The United States of America Team will be dangerous in this tournament; from top to bottom, all aspects of this team will be a heavy favorite regarding raw skill and talent from all aspects of the game.
This could be flashes from the past, from the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, where we saw young talents get their shot and develop into the superstars they are today.
Projected Roster for the United States
As a reminder, the 4 Nations Face-Off will be an in-season tournament that will be taking place from Feb. 12-20, 2025. Remember, the 2023-2024 season is still in motion, and the following season still needs to come around; a lot could change between now and then. Let’s see what American-born players could be part of this first-ever roster.
Forwards
LEFT-WING | CENTER | RIGHT-WING |
Jack Hughes | Auston Matthews | Matthew Tkachuk |
Jason Robertson | Jack Eichel | Brady Tkachuk |
Tage Thompson | J.T. Miller | Kyle Connor |
Alex DeBrincat | Dylan Larkin | Brock Boeser |
Clayton Keller |
Defense
LD | RD |
Quinn Hughes | Adam Fox |
Jaccob Slavin | Charlie McAvoy |
Luke Hughes | Brock Faber |
Zach Werenski |
Jacob Slavin and Charlie McAvoy help with their defense and shutdown ability while contributing to the offense. Both can move the puck well and have similar roles with their NHL teams regarding offense and defense reliability. Luke Hughes and Brock Faber are the “wildcard” pair with limited NHL experience, showing many flashes of what they can become. Faber has exploded in Minnesota, and Huges in New Jersey has grown with each game he has seen.
Goaltending
Connor Hellebuyck |
Jeremy Swayman |
Thatcher Demko |
Related: Projecting the United States’ Roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics
Hellebuyck is the oldest at 30 and shows no signs of slowing down. Demko is having a tremendous bounce-back season after dealing with multiple injuries last season, and Swayman is looking better and better each season. There is quite literally no weak point in this goalie group.
Final Words
Team United States looks like one of the best teams to compete next year on paper. The U.S. roster is full of players starting to take over the league or are currently taking over the league. From goalscoring, playmaking, defending, and goaltending, this roster shows little to no cracks when they step on the ice.