Today, we are going to go through each team in the Western Conference to see which players made any of Team Canada, USA, Sweden or Finland for the 4-Nations Face Off happening in February 2025.

The tournament is a round-robin of three games with the top two teams playing in a one game final. It is a very short tournament.

From a fantasy perspective, I'm not sure I'd like any of my players to play in this tournament as there is a real risk of injury or fatigue later in the season.

It would have been a cool rule to have a regular season pool that would include the points of this tournament. It would have added a pretty unique twist.

Of the 92 players picked for all four rosters, 43 are from the West and 49 are from the East.

The only team not currently represented at the 4-Nations in the West is the Seattle Kraken.

Team USA had nine of 23 players from the West. This was broken down to 4/13 in the forwards, 3/7 on defense and 2 of 3 in goal.

Sweden was 12/23. This was broken down to 8/13 in the forwards, 3/7 on defense and 1 of 3 in goal.

Finland was 11/23. This was broken down to 5/13 in the forwards, 4/7 on defense and 2 of 3 in goal.

Canada was 11/23. This was broken down to 3/13 in the forwards, 6/7 on defense and 2 of 3 in goal.

Anaheim Ducks

Leo Carlsson – Sweden (F) (20-6-5-11)

Carlsson is the only Duck currently on a roster at this point. He is projected to play a third- or fourth-line role on Sweden but he is certainly capable of sliding up the lineup if needed.

John Gibson might be sixth or seventh on the depth chart in goal for the USA now that he is back from injury.

I don't think anyone else on the roster is close to getting the call this year.

Calgary Flames

Rasmus Andersson – Sweden (D) (28-6-9-15)

Andersson will more than likely play a top-four role for Sweden and could pair with Victor Hedman or Rasmus Dahlin.

Mackenzie Weegar (28-4-12-16) should have been on the Canadian roster in my mind and must be one of the shortlist alternatives.

Mikael Backlund (28-4-8-12) could be a bottom-six option for Sweden if the roster runs into some injuries down the middle.

If the USA trusted a rookie in goal, Dustin Wolf (8-5-1, 90.9) might be fifth or sixth on the depth chart in net for them at this point but more than likely he slots in at seventh or eighth.

Chicago Blackhawks

Teuvo Teravainen – Finland (F) (27-6-7-13)

Teravainen should be a third- or fourth-line option for a thin Finland roster. The Finnish roster has very little depth at forward or defense and goes in as the weakest roster of the four.

While it is disappointing to not see Connor Bedard (27-5-15-20) named to the Canadian roster, it is a very understandable decision. He's struggled to produce this year and quite simply needs to put up points to make up for his defensive deficiencies at this young stage of his career.

If healthy, Seth Jones (17-2-8-10) could easily be on the USA roster but has seen his spot replaced by Brock Faber among others.

Colorado Avalanche

Nathan MacKinnon – Canada (F) (29-9-32-41)

Cale Makar – Canada (D) (29-9-26-35)

Devon Toews – Canada (D) 25-1-8-9)

Mikko Rantanen – Finland (F) (29-15-22-37)

Artturi Lehkonen – Finland (F) (17-7-5-12)

MacKinnon and Makar will be relied on heavily to produce for Canada in this short tournament.

The inclusion of Toews was a little surprising as he has struggled this year, so this pick may have been made solely to get the most out of Makar in what Canada hopes is four games. They don't have time to mess with chemistry.

Rantanen needs to be one of the leaders of Finland if this team has any hope of winning this tournament.

Lehkonen possibly sliding into the top-six of Finnish forwards speaks to the lack of depth on this roster. He has some chemistry with Rantanen and they will likely play together.

Dallas Stars

Roope Hintz – Finland (F) (26-11-5-16)

Miro Heiskanen – Finland (D) (27-4-10-14)

Esa Lindell – Finland (D) (27-2-8-10)

Jake Oettinger – USA (G) (14-6-0, 91.2%)

The Stars fans will be cheering for Finland as three of their players could hit the ice. Hintz is a player who can elevate his game in the playoffs, so he could be a threat in this tournament.

Heiskanen has been below his usual standard and could use this tournament as a springboard to a good finish to 2024-25.

Lindell should get lots of ice time and should be paired with Heiskanen for much of this tournament.

Oettinger will likely back up Connor Hellebuyck for the USA and could get one start in the round-robin. There are no throw away games in this tournament.

Matt Duchene (27-12-17-29), Mason Marchment (26-12-15-27) and Tyler Seguin (19-9-11-20) (if healthy) could have been useful additions to the Canadian team while Thomas Harley (27-4-10-14) could be on the long list for the USA.

Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid – Canada (F) (28-13-24-37)

Mattias Ekholm – Sweden (D) (27-3-8-11)

Viktor Arvidsson – Sweden (F) (16-2-3-5)

Canada will be relying on McDavid to find immediate chemistry with a very talented top-six that could include Sidney Crosby, MacKinnon, Mitch Marner, Sam Reinhart and Brayden Point. One thing to keep in mind is that only one player can have the puck, so it's unlikely MacKinnon and McDavid play together unless Canada is desperate for a goal. We saw something similar in 1987 with Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

Ekholm could find himself on a third pairing for Sweden on a very talented back end.

Arvidsson will need to be healthy to play in this tournament, but he has also struggled in Edmonton when he has played. His inclusion was over some pretty good young Swede forwards. If he's not 100% I doubt he plays as it is not worth the risk.

Evan Bouchard (27-6-14-20) could have easily been picked for Canada and I'm sure he would have if not for the presence of Makar. Bouchard is not a good enough defender to have in the lineup if he's not on the first unit of the power play.

I think Darnell Nurse was probably on the longer list of potential defenders who could be on Canada. He's had a good year so far.

Zach Hyman (22-6-5-11) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (27-4-10-14) have played their way off the short list for Canada to this point.

Stuart Skinner (9-7-2, 89.2) would need to be much better and is probably 6th or 7th on the depth chart in goal for Canada.

Los Angeles Kings

Adrian Kempe – Sweden (F) (27-13-13-26)

Kempe might need to play his way up the lineup on a stacked Swedish forward group but I'd pencil him in on the second line as of this moment.

Darcy Kuemper (5-2-3, 90.7) might have been a consideration for Canada but has struggled to stay healthy. I'd peg him at 6th or 7th on their depth chart.

Brandt Clarke (27-3-13-16) has had a very good rookie year so far, and the next time this tournament is played, he could be very well in the lineup for Canada, but not this time.

Alex Laferriere (27-12-9-21) has had a very good campaign and could be on the long list for the USA.

Minnesota Wild

Joel Eriksson Ek – Sweden (F) (22-5-8-13)

Jonas Brodin – Sweden (D) (19-2-6-8)

Filip Gustavsson – Sweden (G) (13-4-3, 93.1)

Matt Boldy – USA (F) (27-12-15-27)

Brock Faber – USA (D) (27-3-11-14)

The Wild should be well represented on Sweden and the USA. Eriksson Ek should play an important role for Sweden in trying to shut down the opposition superstars on Canada, USA and Finland.

Brodin might start as the sixth or seventh defender on Sweden.

Any one of Gustavsson, Jacob Markstrom or Linus Ullmark could see the bulk of the three or four games.

Boldy can slide up the lineup of the USA anywhere from the fourth to the first line. It will be interesting how he does without Kirill Kaprizov.

Faber was a bit of a surprise inclusion on Team USA. He had a great rookie year in 2023-24 and has continued to play well in 2024-25.

I thought Jared Spurgeon (21-3-8-11) and particularly Jake Middleton (27-5-8-13) could have been named to Team Canada. I have to think that both are short-listed.

Nashville Predators

Juuse Saros – Finland (G)(6-12-5, 91.0)

Gustav Nyquist – Sweden (F) (28-6-4-10)

Filip Forsberg – Sweden (F) (28-9-8-17)

Saros should get the start in every round-robin game for Finland with Kevin Lankinen and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen being contingency plans.

I'm very surprised to see Nyquist named to Team Sweden after his struggles in 2024-25. It is clear that they prefer the veteran Nyquist over some younger players who could have made this roster.

We all know how talented Forsberg is and what impact he can have in a short series. He, as have most Predators, has struggled in 2024-25 but I do think he and they will turn this ship around.

Jonathan Marchessault (28-5-8-13), Ryan O'Reilly (26-5-9-14) and Steven Stamkos (28-7-6-13) would have all been long-listed for Canada at the start of 2024-25 but have all played their way off the roster.

San Jose Sharks

Mikael Granlund – Finland (F) (28-10-20-30)

Granlund should be an important cog for Finland down the middle and should see top six minutes.

Fabian Zetterlund (30-9-11-20) and William Eklund (29-5-18-23) probably deserved to be on the short list for Sweden.

Macklin Celebrini (18-8-7-15) would have been fun to see play for Team Canada but he'll get his moments soon enough.

Jake Walman (25-4-16-20) has had a strangely productive good year, which included a healthy scratch. I doubt he was shortlisted, but he certainly should have been long listed for Canada.

Mackenzie Blackwood (6-9-3, 91.0) has been decent for the Sharks and deserves mention as a consideration in goal for Canada.

Seattle Kraken

None

Joey Daccord (12-6-1, 91.3) is a surprising name to see in consideration in goal for the USA. Team USA has probably the best depth right now in goal and Daccord could be considered 3rd or 4th in the depth chart at this moment. He should have been close to making this roster.

Other Kraken players who should have been under consideration for their countries are Brandon Montour (28-7-12-19) for Canada, Adam Larsson (29-1-5-6) for Sweden and Eeli Tolvanen (29-8-5-13) for Finland.

