7 Oilers who could play in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament
The excitement around the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris is reaching a fever pitch, but Edmonton Oilers fans are looking ahead to another international event next year.
While the NHL has announced that they plan on returning to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, there will be a few appetizer tournaments that hockey fans will be getting before the main event.
The first is the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, which will be held this February in Montreal and Boston. Four countries (Canada, USA, Sweden, and Finland) will make up the tournament with the best NHL players from each country filling out the rosters.
Here is a list of seven Oilers players who could be hitting the international stage this winter:
Connor McDavid (Canada)
Connor McDavid will be at the tournament after being named one of Canada’s first six players.
The Oilers captain is the undisputed best player in the entire league and once again proved that with an amazing year that saw him put up 100 assists in the regular season and break Wayne Gretzky’s record for most assists in a single playoff run.
This tournament will be the first time that McDavid has had the opportunity to represent Canada as a professional hockey player. He did compete at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey but was with the much-maligned Under-23 North America team.
Zach Hyman (Canada)
The 32-year-old might not have the elite pedigree that a lot of other players on Canada’s roster might have, but that isn’t to say he doesn’t belong. He is coming off a monster 50-goal regular season and led all players in playoff goals with 16, coming within striking distance of Jari Kurri’s record of 19.
Hyman also has the advantage of playing alongside McDavid more than any other player in the league, creating some wicked chemistry with the Oilers captain and proving to be an elite top-line player in the league.
Sidney Crosby had Chris Kunitz, and McDavid has Hyman.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Canada)
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is not a slam dunk to crack Canada’s lineup for the tournament, but there is no doubt that he will be among the players at least considered to make the team. The 31-year-old Nugent-Hopkins is one season removed from a 104-point campaign and recently put up 18 goals and 67 points last year.
Though, if he makes it, his steady defensive game and powerplay prowess will probably do him more favours than raw offensive power. Nugent-Hopkins’ chemistry with McDavid, like Hyman, could also give him an edge with the selection committee.
Evan Bouchard (Canada)
After a break-out season in Edmonton last year, Evan Bouchard has quickly established himself as one of the league’s most dangerous offensive defencemen. He finished the year fourth in scoring among NHL defencemen with 82 points and led all blueliners in playoff scoring with 32 points (double the amount of second place Cale Makar’s 16 points).
There are some questions about his overall defensive game, but there is no doubt that Team Canada will be very interested in the offensive weapons that Bouchard has at his disposal.
Stuart Skinner (Canada)
Stuart Skinner has been a hot topic among hockey fans as his career has been mired by some nasty inconsistent stretches. However, one thing is certain about Skinner: when he is on his game, he is among the best goaltenders in the league.
After struggling in the second round of the playoffs against the Vancouver Canucks, Skinner turned things around quickly and was critical in pushing the Oilers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
If that up-and-down playoff run helps him find a consistent level of play next season he could easily nab the starting job for Canada.
Mattias Ekholm (Sweden)
As for non-Canadian Oilers players representing their country, Mattias Ekholm is almost certain to be among Sweden’s top defenders at the tournament.
Ekholm has been one of the NHL’s most underrated defensive-defencemen for just about his entire career and that hasn’t changed since being traded to Edmonton during the 2022-23 season.
The hulking Swede is a complete package as he can throw punishing hits, make good defensive plays with his stick, and even found a way to hit a career-high in points last season with 45.
Viktor Arvidsson (Sweden)
Viktor Arvidsson is by no means a lock to make Sweden, but he could be one of the final cuts made to the team.
If this tournament had happened a few years ago, Arvidsson would most likely be on the team, but injuries limited the 31-year-old to just 16 games last season. If he can jump into the Oilers lineup and start scoring at his usual pace, things will get very interesting down the stretch.
It all depends on whether he can return to the reliable 20-goal scorer he was before this latest season.
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