With a week to go until the start of the 4 Nations Face-Off (which runs from Feb. 12-20), the league’s attention has begun to shift towards the first best-on-best tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Many in the industry see the event as a trial run for future World Cups and other NHL-led events, with the success of this iteration under heavy scrutiny in international circles.
The Colorado Avalanche will be one of the most well-represented clubs at the showcase despite a trying season by their standards (they sit seventh in the Western Conference by points percentage). Four of the team’s players are set to don the colors of Canada, the United States, Sweden, or Finland. The team would have had five players participating in the event if it were not for the recent ground-shaking trade which sent Finnish winger Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes for center Jack Drury and forward Martin Necas.
Without further ado, here are the four players currently set to represent the Avalanche at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off and play important roles for their respective countries.
Nathan MacKinnon, Canada
2024-25 Statistics: 55 Games Played (GP); 20 Goals (G); 60 Assists (A); 80 Points (PTS)
The highest profile name participating in the tournament under the Avalanche banner is center Nathan MacKinnon, who is looking to become the NHL’s first back-to-back winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy since Alexander Ovechkin accomplished the feat during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. The 29-year-old currently leads the league in assists (60), points (80), and even-strength points (56), while leading all forwards in average ice time across all situations (23:04 per game).
When it comes to elevating his game in high-pressure situations, few do it better than MacKinnon. Since making his postseason debut in the 2014 NHL Playoffs, only Nikita Kucherov (164 points) and Connor McDavid (117) have accumulated more playoff points than the Avalanche pivot in that time. MacKinnon is tied for first in playoff goals (0.55), tied for eighth in assists (0.75), and third in points (1.30) among active players on a per-game basis. While he only has one Stanley Cup to show for his efforts, there is little debate that he is one of the best playoff performers in NHL history.
Canada may have the most depth at center of any country at the tournament, with head coach Jon…
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