As it pertains to the Pittsburgh Penguins, no surprises were in store following Wednesday’s formal reveal of the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off rosters.
Sweden and Finland’s 23-man rosters (20 skaters, three goalies) were announced in the afternoon, while the United States and Canada revealed theirs later in the evening.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, one of six preliminary players named to the Canadian team over the summer, is set to represent his country from Feb. 12-20 in Boston and Montreal, joining a roster that includes Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.
Crosby already boasts an extensive international hockey career, having won two Olympic gold medals (2010, 2014), in addition to gold at the 2015 World Championships, 2016 World Cup and 2005 World Junior Championships.
The only other Penguins player set to participate is blueliner Erik Karlsson, who joins the Swedes and like Crosby, was named to the team back in July.
Karlsson helped Sweden to a silver medal at the 2014 Olympics and won a pair of bronze medals at the 2010 and 2024 World Championships, in addition to silver at the 2009 World Junior Championships.
Coach Mike Sullivan will lead the U.S., which features forwards such as Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk plus defensemen Adam Fox and Quinn Hughes.
Sullivan will also be reunited with former Penguins forward Jake Guentzel, now in his first season with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Additionally, Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller (Coraopolis) and New York Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck (Upper St. Clair), both of whom spent parts of their childhood growing up in the Pittsburgh area, were named to the U.S. team.
The 4 Nations Face-Off is a round-robin tournament of seven total games, culminating with a one-game final.
It is the first best-on-best tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