Montour should be 8th or 9th on the depth chart for Canada and Larsson 7th or 8th for Sweden. Tolvanen should be on the short list for Finland.

St. Louis Blues

Jordan Binnington – Canada (G) (8-10-2, 89.7)

Colton Parayko – Canada (D) (28-5-9-14)

I'll be surprised if Binnington gets into the crease for Canada during this tournament as I was puzzled that he was named to the roster to begin with.

Canada chose Parayko over the likes of Brandon Montour and Evan Bouchard, so the team has obviously put a premium value on size and skating, which Parayko has in spades. We shall see if that missing skill level that Bouchard has and to a lesser degree Montour, hurts Canada in the end.

Robert Thomas (16-4-12-16) missed 12 games due to injury earlier in 2024-25, but that shouldn't have been a factor in his exclusion from the USA roster. I would think that he is the next forward on the list if someone goes down with an injury.

Utah Hockey Club

Juuso Valimaki – Finland (D) (21-1-1-2)

Olli Maatta – Finland (D) (24-0-3-3)

The lack of depth for Finland on the back end helps Utah send two of their players to the tournament. I can't imagine that either Maatta or Valimaki play anything more than a sixth or seventh defender for Finland.

Dylan Guenther (27-10-13-23) should have been on a long list for Canada, while Clayton Keller (27-7-17-24), Logan Cooley (27-7-16-23) and Nick Schmaltz (27-4-17-21) would be on the USA radar with Keller leading that trio for now.

Matias Maccelli (27-3-7-10) should be on the short-list for Finland.

Vancouver Canucks

Kevin Lankinen – Finland (G) (13-4-3, 90.8)

J.T. Miller – USA (F) (17-6-10-16)

Quinn Hughes – USA (D) (26-7-25-32)

Elias Pettersson – Sweden (F) (26-7-17-24)

The inclusion of J.T. Miller on the Team USA roster was a good sign that Miller will return to the Canucks sooner than later. Miller is the type of player who is built for these types of tournaments if he is engaged.

Joining Miller is Quinn Hughes who has followed up his Norris winning campaign from 2023-24 with even better play in 2024-25. It will be very enjoyable to see Hughes playing with the likes of Adam Fox, Charlie McAvoy, and his brother Jack.

Pettersson had a slow start to 2024-25 with many people starting to question his long-term contract in Vancouver. He has rebounded since and should have an important role with Sweden in their top-six.

Lankinen has been a feel-good story and a godsend for the Canucks without Thatcher Demko on their roster. Demko is back and almost ready to go and the opportunity has given Lankinen a chance to represent Finland. He should back up Saros.

Long listed for the USA from the Canucks might be Conor Garland (26-8-14-22) and Brock Boeser (19-7-9-16).

Vegas Golden Knights

Jack Eichel – USA (F) (28-9-30-39)

Noah Hanifin – USA (D) (28-3-9-12)

William Karlsson – Sweden (F) (19-5-7-12)

Mark Stone – Canada (F) (14-6-16-22)

Shea Theodore – Canada (D) (27-3-19-22)

Alex Pietrangelo – Canada (D) (25-2-13-15)

Adin Hill – Canada (G) (12-4-2, 90.5)

Eichel should be a key player for the USA in their formidable top six. He's at the top of his game currently and hopes to keep it going.

Hanifin should be the sixth or seventh defender on the USA and was a bit of a bubble pick for the team over players like John Carlson, Neal Pionk, Jakob Chychrun or perhaps Seth Jones.

Karlsson should be on the third or fourth line for Sweden.

If healthy, Mark Stone is a slam dunk for any country’s roster let alone Canada's, while Theodore and Pietrangelo are both quality defenders. Hill has had a decent start to 2024-25 after struggling a little in 2023-24 (especially staying in the lineup).

Canada is very deep on defense and Theodore and Pietrangelo beat out the likes of Weegar, Walman, Montour, Dougie Hamilton, Noah Dobson, and Damon Severson.

Winnipeg Jets

Kyle Connor – USA (F) (29-15-18-33)

Connor Hellebuyck – USA (G) (17-5-0, 92.5)

Josh Morrissey – Canada (D) (29-2-24-26)

With Hellebuyck in net, the USA is the favorite to win this tournament in my mind. He's the best goalie in the NHL at the moment.

Connor will be surrounded by skilled players and has the ability to dark-horse lead the tournament in goals. I still think he will score 50 goals one season.

Morrissey won't be counted on for offensive production with Canada, but will be expected to skate the puck out of danger and distribute the puck as he has done for Winnipeg.

Mark Scheifele (29-14-17-31) was somehow left off the roster for Canada and should be next up on the list of forwards. Neal Pionk (29-4-18-22) has put his name back up the roster depth chart for the USA with a great start to 2024-25. He might not be on the short list, but he should be on the list.

Thank you very much for reading and if you have any comments, please leave them below or follow me on Twitter @gampbler15