Lenovo Center Arena | Carolina Hurricanes
Lenovo Center Arena | Carolina Hurricanes
The 4 Nations Face-Off tournament is set to begin on Wednesday night, featuring players from the Carolina Hurricanes representing three different countries. Seth Jarvis will play for Canada, while Sebastian Aho and Mikko Rantanen are part of Finland's leadership group. Jaccob Slavin will represent the United States.
This event marks the first best-on-best tournament since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. For Jarvis, it is his debut wearing Canada's maple leaf in a professional setting. Previously overlooked for the World Junior Championship team in 2021, he now joins a roster without any players from that year's WJC team.
Aho returns to international competition after an impressive performance during the 2016-17 season at both the World Cup of Hockey and IIHF World Championship, where he amassed 37 points over 17 games and was named Best Forward.
Despite missing a recent game due to injury, Rantanen is expected to play for Finland alongside Aho. The duo previously won gold at the World Juniors in 2016, with Rantanen recognized as one of Finland's top players during his last international appearance in 2023.
Slavin makes his return to international play after more than a decade since his sole appearance for the United States at the 2014 World Junior Championship while attending Colorado College.
The tournament schedule includes games from February 12-16 at Bell Centre in Montreal and February 17-20 at TD Garden in Boston. Notable matchups include Canada vs. Sweden on February 12 and United States vs. Finland on February 13.
Jarvis has drawn attention ahead of the tournament due to his adaptability and recent strong performance with Carolina. Meanwhile, Aho and Rantanen are anticipated to be key contributors for Finland's forward line, both serving as leaders on their team.
The U.S. defense features well-known names but relies on Slavin's defensive skills for stability, particularly on penalty kills. His participation is expected to highlight his defensive prowess internationally over the coming weeks.
Alerts Sign-up