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Trio Of Avalanche Players Selected For 4 Nations Face-Off

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5 months ago

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Avalanche nhl olympics

International hockey involving NHL players returns in February of 2025, and the Colorado Avalanche will be well represented when it does. On Friday morning, the initial rosters for Team Finland, Canada, Sweden, and USA were announced, and three Avalanche players got the call.

Mikko Rantanen, the leading Finnish point scorer in the NHL last season with 104 points, will represent Finland in the tournament. His 97 goals since the start of the 2022 season lead all Finns. Because the league has not been involved in many international tournaments since Rantanen entered the league, he really hasn’t had the chance to represent his country all that much. The World Championships are the one tournament he has been able to play in, but he’s only been able to participate in one of them since 2019 due to the Avalanche consistently making the playoffs.

Team Canada named not one, but two Avalanche players to their roster, and I’m sure you can guess who I’m talking about.

Nathan MacKinnon, fresh off a big night where he walked away with the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award, will suit up for Canada. He finished second in the league in scoring last season with 140 points, and has made it very clear that he wants to play on a line with Sidney Crosby (on the wing, of course). MacKinnon has not represented Team Canada since 2017, and is responsible for one of the more memorable international goals of the last 25 years.

Joining MacKinnon on Team Canada will be Cale Makar, who finished third in the Norris voting on Thursday night. He’s coming off the best statistical season of his career, where he put up 90 points in 77 games for the Avalanche. This tournament will be Makar’s first taste of international hockey since turning pro.

Each team had just six players named to their respective rosters, and the rest will be announced later this year. I would anticipate that we see more players from Colorado make these teams. Devon Toews is a good bet to join his defensive partner on Team Canada, while Artturi Lehkonen should make Team Finland. Casey Mittelstadt might have a shot at making Team USA if he has a big season, but he’s far from a lock. Gabriel Landeskog is probably in the same boat with Sweden if he can return from injury.

The 4 Nations Face-Off will take place from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston in 2025.

Here are the rest of the players that were named to their respective teams for the tournament.

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