Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel aren’t the first names that come to mind when building a Canadian dream team, but assembling the best roster for February’s 4 Nations Face-Off is more about collecting players who can help win games than making selections based on star power.
While the addition of the two Lightning forwards to a Team Canada roster that will be coached by Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper might surprise some, it shouldn’t to those who watch the pair play every day.
Cirelli and Hagel do it all. They are elite 5-on-5 players who contribute to the power play and are exemplary on the penalty kill. They’re players winning teams need, and they’ve served as the Lightning’s high-motor engine for years.
Add forwards Jake Guentzel (United States) and Brayden Point (Canada), and defenseman Victor Hedman, and Lightning fans will have much to cheer for during the tournament Feb. 12-15 at Bell Centre in Montreal and Feb. 17 and 20 at TD Garden in Boston.
Full rosters for the four teams — U.S., Canada, Sweden and Finland — were announced Wednesday, when Guentzel, Cirelli and Hagel were added. Hedman and Point were among their team’s initial roster selections in October.
The Lightning’s five players in the event are tied for the third-most. The Panthers lead with eight, and Vegas is second with seven. The Rangers, Avalanche and Wild also have five players participating.
For the 30-year-old Guentzel, in his ninth NHL season, this will be the first chance for the Minnesota native to represent his country. He was expected to play in the 2022 Olympics before the NHL had to pull out of the Beijing Games to make up regular-season games that had been postponed due to COVID.
Guentzel twice was slated to play in the world championship, but injuries prevented him from playing, most recently in 2023, when he needed offseason ankle surgery. He never played in the world juniors tournament despite attending Team USA’s summer camp.
“It’s never worked out, so if something comes it would be really fun,” Guentzel said Wednesday before rosters were announced. “Yeah would obviously be a special occasion to play for your country. … Just the opportunity to be maybe in the picture would be pretty cool.”
With Team USA, Guentzel will get to play for his former head coach in Pittsburgh, Mike Sullivan.
Cirelli and Hagel made their way onto Team Canada with their multifaceted two-way games and ability to kill penalties. They are two of seven Canadian-born forwards to have at least 23 points and be plus-9 or better.
CIrelli represented Canada at the 2017 world juniors and 2019 world championship, winning a silver medal at both. Hagel played on two Canadian world championship teams, a gold medal-winning squad in 2021 and this past summer’s squad, alongside Lightning teammate Nick Paul.
“It would be an honor,” Hagel said Wednesday afternoon. “I don’t want to say too much until I know I’m on the team. Being able to play for your country is next level and an honor. And I’ll play for that flag any day of the week.”
The NHL this season replaced its midseason All-Star Game with the 4 Nations Face-Off, an exhibition tournament that will serve as the international hockey appetizer for league players returning to the Olympics at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games. There will be three round-robin games, and then the top two teams will play a winner-take-all final.
“As hockey players, we get to do something we love, but when you put a U.S. jersey on it does mean a lot when you are representing your country,” said Lightning assistant coach Jeff Halpern, who played on Team USA at three world championships. “And then on top of that, on the hockey side, when you’re growing up, you know who the players are in the U.S. and at your age level and older, when you get the chance to play with those guys, it’s special.
“So I’m excited, especially the guys on our team that are going to get the chance to do that, and it should be a good tournament.”
Notes: Star right wing Nikita Kucherov returned to the ice Wednesday but left the ice before practice was completed, missing power-play drills. He sat out Saturday’s game against Toronto and didn’t practice at all Tuesday. Forward Gage Goncalves filled Kucherov’s spot on the top line during rush drills. ... Forward Mitchell Chaffee practiced in a red no-contact jersey, an indication that he could miss his fourth straight game Thursday, when the Lightning host the Sharks. ... Guentzel, who abruptly left Tuesday’s practice, was a full participant Wednesday and said after practice he was “all good” physically. ... Paul continued to practice Wednesday and is expected to play Thursday after missing the previous six games.
