How a 25-And-Under Tournament Can Save NHL All-Star Weekend

After the success of the 4 Nations Face-Off as an All-Star Game replacement, it is hard to imagine the NHL ever going back to its regularly scheduled all-star weekend festivities that have fans and players alike growing increasingly uninterested.

Luckily, we won’t have to go back to the old way, as Last month, Gary Bettman said the NHL is working to host an event in 2027 that will “do justice to the level of interest and authenticity” the league captured at the 4 Nations. With NHL participation in the Olympics starting next year and a World Cup of Hockey every four years starting in 2028, the 4 Nations Face-Off looks like a one-off. But there’s no reason that international hockey in place of the All-Star Game needs to die with it. The NHL should replace All-Star Weekend with an international 25-and-under tournament.

Throughout the years, the NHL has experimented with divisional teams, east vs. west, all-star drafts and more. None of that comes close to the level of pride a player feels when they dawn their country’s sweater. And nothing makes fans more excited than watching their country battle for hockey superiority.

While not all the NHL’s best will be included, an international tournament headlined by the likes of Jack Hughes, Tim Stutzle and Connor Bedard in 2027 would certainly “do justice” to the NHL’s all-star replacement. The tournament would be a way to showcase the skill and creativity of hockey’s next generation. At the World Cup of Hockey in 2016 the 23 and under Team North America won the hearts of fans with their highly skilled and fast paced game. This could take their success to a whole new level.

But it is not just the incredible talent that would make this tournament magical. It is what’s on the line for these players. Similar to the IIHF’s World Junior Championship, for a lot of players, this would be the biggest tournament they’ll ever play at the international stage. For others, this could be an audition for the Olympic or World Cup roster the following year.

Would Cole Caufield have beaten out fellow Americans Brock Nelson and Chris Kreider for a spot on Team USA at the 4 Nations had he willed the 25-and-under American team to gold the year before? It’s nobody’s childhood dream to win a 25-and-under tournament, but it is every athlete’s dream to get a chance at an Olympic gold medal.

Though most of the NHL’s best would not be included, the league would still get to showcase its top talent annually with their awards and with international best-on-best every second year. Besides, some of the most memorable players from the All-Star Game are fan-voted favourites like John Scott and Zemgus Girgensons, who are by no means the NHL’s best.

But what would this tournament look like? A format similar to the 4 Nations would be the best bet. Every team plays each other once, with the top-2 seeds facing off in the finals. While hockey powerhouses Canada, Sweden, the USA and Finland will all be involved, one of the biggest criticisms at the 4 Nations was that only four nations were represented. Including a team Europe like the squad that made the World Cup of Hockey finals in 2016 would showcase young stars from countries that cannot ice a full NHL affiliated team.

So what would the rosters look like? Because players have to be 25 or younger, we’ll tweak the 4 Nations rule that players must be in the NHL and include a few prospects playing in the AHL to fill out the rosters. As there is no official date, no player can be older than 25 on Feb. 1, 2027.  

Wyatt Johnston – Seth Jarvis – Connor Bedard

Dylan Guenther – Macklin Celebrini – Kent Johnson

Quinton Byfield – Dylan Cozens – Logan Stankoven

Jake Neighbours – Adam Fantilli – Alexis Lafreniere

Mason McTavish

Owen Power – Thomas Harley

Bowen Byram – Kaiden Guhle

Brandt Clarke – Jordan Spence

Matthew Schaefer

Devon Levi

Sebastian Cossa

Carter George

To no surprise, Team Canada looks to be a favorite. Their forward group features a plethora of skill and strong two-way players, including 4 Nations champion Seth Jarvis. We can only imagine the strides first-overall picks Bedard and Celebrini will take in two years’ time. Led by 4 Nations surprise arrival Thomas Harley, Canada’s defensive corps boasts seven puck-moving D-men, while Guhle and Spence can hold it down in their own end.

Goaltending is Canada’s weakest link. Both Levi and Cossa spent the majority of last season in the AHL, but there’s a path for both goalies to establish themselves in the NHL by 2027. Los Angeles Kings prospect George will likely be there for the experience as he’ll be 20 during the tournament.

Matthew Knies – Jack Hughes – Matt Boldy

Trevor Zegras – Logan Cooley – Will Smith

Jimmy Snuggerud – Matty Beniers – Jackson Blake

Ryan Leonard – Frank Nazar – Alex Laferriere

Matt Coronato

Jake Sanderson – Brock Faber

Lane Hutson – Alex Vlasic

Zeev Buium – Luke Hughes

Jayden Struble

Dustin Wolf

Spencer Knight

Jacob Fowler

A top line of Knies, Hughes and Boldy would give the Americans the clear best line in the tournament. Their forward depth is rounded out with a mix of established NHLers and rookie sensations. On the blueline, their entire top four boasts legit top-pair talent in the NHL while Buium and Hughes look to be the most skilled bottom pair in the tournament.

