Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 | 4:09 p.m.
Seven Golden Knights players will be representing their countries in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off in February, a weeklong tournament between the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland.
Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin will represent the United States and William Karlsson will play for Sweden. Adin Hill, Shea Theodore, Alex Pietrangelo and Mark Stone will all represent Canada. Vegas leads the NHL in North American selections.
The tournament will take place from Feb. 12 to 20 in Boston and Montreal. The team announcements were made Wednesday night and today.
Eichel was one of 24 players who announced they’d be playing in the tournament at the NHL Draft on June 28.
This will be the ninth time Eichel will represent the United States and the 10th time he’s played in an international tournament, the last of which was the 2019 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship.
Eichel also participated in the NHL’s last international tournament, the World Cup of Hockey, in 2016. He was part of Team North America, which consisted of NHL players from North America under the age of 23.
The Golden Knights have found a lot of success with Eichel. He ranks second in the league in assists with 28 and fourth in points with 36.
He’s projected to finish with a career-high 114 points and could be a front-runner for the Hart Memorial Trophy.
Two Bostonian Golden Knights will play in their hometown, with Hanifin being selected for Team USA.
He’s played internationally six times, most recently with the Americans in the 2019 IIHF World Championship, where he scored four points in eight games.
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin (15) passes the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks at T-Mobile Arena Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024.
Hanifin won gold medals at the 2014 IIHF Under 18 World Junior Championship and the 2015 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge.
While he’s struggled to find his game this season, Hanifin has still scored 12 points in 26 games.
Karlsson will represent Sweden for the fifth time in his career and has never placed lower than second in international play. He’s won the gold medal twice in the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship and 2017 IIHF World Championship.
Karlsson missed the first nine games of the regular season due to an undisclosed injury but has been a constant contributor since his return. In 17 games, he’s recorded 11 points.
Hill joins Canada for just the second time in his career. In his last appearance with Canada, he won the 2021 IIHF World Championship. He backed up Darcy Kuemper, playing three games and posted a 3-1 record.
Hill will join St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington and Montreal Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault.
This season, Hill has cemented himself as the Golden Knights’ lone starter. He holds a 2.00 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. Tuesday, he made 28 saves to pick up his second shutout of the season in a 1-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers.
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill (33) covers the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers at T-Mobile Arena Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024.
Theodore is one of two Golden Knight defensemen joining Team Canada. In his four previous international appearances, he has won a gold medal three times.
In his last outing in the 2019 IIHF World Championship, he scored seven points in 10 games, helping the Canadians to a runner-up finish.
Known for his offensive approach as a defenseman, Theodore leads the Golden Knights defense in scoring, recording 18 points in 25 games. He has the second-highest assist total (17) on the roster, following Eichel.
Pietrangelo is a veteran of the international stage, playing in his seventh international tournament. He has won three gold medals, including one at the 2014 Olympics and another at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
He is the only current Golden Knight to participate in the Olympics and the World Cup of Hockey. This season, he’s recorded 15 points in 23 games and is averaging 22 minutes of ice time per game.
Despite missing the last 13 games due to injury, Stone will make his fifth career appearance with Canada. Stone has had a successful track record as an international player, winning gold, silver and bronze.
In his last outing at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, he scored 14 points in 10 games and finished fifth in scoring in the tournament.
Prior to his injury, Stone led the Golden Knights in scoring, recording 21 points in 15 games and earned one of the NHL’s Three Stars of the Week in October. Stone is likely to return to the lineup this week against Anaheim (Wednesday) or Dallas (Friday).