Finland Names Aleksander Barkov Captain for 4 Nations Face-Off

The 4 Nations Face-Off is right around the corner, as it’ll last from Feb. 12-20. Finland became the first country to announce its captain—it wasn’t much of a surprise. Seeing as he’s the only Finnish captain of an NHL club, the choice of the Florida Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov was an easy one.

Related: Guide to the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off

The Carolina Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho and Mikko Rantanen will wear the “A” on their sweater, as will Mikael Granlund of the San Jose Sharks.

Your #4Nations Face-Off captains for Team Finland are here!

Suomen #4Nations Face-Off -turnauksen kapteenisto on tässä! pic.twitter.com/0eOG9IpUuH

— NHL Suomi (@NHL_fi) January 30, 2025

Barkov, who captained the Panthers to a Stanley Cup last summer, is no stranger to the big moments. He has 753 points in 779 career regular-season games, averaging 91 points per 82 contests since 2017-18. The two-way superstar is still in his prime, coming off a Selke Trophy victory last May.

As far as the playoffs are concerned, scoring has been tougher but he was arguably the best player on Florida’s Cup-winning roster. Scoring 22 points in 24 games with impeccable defensive play, his club won its first championship in franchise history.

As a result, Barkov is an established leader and was frankly the only choice for Finland. He has 42 points in 42 games this season with a career-best 60.4% face-off win rate. Among the 279 forwards with 500 minutes of ice time this season at 5-on-5, he ranks 11^th in per-60 expected goals allowed (1.99) and 53^rd in actual goals allowed (1.96). His two-way excellence should live on at this tournament.