Four nations have finished facing off, and the hockey world is better for it. The first best-on-best international hockey tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey was a rousing success, bringing in great TV ratings and creating iconic moments that will go down in the sport’s lexicon.
Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim celebrate a goal for the Philadelphia Flyers (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Two Philadelphia Flyers — Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim — captured the championship with Team Canada, although both were healthy scratched at different points in the competition. Samuel Ersson made one start for Sweden, but it came after his country had already been eliminated from championship contention. And Rasmus Ristolainen was cruelly robbed of the chance to experience hockey at the highest level as he couldn’t compete for Finland due to injury (although the Flyers announced he will be ready to return when the team resumes its schedule on Saturday).
However, the trio that suited up did make some contributions. And with the Flyers unlikely to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, the importance of the lessons they learned over the last two weeks is amplified. Here are the main takeaways from their performances.
Samuel Ersson
It was considered a long shot for Ersson to receive game action during the tournament. He was only on Team Sweden because Jacob Markstrom was injured and firmly planted as the third goalie on the team’s depth chart. But a perfect storm ensued as Sweden had nothing to play for (and therefore, nothing to lose) in its third game, plus incumbents Filip Gustavsson and Linus Ullmark were battling illness.
So, Ersson got the nod against the United States in Sweden’s final game. It didn’t start well, as Chris Kreider buried a rebound in the opening minute. But that was the only goal Ersson allowed. Flyers head coach John Tortorella watched from the Team USA bench as an assistant as his No. 1 netminder stopped the final 31 shots he faced, saving 3.07 goals above expected. Ersson has only topped the latter figure once in 31 games this season, which also came at TD Garden when he pitched a 25-save shutout while facing 3.93 expected goals against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 29.
Though it was just one game and meaningless in determining the event’s winner, this performance shows that Ersson has the skill and mental makeup to be a No. 1 goaltender. The only hurdles left to clear are consistency and physical. Those skills aren’t tested in a one-game showing but vital if Ersson will be the Flyers’ goalie of the future.
It also helps his chances of representing his country in the future. Markstrom and Ullmark are both in their 30s, with Markstrom one of the league’s oldest starting goalies at 35. Both will be favored to be on Team Sweden for the 2026 Olympics but both (especially Markstrom) will have to fight Father Time for future opportunities. Gustavsson isn’t going anywhere and fellow Minnesota Wild organization member Jesper Wallstedt could jump into the picture soon. Ersson should get the chance to prove himself while wearing the three crowns again.
Travis Sanheim
Sanheim started the event in the press box as he was the odd man out of Canada’s opening night lineup. That made sense, as he had slowed down offensively, posting just six assists in 19 games since New Year’s Day (he had six goals and 15 helpers in his first 38 contests). However, when Shea Theodore went down with an injury during that game, Sanheim suddenly had a secure spot.
He never played his way into a prominent role, finishing sixth, fifth, and fifth in ice time among Canadian blueliners in his three games. Sanheim did tally a nice assist when he jumped up into the rush in the first period against Finland, taking a slick feed from Connor McDavid in stride and firing a dangerous shot from the left circle. Brayden Point swept the rebound to the goal to extend Canada’s lead to 3-0 in an eventual 5-3 win.
The Finland game was easily Sanheim’s best of the tournament, as he also finished with a team-best 78.82% expected goals share. His performance in the two games against the United States wasn’t as impressive; he finished with a 55.37% xG rate in the preliminary round but was a minus-1, unable to break up a two-on-one that led to Dylan Larkin scoring the game-winning goal. He was probably fortunate to be even in the championship game, as his 31.21% xG rate was the lowest of any defenseman for his country.
Sanheim must fight hard to wear the maple leaf again at the 2026 Winter Olympics. That starts with bouncing back from a dip in the NHL since the start of 2025. At 28 years old, the 4 Nations Face-Off and next year’s Olympics are the best international opportunities Sanheim will have in his prime. With other young defensemen like Thomas Harley getting better, plus Theodore and the also-injured Alex Pietrangelo still in the picture, Sanheim has work to do.
Travis Konecny
The 4 Nations Face-Off was Konecny’s third time playing high-pressure hockey after making playoff appearances in 2018 and 2020. Unfortunately, Konecny is now zero-for-three in leaving a strong impression.
Konecny began the tournament on Canada’s fourth line, starting with Tampa Bay Lightning teammates Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli. There were some good moments on the forecheck and Konecny did finish with three hits, more than any other Canadian except Hagel. However, those two brought up the rear for Canada in xG share, with Konecny in last by an eight percent gap at just a 19.58% rate. Worse, he was also minus-2. He wasn’t involved in the chance that led to Adrian Kempe’s goal early in the third but couldn’t win the initial puck battle or recover to check Jesper Bratt before he set up Joel Eriksson Ek for a game-tying tap-in.
As a result, Konecny was replaced by Sam Bennett for Canada’s second game, its 3-1 loss to the United States. He re-entered the lineup against Finland, replacing Seth Jarvis, but the results were again poor. His 16.71% xG rate was worse than any teammate except Bennett, who was Konecny’s regular center on a line completed by Brad Marchand. One could argue Konecny was too quick to fly the zone on the sequence that led to Esa Lindell’s goal, especially given Canada was ahead 4-0 with under eight minutes remaining in regulation.
Konecny at least had a couple of shots on goal against the Finns after not managing one against Sweden. But it wasn’t enough to hold his spot in the lineup, as Jarvis replaced him on Thursday night. Konecny was still in good spirits after Canada won in overtime. However, this wasn’t the performance he had in mind, especially given he has struggled mightily in the playoffs, scoring one goal in 22 career games with poor play-driving numbers (from ‘What happened to Travis Konecny’s scoring touch in the playoffs? That’s what he’d like to know,’ Philadelphia Inquirer, Sept. 17, 2020).
It’s been five years since Konecny’s last playoff appearance, and he’s become a much better player. He’s 17th in the NHL in points and tied for 29th in goals this season. He’ll likely shatter his career highs in both categories. But performing in big games is a different skill, an ability Konecny still needs to figure out how to harness.
Looking Ahead
The Flyers aren’t likely to have more representation at the 2026 Olympics, at least among their current roster. Ristolainen is a lock for Finland if healthy, but there are no guarantees he’ll still be a Flyer a year from now. Konecny, Ersson, and Sanheim will get a look to rejoin their countries in Milano. However, given Sweden’s talent in the net and the struggles of Sanheim and Konecny to consistently play well, all three will have to battle to become Olympians.
As for the rest of the team, no one else is in the picture. Maybe Cam York and Emil Andrae can play their way into a spot down the line. Even if Owen Tippett takes another step, Canada’s forward group is so stacked that it will be hard for him to make inroads. No Flyer has scored more than 40 goals in a season since Jeff Carter in 2008-09, who finished second in the league in goals that season (last season, nine players matched or exceeded Carter’s 46-goal output). Yet he was still on the outside looking in for the 2010 Games.
Matvei Michkov has Olympic-level talent. But of course, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war (not to mention that Russian athletes competed individually at the previous two Winter Games due to doping scandals) makes his future in international best-on-best hockey unknown for much more serious reasons.
