USA Hockey can prove it’s closed gap on Canada at 4 Nations

Jack Eichel appeared eager to answer the question, so when a glitch during a 4 Nations Face-off media video conference on Thursday prevented his United States’ teammate Charlie McAvoy from hearing it, the Vegas Golden Knights center jumped in.

“I think there’s a lot to prove for us as USA Hockey,” Eichel said in response to an inquiry about whether the 4 Nations Face-off is the United States’ chance to prove its standing among hockey’s superpowers. “I think with the way the U.S. National Development program has been producing players lately and where we feel we are as a country, you look at the talent pool in the last however many years in the NHL, I think for a while it was Canada on a pedestal by themselves and I think for us we’ve closed that gap. I think this is a great opportunity to prove that.”

The 4 Nations Face-off, which will be held Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston, will pit NHL players from the U.S., Canada, Sweden and Finland against each other in the first best-on-best tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. The complete 23-player rosters for each team were revealed Wednesday after six players from each country were named in June.

The U.S. has made strides the past two decades at the IIHF World Junior Championship, winning gold six times (2004, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2021, 2024) but hasn’t won a best-on-best tournament since the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, when it upset Canada in the final.

The U.S.’s best result since then was a silver medal at the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, when it lost to Canada in the gold medal game. Since then, Canada won gold at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics and 2004 and 2016 World Cups of Hockey. The U.S. lost all three of its games and was eliminated in the round robin at the 2016 World Cup.

Eichel, who played for Team North America, a collection of 23-and-under players from the U.S. and Canada, in the 2016 World Cup, is among a generation of U.S.-born NHL stars that has been waiting for this opportunity to represent their country in a best-on-best format.

“Like Jack said, that gap has been closed over the past few years with the talent NTDP is producing,” New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox said. “But every roster is loaded with players. It’s going to be when that time comes bring your A game and try to win a gold medal.”

The U.S. roster for the 4 Nations Face-off is probably its most talented and deepest since the 1996 World Cup team that featured Hockey Hall of Famers Brian Leetch, Chris Chelios, Phil Housley, Brett Hull, Mike Modano and Pat Lafontaine. In addition to Eichel, Team USA’s forward group for the 4 Nations Face-off includes Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers, brother Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators, Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils, Matt Boldy of the Minnesota Wild, Kyle Connor of the Winnipeg Jets, Jake Guentzel of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings, J.T. Miller of the Vancouver Canucks, Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders and Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck of the Rangers.

The defense corps includes Fox, McAvoy of the Boston Bruins, Quinn Hughes (Jack’s brother) of the Canucks, Brock Faber of the Wild, Noah Hanifin of the Golden Knights, Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes and Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets. And the U.S. might have the strongest goaltending in the tournament with Connor Hellebuyck of the Jets, who is the reigning winner of the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie, Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars and Jeremy Swayman of the Bruins.

“I think we check every box there is,” McAvoy said. “I think the confidence amongst us in our group should be sky high. We’ve got to come together quick. In these tournaments anything can happen, but going into it, I think we should absolutely have a lot of confidence.”

Eichel sounded ready to embrace those expectations, but also aware that the talk before the tournament won’t matter once the puck is dropped. That will be the moment of truth for the U.S. to show it no longer has to take a backseat to Canada, or anyone else, when the best players from each country play.

“Everyone can say what they want now and look at rosters and compare rosters and this and that, but at the end of the day everything will be figured out on the ice,” Eichel said. “We’ll have our opportunity to prove where we think we’re at. I think there’s a lot to prove for us.

“I know a lot of these guys on Canada have played on the big stage and won before in terms of internationally, or at least a few of them. For some of us I think this is a great opportunity for us to do that.”