In net, it just keeps getting better. Dustin Wolf established himself as a top goaltender for the Flames this season, even receiving a Vezina vote. He’ll be backed up by Knight and one of the best goaltending prospects in Fowler.

William Eklund – Leo Carlsson – Lucas Raymond

Emil Heineman – Noah Ostlund – Simon Holmstrom

Fabian Lysell – Anton Frondell – Alexander Holtz

Liam Ohgren – Elmer Soderblom – Isak Rosen

Jonathan Lekkerimaki

Simon Edvinsson – Philip Broberg

Elias Pettersson – Tobias Bjornfot

Emil Andrae – Axel Sandin-Pellikka

Tom Willander  

Jesper Wallstedt

Dennis Hildeby

Calle Clang

Sweden will need to rely heavily on their top guys if they want a chance to compete in this tournament. Luckily, their top guys can do just that. A first line of Eklund, Carlsson and Raymond looks to be one of the strongest in the tournament. After that, Heineman and Holmstrom seem to be the only full-time NHLers, with most of the bottom-six still flip-flopping in and out of the minors. The highly skilled Frondell could help, but the Chicago Blackhawks’ third-overall pick in this year’s draft will only be 19 during the tournament.

On the back end, it’s much of the same. Broberg and Edvinsson are both coming off strong years playing big minutes for their respective teams. After that, the Swedes will rely on a bottom four with some NHL experience and hope that top prospects Sandin-Pellikka and Willander continue to take strides in their development. Wallstedt is Sweden’s future in net and looks to have a real shot at becoming a full-time NHLer this year with the Minnesota Wild. He’ll be backed up by Hildeby, who is coming off a strong year with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, and Anaheim Ducks prospect Clang.

Oliver Kapanen – Anton Lundell – Kaapo Kakko

Jani Nyman – Samuel Helenius – Brad Lambert

Mikael Pyyhtia – Aatu Raty – Joakim Kemell

Roby Jarventie - Konsta Helenius – Ville Koivunen

Miko Matikka

Ville Heinola – Ville Ottavainen

Topias Vilen – Aleksi Heimosalmi

Emil Pieniniemi – Otto Salin

Jesse Pulkkinen

Leevi Merilainen

Joel Blomqvist

Niklas Kokko

Unfortunately for the Fins, their team looks to be the weakest in the tournament. Although Lundell is one of the best players participating, and Kakko seems to have finally found his footing with the Seattle Kraken, their forward depth is feeble. Samuel Helenius is the only other regular NHLer in this forward group. Their bottom six is filled with once highly touted prospects who are still looking to find a permanent spot in the NHL. Buffalo Sabres prospect Konsta Helenius will only be 20 years old at the tournament. 

On the blueline, Heinola will get the biggest opportunity of his career as Finland’s clear No. 1 D-man. After that, Ottavainen’s one NHL game with the Kraken makes him the second-most-experienced blueliner on this squad. If there’s any hope for the Fins, it’s in net. Merilainen broke onto the scene with the Ottawa Senators this season, posting a .925 save percentage and three shutouts in 12 games. Promising goalies Blomqvist and Kokko will back him up.

Juraj Slafkovsky – Tim Stutzle – JJ Peterka

Lukas Reichel – Marco Rossi – Marco Kasper

Dalibor Dvorsky – Jiri Kulich – Filip Mesar

Samuel Honzek – Jan Mysak – Adam Raska

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard

Emil Lilleberg – Moritz Seider

Lian Bichsel – Simon Nemec

David Jiricek – David Reinbacher

Stanislav Svozil

Jakub Dobes

Arturs Silovs

Michael Hrabal

Similar to the 2016 team at the World Cup, this European squad has the potential to surprise the top teams. Stutzle is already a superstar and headlines one of the strongest center depths in the tournament. Peterka and Slafkovsky are emerging as true stars in the league, while Kasper and Reichel have solidified their spots in the NHL. On the defensive end, Seider is the clear No. 1 paired with Lilleberg, who is coming off a strong season with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Their bottom 4 are just scratching the surface of their potential and could all be NHL contributors by 2027. Between the pipes, Dobes looks like one of the best goalies in the tournament after an impressive end to the season with the Montreal Canadiens. To back him up, Silovs is coming off a Calder Cup in the AHL, and Utah Mammoth prospect Hrabel is one of the most promising young goalies in hockey.

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.