'I'm very pumped' Sebastian Aho on Stage as NHL Announces '4 Nations Face-Off' Mid-Season International Tournament
The NHL announced today that they will hold an international mid-season tournament starting next season called the '4 Nations Face-Off.'
The tournament will feature NHL players from USA, Canada, Finland and Sweden and will take place February 12-20 in place of the All-Star game at two host cities, one in the USA and one in Canada.
"Our generation hasn't been able to [represent Finland] as NHL players, so I'm very pumped and I know there are a lot of people back home that are excited by the news," said Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho who was present and on stage for the announcement.
Each of the four teams will be comprised of 23 NHL players (20 skaters and three goaltenders) each selected by each nation's hockey governing body — USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, Finnish Ice Hockey Association and Swedish Ice Hockey Association.
Six initial players from each roster will be named in the summer.
The tournament will utilize an NHL rule set, but will feature a new points system.
Every team will play each other first in a traditional round robin with a 3-2-1-0 point system: 3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an OT/SO win, 1 point for an OT/SO loss and 0 points for a regulation loss.
Following the round robin, the two best teams will advance to a winner-take-all, championship game.
This announcement along with the announcement of the NHL's return to the Olympics marks a great day for both international competition and the growth of the game.
"I'm sure people from Finland and all over Europe are pumped to hear this news and obviously the players too, whoever gets to be a part of this," Aho said. "Every time, the whole nation is behind you and the team is bonding very well. I've always enjoyed whenever I've had the chance to play for Team Finland."
Here's the NHL's official press release:
NEW YORK/TORONTO (Feb. 2, 2024) – The National Hockey League (NHL) and National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) today announced a new event for the 2024-25 NHL season: the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, which will feature international tournament play between NHL Players from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States. The 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off will take place in February 2025 in two North American cities – one in Canada and one in the United States. NHL All-Star Weekend will not be held in the 2024-25 season.
The 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off will consist of a total of seven games played over a nine-day period from Feb. 12 to 20, along with two designated training/practice days (Feb. 10 and Feb. 11)
Each team will be comprised of 23 NHL Players (20 skaters, 3 goalies) selected by each National Association: Hockey Canada, Finnish Ice Hockey Association, Swedish Ice Hockey Association and USA Hockey. Players must be under an NHL contract for the 2024-25 season and on an NHL roster as of Dec. 2, 2024. All roster announcement dates will be made by the NHL and NHLPA, with each of the participating National Associations selecting its initial six players this summer, prior to selecting its complete rosters later in the year.
All games in the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off will be played in accordance with NHL rules. Each team will play three tournament games in a traditional Round Robin format, under the following points system: 3 points for a win in regulation time; 2 points for a win in overtime/shootout; 1 point for a loss in overtime/shootout; and 0 points for a loss in regulation time. The two teams with the best tournament record will then advance to a one-game Final. The overtime format for Round Robin games will be three-on-three sudden death for a 10-minute period, followed by a three-round shootout. The overtime format for the one-game Final will be full strength sudden death through successive 20-minute periods until one team scores.