The rosters for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off were released this week, and the Tampa Bay Lightning were well represented across the board. Five players were selected to represent three of the four countries in the tournament: Team USA, Team Canada and Team Sweden. Team Finland is the only team to not have a Lightning rep. Three other members of the organization from the coaching and front office staff will represent Team Canada.
Here is the breakdown of which Lightning players and staff are in the inaugural tournament.
Team Canada
Players:
Staff:
- Jon Cooper (head coach serving as head coach)
- Julien BriseBois (general manager serving as assistant general manager)
- Ryan Hamilton (mental performance coach serving on staff)
Team Canada is the only team to have multiple Lightning players in the tournament. They have three of the top five goal-scorers on Tampa Bay’s roster. One of the five not on the roster is Jake Guentzel, who we’ll get to shortly. The other is Nikita Kucherov, who is not in the tournament due to the absence of Russia.
Point was the first Lightning player to be added to Team Canada’s roster, being selected back in June along with Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Maker, Brad Marchand and Connor McDavid. It’s pretty high praise to be an early selection, knowing who else was picked along with him. Point is tied for fourth in goals in the NHL (16) and leads the league in power-play goals (9).
Hagel and Cirelli joined the roster as part of the big unveiling.
Hagel is on pace for yet another career season, and if he keeps up the pace, he will demolish the career marks he set in 2023-24. His 31 points in 24 games put him on pace for 105 points, 30 more than his current best of 75. His 12 goals in 24 games put him on pace for 41 goals, besting his career high of 30 from 2022-23. He most recently represented Team Canada in the 2024 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship. In 10 games, he had three goals and four assists for seven points.
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Cirelli started to show more of an offensive breakout in the second half of last season with 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in the final 36 games of the season compared to eight goals and nine assists for 17 points in his first 43 games. This season, he’s averaging a point per game and is one pace for 37 goals. The career pace, along with his established abilities on defense, made him an easy selection for Team Canada. This will be his first time representing them since the 2019 IIHF World Championship. He had three goals and an assist for four points in 10 games.
Cooper is the head coach of Team Canada, giving everyone a sneak peek for when he commands the team in Milan during the 2026 Winter Olympics. This is his first time behind the bench for Team Canada since he led them to a silver medal at the 2017 IIHF World Championship.
BriseBois will serve under Kyle Dubas, the president of hockey operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hamilton has been with the Lightning for nearly a decade and was their mental performance coach during their back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Team USA
Player:
One of the newest members of the Lightning was named to Team USA this week. It’s the first time he will get to represent his home country on the international stage.
“Obviously really excited. Potentially the first time to put the USA jersey on, it’s gonna be really special,” the 30-year-old forward said. “I called my parents and we got the news. So it’s obviously a pretty exciting day for our family.”
Guentzel has averaged a point per game so far with 11 goals and 13 assists in 24 games. As one of the spiritual successors to former Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, having him succeed on the ice and make the 4 Nations Face-Off roster, especially when Stamkos is not on Team Canada, helps make the move to acquire him look even better.
Team Sweden
Player:
The new captain and longtime alternate captain of the Lightning was one of the first additions to Team Sweden’s roster. He has the most hardware of any Lightning player selected. He’s a Norris Trophy winner (2018), was a finalist for the award for six consecutive seasons and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in the Lightning’s first of back-to-back Cups (2020).
Hedman continues to be one of the key producers on the blue line even at 34 years old. His production is as consistent as it has ever been. He’s averaging a point per game, which he has done once over a full season (85 points in 82 games in 2021-22). His defensive points share is already 3.2 this season, which is the second-best on the team. In the later seasons of his career, he’s still pushing the limits of what he can do.
