The inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off has showcased the best NHL players from the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland. However, that doesn’t mean every NHL team received representation. For instance, the general managers of those respective teams didn’t include any San Jose Sharks on their rosters, making them one of two franchises without a player in the tournament.
While the Sharks get some benefits from not being included, their absence emphasizes their current dearth of talent. That said, they have several players who could prove themselves worthy of roster spots for upcoming competitions like the 2026 Winter Olympics and 2025 World Championships. Here are the Sharks’ main candidates to represent each of the 4 Nations countries in future international battles.
Sweden: William Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund
Offensive forwards with multiple seasons of NHL experience, William Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund aren’t just the Sharks’ most likely to represent San Jose in on the international stage. They’re also the Sharks’ two most notable Face-Off snubs. Eklund, in particular, could have provided value to the Swedish team.
With 40 points in 52 games this season, he would have been one of Sweden’s highest-scoring players in the competition. His combination of shooting and passing ability would have provided a boost to their offense and could have made a difference in their two overtime losses. If he keeps up this pace, he’ll be a clear contender for the Three Crowns lineup at both this year’s World Championship — held partially in Sweden — and the next Olympics.
Zetterlund doesn’t have quite the same level of production, but his qualities and statistics show he belongs on the international stage. He recorded his first career 20-goal season in 2023-24 and has another 15 in 2024-25. He’s appeared in all 57 of San Jose’s games, and even when not scoring, he plays fundamentally sound hockey and makes the right plays. He has a plus-9 rating, a remarkable accomplishment for a top-six forward on a team with a minus-68 goal differential. He’s given the Sharks clear reasons to keep him around long-term. Surrounded by better players on a national roster, he would make a major contribution to a winning team.
For the Sharks and their fans, it’s been disappointing not seeing any of their players participate in the tournament. However, Eklund and Zetterlund show why that frustration shouldn’t last much longer.
Canada: Macklin Celebrini
Given his age and Canada’s depth of talent, he has a way to go before he hits the international stage, but Macklin Celebrini’s early NHL returns make him a clear possibility to one day represent Canada. His two-way ability and high hockey IQ will only improve with experience, meaning he should fit right in on a national team. He can feed and benefit from some of the NHL’s best skaters and fit onto any lines on which the coaches need him to play.
Even though he’s a teenager, Celebrini is already on the radar for Hockey Canada’s senior team management. After putting up 25 points across three youth tournaments, including the 2024 World Juniors, he earned a spot on Canada’s roster for the 2024 World Championships. He didn’t end up participating, as Canadian management replaced him at the last minute with more experienced players. However, the fact he was even a candidate at 17 years old, without having played an NHL game, says a lot about what they think of him.
Related: Guide to the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off
Canada is stacked at center, and Celebrini will need to be patient to find his spot and role in the lineup. But all evidence suggests he’ll eventually be a crucial player.
United States: Will Smith
Forward Will Smith is still finding his footing in the NHL, but of the Americans on the Sharks’ roster, he has the clearest path to international play. He spent his junior career with the United States National Development Team, scoring goals and creating for others to post some of the greatest individual seasons in program history.
As far as tournaments go, he’s excelled, leading the 2023 U18 World Championship in points and scoring at over a point-per-game rate at the 2024 World Juniors. A few months later, he gained his first senior international experience, playing five games at the World Championships. Like Celebrini, he’s earned consideration from his country’s governing body when they’re building a roster, even if he isn’t quite ready to be a consistent member of the national team.
Coaches and executives are always looking for all-around offensive ability, and national teams are no different. Smith’s play with the Sharks will need to continue on the right track, but he could be competing for a United States roster spot within a few tournaments.
Finland: Kasper Halttunen
Of the players discussed here, Kasper Halttunen has the longest distance to his country’s national team, considering he’s still playing in juniors. However, with Mikael Granlund’s departure, he is now the closest among the Finnish players in San Jose’s system.
Halttunen has shown a lot of promise since the Sharks drafted him in the second round in 2023, the highest-selected Finn in that year’s draft. He is on pace for his second straight junior season of averaging over a point per game and even earned himself a brief American Hockey League (AHL) stint this past fall. Internationally, he has 28 points in 35 games across six youth tournaments, including the two most recent World Juniors, helping Finland medal in three. If he can translate his game to the AHL and eventually the big leagues, he’ll be a clear choice for the Finnish team at any international tournament.
Halttunen still has to make the Sharks to represent them, indicating he won’t be playing with Finland’s senior team for at least another season or two. If he can keep doing the things that made him so prominent in Finland’s junior system, he should rise through the ranks of both the Sharks organization and the national team before long.
Sharks’ International Hopes Point to Future
The Sharks’ absence from the 4 Nations Face-Off is a sign of their current struggles. But the players who might represent them at upcoming tournaments are also a sign of brighter days ahead. The oldest player on this list is the 25-year-old Zetterlund, and all five seem to have their best hockey in front of them. They have all shown, at various levels, that they could be key contributors to winning teams for both the Sharks and their respective countries.
The inaugural Face-Off has been so successful that other sports leagues view it as a model for their own All-Star Breaks. It has created a new level of excitement around international hockey, and now every team wants a piece. The Sharks want to be involved in best-on-best international competitions, and their rising talent pool suggests they should be able to do so very soon.
