 38 assists) in 47 games
Quote: “It’s a huge honor [to captain Team Finland]. I never really dreamed about that, but it’s a huge honor. I’m thankful for the opportunity to be the captain of the national team. I can’t wait to get going in the tournament.”
