NHL 4 Nations 2025: Canada unveils star-studded roster

The upcoming international round-robin tournament is expected to showcase NHL players from Finland, Sweden, Canada, and the United States. This will mark the first time these countries have faced off in a best-on-best scenario since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey that took place in Toronto. 

NHL.com has released a new forecast for each nation’s potential lineups despite the fact that the contest is not scheduled to commence for over seven months. Editor-in-Chief Bill Price and staff writers Derek Van Diest and Nicolas Ducharme have made their selections for 23 players (20 skaters, three goalies) for each nation.

In February, Price and Van Diest released the first list of players for Team Canada. However, now that the NHL season has come to a close, they have reverted to their selections and changed a few things. However, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand, Connor McDavid, and Brayden Point were retained from the initial selection.

This lineup of players for Team Canada, which will be participating in the future tournament, reveals a number of skilled forwards, strong defenses, and good goalkeepers. The forward line features some of the brightest talents in the league, including Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Nathan MacKinnon. 

Collectively, these three elite centers have won four Stanley Cup titles and are considered some of the premier players in the NHL. The recent acquisition of Alexis Lafrenière from the New York Rangers is a prime example of how he contributed a total of 14 points in the 2024 playoffs in only 16 games.

Some recent examples include Steven Stamkos, a veteran of the Tampa Bay Lightning who signed with the Nashville Predators for a four-year, $32 million contract. Although Stamkos played most of his seasons with the Lightning, he was still very effective; in fact, he scored 81 points in 79 games the previous season. 

Other leading performers include Sam Reinhart, Zach Hyman, and MacKinnon, the latter scored more than 50 goals in the previous campaign, and Canada has one of the finest forward lines that could easily overwhelm the opponents in the upcoming event.

The defense squad is among the most qualified teams, with seven top-pair defenders. They include Norris Trophy winners Cale Makar and Drew Doughty, among the best in this position. The signing of Owen Power from the Buffalo Sabres to replace Vince Dunn from the Seattle Kraken is another major boost to an already solid defense line. 

These defensemen not only excel both offensively and defensively but also possess the skills to enable exceptional power plays. Furthermore, Oilers fans will also learn about Evan Bouchard’s lethal slapshot, known as the ‘Bouch Bomb.’

The goalkeepers selected for the Canada roster include Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, and Stuart Skinner. Although two of these players have won the Stanley Cup, there is currently no clear-cut best goalie among them. Binnington, the Stanley Cup champion of 2019, replaces Connor Ingram on the initial roster. Depending on their performance in the first part of the new season, the final team’s goalie selection remains uncertain.

The lineup for Canada represents a mix of top-tier players and new talents, which speaks to the depth of the talent pool available to head coach Jon Cooper. On the presented roster, Canada has several Stanley Cup winners and some of the best NHL scorers, indicating that Canada will be a serious contender for victory in the tournament.

As the tournament draws closer, anticipation increases for what will clearly be an enthralling showcase of excellent hockey players. The next round-robin will give them the opportunity to prove themselves and participate in the hot international battles that the fans have been waiting for. Team Canada’s roster, with its combination of experience, skill, and youthful exuberance, is poised to make a significant impact on the ice.