Which players have emerged as sleepers to make 4 Nations Face-Off teams?
Friday on Daily Faceoff, we projected out the rosters for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. We’re only a month away from the final rosters being announced, which means there’s only month left for the fringe candidates to prove themselves.
With that, Roundtable members: Who is one under-the-radar 4 Nations candidate that has emerged for you whom you didn’t previously expect would have a chance to make Canada, Finland, Sweden or USA?
MATT LARKIN: I never had Alexis Lafreniere sniffing Canada during my previous roster projections. Now, I’ll consider it a mild upset if he isn’t selected. He can play both wings, he showed some real clutch chops for the New York Rangers in the 2024 playoffs, and he brings a hardnosed power-forward mentality to a group that might be high on skill and fundamentals but low on sandpaper. I could see Lafreniere slotting anywhere from the second to fourth line.
PAUL PIDUTTI: Has anyone gone from afterthought to impact player more stealthily than Brandon Hagel? He’s quietly become one of the most complete players Canada has available. Plays in all situations? Check. Offense? He had 75 points last year — including 66 at even-strength — and is off to a hot start this season. Defense? JFresh Hockey has him in the upper 18% of the NHL in defensive impact. Hagel’s only 26, he kills penalties effectively, he plays 19 minutes per night, he’s a strong finisher, and he can keep up with stars (teammate and Team Canada lock Brayden Point, for example) or thrive on a shutdown line. He’s also a left wing, Canada’s thinnest forward position. Hagel’s quickly gone from a deep cut fringe candidate to a sensible choice.
SCOTT MAXWELL: It feels like cheating to go with any Canadian goaltender considering how wide open the position is for Canada, but I don’t think anyone could have seen Sam Montembeault being a strong candidate. And yet, he’s been playing fantastically in the crease for the Montreal Canadiens over the past few seasons despite their poor play in front of him, and that’s especially been the case this season. His .891% save percentage this season doesn’t seem flashy, but when you consider the fact that the Habs are allowing 3.72 5v5 expected goals against per game (which would be the highest rate ever if this continues all year), those stats would be a lot worse if other goalies were in net. Since Montembeault joined the Habs in 2021-22, his 20.14 goals saved above expected is the 18th best in the league, and more importantly to this conversation, it’s the fourth best among Canadian goaltenders behind only Stuart Skinner, Darcy Kuemper and Laurent Brossoit. Not only should Montembeault be considered for a spot on the roster, but there’s also a solid case that he should be their starter.
STEVEN ELLIS: Ahhem, Scott! I had Montembeault on the team back in February! I’ll go with Finland’s Jesse Puljujärvi. The 26-year-old was once seen as a big piece of Finland’s future, but he struggled for far too long and didn’t sign in the NHL last season until February. Now, he’s on pace for the best season of his NHL career, both on the scoresheet and as a whole. He looks motivated to prove people wrong, and while he’ll likely never be a 50-point player in the NHL, he has been a positive piece of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ attack this year. The Finns have some decent depth options to build from, but a slow start for Eeli Tolvanen makes me think that the Bison King should be in contention to be the 13th forward.
ANTHONY DI MARCO: With respect to consistency, I’m going Togo with Travis Sanheim. With so many talented blueliners eligible for team Canada, it’s crazy to think that Sanheim has a shot here. But his different style from the likes of Chabot, Rielly, Morrissey, etc, may be giving him and extended look to play a niche role. Also, he can play the right side as a left shot, which would give Jon Cooper even more options with his pairs. As of Friday morning I was told that Team Canada was “watching him closely,” so this may not be so under the radar anymore.
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