Connor Bedard is already a household name in the NHL. The talented 19-year old has become a leader inside the Chicago Blackhawks locker room, and his play on the ice only reivindicates him. Ahead of the Four Nations Faceoff, Bedard sent a subtle message to Team Canada’s head coach Jon Cooper.
The debuting Four Nations will take place in February 2025, though some names have already been revealed, the countries are yet to disclose their full rosters for the competition. The USA, Finland, Sweden and Canada will face each other off in an eight-day contest held in Montreal and Boston.
Second-year Blackhawks star Bedard has made his case clear to represent the Maple Leaf and hopes to get the nod from head coach Jon Cooper. And he has not hidden his interest in participating in this prestigious international championship.
“I definitely hope so,” Bedard stated, via TSN. “For me, I’m not focused on it right now. I’m focused on here in Chicago and helping us win. But obviously, if I play well enough and give myself a chance, that’d be great. There’s so many players in Canada that could be on that team. … Of course, I have confidence in myself, but we’ll see what happens down the road.”
Connor Bedard #98 of the Chicago Blackhawks warms up prior to a game against the Utah Hockey Club at Delta Center on October 08, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. This game is the first for the franchise in Utah following their relocation from Arizona.
Bedard’s start to the season
The 2023/24 Calder Trophy Winner has had a quiet start to the season by his standards. The talented center still leads the Blackhawks in points, with 7. But his goal production has been underwhelming. Bedard only tallies one goal through his first seven games.
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Bedard is by far the best player in the organization, and the team’s confidence in him is evident in his ice time, as he leads all forwards with an average of 20:19 minutes per game.
Connor McDavid states who should captain Team Canada
Although not much talk should land on this matter, superstar Connor McDavid made a clear statement and settled any future debate on who should wear the ‘C’ for Canada in the Four Nations Faceoff.
Team Canada is at no shortage of leaders, however, the team knows there is only one correct answer as to who should be named Captain: “Should be Sid (Sidney Crosby). Should be Sid, for sure. That’s not even a question,” McDavid told TSN reporters.
Team USA and Team Canada will meet for first time in a decade
The last time two-fully equipped American and Canadian rosters met was in the 2014 Winter Olympics. Since, the NHL has not allowed its players to participate in the Winter Games, and so Canada and the USA have met in World Juniors. The Four Nations will be the first meeting between the top stars in International Hockey since Canada took home the gold medal in Sochi.
Though Finland and Sweden participate as well, the most highly-anticipated matchup will take place on February 15th, when the USA and Canada face off in Montreal. The game cannot come fast enough for both sides. The Championship Game is scheduled on February 20th at TD Garden.
The rosters will be star-studded and comparisons between both teams may vary on who has the upper-hand. However, the Nordic countries are not to be underestimated as they could spoil the party for the host countries.
Confirmed players so far
Though the teams’ full rosters will be revealed between November 29th and December 2nd, the NHL has announced six players from each country who will represent their nations.
Team Canada: Brayden Point, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, and Brad Marchand.
Team USA: Matthew Tkachuk, Auston Matthews, Quinn Hughes, Adam Fox, Jack Eichel, and Charlie McAvoy.
Team Finland: Aleksander Barkov, Sebastian Aho, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, Mikko Rantanen, and Juuse Saros.
Team Sweden: Gustav Forsling, Victor Hedman, Filip Forsberg, Erik Karlsson, William Nylander, and Mika Zibanejad.
