When the 4 Nations Face-Off rosters were announced back in early December, reactions focused just as much on who didn’t make the teams as who did. Such is the hockey-rich nature of the four participating countries (Canada, USA, Sweden and Finland) that their upper-tier talent extends well beyond the 23 players they were each allowed to name to their 4 Nations teams.
How much talent was left sidelined? Turns out you can make a pretty formidable team out of the Canadian, American, Swedish and Finnish players who did not book their ticket to Montreal and Boston come February. In fact, we have done exactly that. Using the same framework followed by each of the four participating nations (13 forwards, seven defensemen and three goaltenders) and incorporating talent from each country, we’ve set out to put together an “all-snubs” team, the best of the cast-offs who are currently not Face-Off bound.
The Forwards (13)
- Mikael Backlund (SWE)
- Connor Bedard (CAN)
- Cole Caufield (USA)
- William Eklund (SWE)
- Zach Hyman (CAN)
- Clayton Keller (USA)
- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (FIN)
- Rickard Rakell (SWE)
- Jason Robertson (USA)
- Mark Scheifele (CAN)
- Steven Stamkos (CAN)
- Nick Suzuki (CAN)
- Tage Thompson (USA)
A quick review of the snubbed forwards included on this list reveals several different themes about who was – and wasn’t – taken. For one thing, the real selections seem to emphasize experience over youth. Players like Connor Bedard (19 years old), William Eklund (22), Cole Caufield (24), Nick Suzuki (25) and Clayton Keller (26) may well have bright futures in international hockey, but that didn’t sway the teams away from opting more for veteran stability in the form of guys like Brad Marchand, Chris Krieder and Joel Armia (“US prioritizes older veterans for 4 Nations Face-Off against Canada, Sweden and Finland”, Toronto Star, 12/04/2024).
(Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Another noticeable trend was the ‘what have you done for me lately’ nature of some selections. All of Zach Hyman, Tage Thompson, Jason Robertson and Mark Scheifele have recorded 40-plus goal seasons in the not-too-distant past, and yet they were all cast aside for either being too one-dimensional or not maintaining that same offensive pace more recently. Scheifele is a particular head-scratcher as a highly productive star forward (26 goals and 52 points) on the Winnipeg Jets, one of the best teams in the NHL.
Beyond those two groups, Sweden surprised by omitting two-way veteran Mikael Backlund and talented winger Rickard Rakell, who has since notched 12 of his 22 goals on the season. Steven Stamkos fell victim to being dragged down by his struggling Nashville Predators squad, which proved costly amongst a forward corps as deep as Canada’s. Finally, Jesperi Kotkaniemi doesn’t qualify as a huge snub, but you could have made a case for the Carolina Hurricane over Finnish compatriots like Armia and Erik Haula.
The Defensemen (7)
- Evan Bouchard (CAN)
- John Carlson (USA)
- Noah Dobson (CAN)
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson (SWE)
- Henri Jokiharju (FIN)
- Hampus Lindholm (SWE)
- Jake Sanderson (USA)
Some surprising, off-the-board picks on the blue line (Travis Sanheim? Jani Hakanpaa?), coupled with the defensive depth enjoyed by some countries, opened the door for an interesting group of snubs. Players like John Carlson and Oliver Ekman-Larsson carry a long history of proudly representing their national team, but both men will have to wait for an injury-related opportunity. Similar to Ekman-Larsson, Hampus Lindholm is no stranger to the Tre Kronor, but fell victim to Sweden’s strong back end.
(Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Meanwhile, the temptation to go younger was resisted once more, leaving the likes of Evan Bouchard, Jake Sanderson and Noah Dobson on the outs. Lastly, Henri Jokiharju will likely find himself as a late addition to Team Finland, considering Hakanpaa remains sidelined with no clear timeline for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Speaking of injuries, it’s important to note the impactful absence of those who are physically unable to represent their country at the event. While they can’t be considered snubs, Drew Doughty and Torey Krug would likely figure into the plans of Team Canada and Team USA, respectively, were it not for having each undergone ankle surgery.
Goaltenders (3)
- Joonas Korpisalo (FIN)
- Anthony Stolarz (USA)
- Logan Thompson (CAN)
Truth be told, the four participating countries probably got their goaltending right. Canadian fans may quibble with Sam Montembeault over Logan Thompson, but both men are similarly young and inexperienced at the international level. Joonas Korpisalo is a solid netminder, but he probably didn’t deserve to crack Team Finland in light of the stellar season being enjoyed by Kevin Lankinen. Anthony Stolarz’s knee injury likely scuttled any hopes he had of surpassing Jeremy Swayman in the US net.
The goaltending picture at the 4 Nations Face-Off is really one of inequality. Team USA and Team Sweden are stacked between the pipes, rendering little room for debate. On the other hand, Finland doesn’t carry much intrigue beyond starter Juuse Saros and the weak state of the Canadian crease means that none of Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill or Montembeault stand as particularly exciting options. Canada would surely welcome inter-nation trades to shore up their goaltending, but that would be a whole other article.
How Good Would the “All Snub” Team Be?
It’s hard to expect a team comprised exclusively of cast-offs to be competitive with each country’s very best, but an “all-snub” squad would certainly have the potential to make things interesting.
Consider a forward corps that would boast an intriguing combination of size, skill and physical intensity. Caufield, Bedard and Robertson would instill no shortage of firepower on the wing, Scheifele and Stamkos would offer ample leadership, Thompson brings the size up front and Hyman would be tasked with going into the corners and doing the dirty work. That would still leave room for enviable depth, including heady two-way play from the likes of Backlund and Suzuki and supplemental scoring from Rakell, Keller and Eklund.
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On the back end, the blue line corps seems rife with puck moving defensemen and potential power play quarterbacks, namely Bouchard, Carlson, Dobson and Sanderson. The group could probably use a little more stay-at-home defensive help apart from Lindholm and Jokiharju, so it’s possible that Sanderson would be switched out for someone like Toronto Maple Leafs shot-blocking specialist Chris Tanev. The unit may lack in terms of household names like Victor Hedman and Cale Makar, but there is certainly some potential here.
Finally, the potential of the goaltending group ultimately boils down to how one values current performance relative to experience and pedigree. On one hand, none of Stolarz, Thompson or Korpisalo are proven commodities as No. 1 goalies. On the other hand, however, Thompson is enjoying a sensational season (18-2-3, 2.32 goals against average, .919 save percentage) as the No. 1 goalie on the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals and Stolarz was putting up Vezina-calber numbers (9-5-2-1, 2.15 GAA, .927 SV%) in the Maple Leafs’ crease prior to his injury.
While it’s not exactly shocking to suggest that Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland produce incredible hockey talent, the fact that you can build such a formidable lineup out of the cast-offs from these four countries highlights just how deep the pipeline runs.
