U-M Leads Way with Four Former Wolverines Selected for 4 Nations
12/9/2024 4:17:00 PM | Ice Hockey
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The National Hockey League recently announced the final 23-player rosters that will represent Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States in the 4 National Face-Off in February 2025. Each 4 Nations Face-Off team is comprised of 23 NHL Players (20 skaters, 3 goalies), who are under an NHL contract for the 2024-25 season and were on an NHL roster as of Dec. 2, 2024.
The University of Michigan and Boston University lead the NCAA with the most participants -- with four apiece.
Representing the United States will be former Wolverine forwards Kyle Connor, Dylan Larkin, and defensemen Quinn Hughes and Zach Werenski.
Connor leads the Winnipeg Jets in scoring with 15 goals and 33 points in 29 games this season. He is tied for second among American-born NHL players in goals and is tied for third in points. Connor led the nation in scoring when he was at Michigan in 2015-16.
Captain of the Vancouver Canucks, Hughes (Michigan 2017-19) is second in the NHL in scoring by a defenseman with 32 points in 26 games, netting seven goals and 25 assists. He leads American-born defensemen in both points and assists and is third in time on ice (24:50). This past weekend, he moved into 10th all-time in Canucks history in goals by a defenseman. Last week, he was named the NHL Second Star of the Week for nine points in four games.
Larkin (Michigan 2015-16), captain of the Detroit Red Wings, is third on the team in scoring with 21 points in 27 games. He ranks ninth in the NHL among top American goal scorers with 12 tallies this season and averages the sixth most time on the ice for forwards with more than 20 minutes per game.
Werenski (Michigan 2014-16) is first amongst NHL players in ice time per game (26:10) and ranks third in the NHL and first amongst American-born defensemen in goals with eight, while adding 20 assists to total 28 points in 27 games -- third among all defensemen and second among American-born defensemen.
All games in the 4 Nations Face-Off will be played in accordance with NHL rules. Each team will play three tournament games in a traditional Round Robin format, under the following points system: 3 points for a win in regulation time; 2 points for a win in overtime/shootout; 1 point for a loss in overtime/shootout; and 0 points for a loss in regulation time. The two teams with the best tournament record will then advance to a one-game final.
