Two Ottawa Senators To Play In 4 Nations Face-off Tournament In February

The week-long tournament will replace the NHL all-star game this year and features the best players from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the USA.

Between the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championship in Ottawa and the 4 Nations Face-off in Montreal and Boston, local fans won’t have an overabundance of Ottawa Senators players to cheer for in those tournaments.

Yesterday, Hockey Canada overlooked Sens prospect Carter Yakemchuk, not even inviting him to try out for the national junior team. 

While not all teams have been finalized yet, it appears that Kazakhstan goalie Vladimir Nikitin is the only Sens prospect tracking to play in the tournament, which starts on Boxing Day here in the capital.

The Senators will also have a little representation at February’s Four Nations Face-off, a week-long exhibition tournament involving the best players from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the USA. Today, as expected, Sens captain Brady Tkachuk was named to Team USA. Tkachuk told the media earlier in the day that he would be honoured if his country came calling for this event.

"Yeah, it'd be pretty cool. It's always an honour to represent your country. So, yeah, I guess it's been a goal, and we'll find out later tonight."

Tkachuk added that he's particularly excited to play in an international event with his brother, Matthew, who also made the team, calling it a dream come true.

"It's something that we've always talked about—representing our country and playing together. It would be really special for both of us and our whole family."

Meanwhile, despite a slow start to the season, Linus Ullmark was named as one of Sweden's three goalies for this tournament. Former Senator Filip Gustavsson and New Jersey Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom also received the call. Each team will play a three-game round-robin, with the best two teams advancing to the final. There’s a good chance at least one goalie on every team won’t see any action.

The Four Nations Face-off marks the NHL’s first major foray into a best-on-best international tournament in several years. However, not all the top players are invited. While the NHL permits Russian players to compete in the league, they are excluded as a country from this event. Similarly, teams from Czechia (the reigning world champion), Slovakia, Switzerland, and Germany will not participate.

Here's the tourney schedule from NHL.com. Canada gets the advantage of two home games in Montreal, while the Americans have just one in Boston. 

MONTREAL, CA | Bell Centre

Wed, Feb. 12, 8pm: CAN vs. SWE
Thur, Feb. 13, 8pm: USA vs FIN
Sat, Feb. 15, 1pm: FIN vs SWE
Sat, Feb. 15, 8pm: USA vs. CAN

BOSTON, MA | TD Garden

Mon, Feb. 17, 1pm: CAN vs. FIN
Mon, Feb. 17, 8pm: SWE vs. USA
Thur, Feb. 20, 8pm: CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

*all times ET