Team Sweden will be led from the blue line at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman will wear the ‘C’ for Sweden at the upcoming best-on-best tournament. Two other defencemen, Mattias Ekholm and Erik Karlsson, will be assistant captains. Maple Leafs star William Nylander will also be an assistant.
Hedman, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, brings a wealth of experience to Sweden. He won the Norris Trophy in 2018 and has been a finalist five other times.
Ekholm has provided stability to the Oilers’ blueline since being acquired from the Predators in 2023. Karlson is a three-time Norris Trophy winner who scored 101 points in the 2022-23 season. Nylander has scored at least 40 goals in back-to-back seasons and is on pace to cross the mark again.
The 4 Nations Face-Off will see Finland, Sweden, Canada and the United States compete in hockey’s first best-on-best tournament since 2016. The event will run from Feb. 12 to 20 in Montreal and Boston on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
