Barkov, Heiskanen among first six players for Finland in 2025 4 Nations Face-Off
On Friday, Team Finland announced the first six players of its roster for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
The initial six-man roster features Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers), Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell (Dallas Stars), Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators), Mikko Rantanen (Colorado Avalanche) and Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes).
The remainder of the Team Finland roster will be released later this year.
Tässä on Suomen valitsemat ensimmäiset kuusi pelaajaa #4Nations Faceoff -turnaukseen!
Here are your first six players selected by Finland to compete in the #4Nations Face-off! 🇫🇮 pic.twitter.com/MVCRoHEpp6
Barkov, 28, captained his Panthers to the first Stanley Cup in franchise history, knocking off the Edmonton Oilers in seven games. The Selke Trophy winner for the best defensive forward racked up 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) in 24 playoff games. In the regular season, the Tampere native tallied 80 points (23 goals, 57 assists) in 73 games.
Defensemen Heiskanen and Lindell were vital to the success of the Stars this season.
Heiskanen, 24, served as the number-one defenseman, finishing the season seventh in team scoring with 54 points (nine goals, 45 assists) and a plus-8 rating in 71 games. He added 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 19 Stanley Cup Playoff games and led all Dallas skaters in ice time, averaging 24:32 per game.
Lindell, 30, is a shutdown defenseman. In 2023-24, Lindell recorded the second-most points of his career with 26 (five goals, 21 assists) in 82 games. The Vantaa native has played all nine seasons of his NHL career in Dallas.
Saros, 29, has been one of the most consistent goaltenders in the NHL throughout his career. The 5-foot-11 Forssa native has finished with a save percentage above .900 in all eight seasons with the Preds. In 2023-24, Saros went 35-24-5 while starting 64 games, the most among all goalies. He was a big reason for Nashville’s massive turnaround and playoff berth.
Rantanen, 27, is part of the elite three-headed monster in Colorado. Along with Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, the Nousiainen native was among the NHL’s top scorers. The forward finished eighth in the League with 104 points (42 goals, 62 assists) and a plus-19 rating in 80 games. He added 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 11 playoff games.
Aho, 26, led the Hurricanes with a career-high 89 points (36 goals, 53 assists) and a plus-34 rating in 78 games. The Rauma native finished tied for third in the NHL with 10 game-winning goals. He paced the Canes in the playoffs as well, tallying 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 11 games.
The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off will feature teams from Finland, Sweden, Canada and the United States and take place Feb. 12-20, 2025 from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec and TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.