Projecting Canada, USA, Sweden And Finland's First Six Olympics Players After 4 Nations Face-Off

Mitch Marner assisted on Connor McDavid's game-winning goal in the 4 Nations Face-Off final on Feb. 20. (Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images)

Olympic men’s hockey teams could reveal their first six players in June, but don’t expect the same lists for the four countries that played in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The rest of the rosters could be revealed in December, according to TSN. It’s a similar schedule to how the 4 Nations Face-Off rosters were revealed for Canada, Sweden, Finland and the USA last year.

While most of the stars who were the first six players announced for each 4 Nations Face-Off team will likely be mentioned again as one of the first six players on the Olympics squads, there could be differences after a year. Even though someone can still make the team despite not being named in June, some different players deserve an earlier nod.

Let's project the first six players on the Olympic men's teams for Canada, Sweden, Finland and the United States.

Team Canada

First 4 Nations Players Revealed: Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand, Cale Makar, Brayden Point

Projected First Six Olympics Players: Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, Cale Makar, Mitch Marner, Brayden Point

The big change here is removing Marchand from the first six players for Canada and inserting star right winger Marner, who had an impressive 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. He scored the overtime-winner against Sweden and fed McDavid for his championship-clinching goal against the Americans.

Marchand will be 37 years old when the Olympics are played, although he still could make the team. But Marner is much younger, and he will be crucial for Canada’s international hopes for many tournaments to come.

Another candidate to replace Marchand in the first six would be center Sam Bennett. He provides tenacious two-way play and earned a lot of respect for his play in the 4 Nations Face-Off after initially being a healthy scratch. But Marner is the clear front-runner to be one of the first named to the Canadian team. He’s done more than enough in the NHL and on the international stage to earn that honor.

Team USA

First 4 Nations Players Revealed: Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Adam Fox, Quinn Hughes, Charlie McAvoy, Matthew Tkachuk

Projected First Six Olympics Players: Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Brady Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes, Jack Hughes, Matthew Tkachuk

Brady Tkachuk grabbed everyone’s attention at the 4 Nations Face-Off by scoring in big moments and providing sparks for his club. He had a massive emotional impact for the Americans, and he deserves to be a lock for the team with his brother.

Jack Hughes is one of the most skilled players on the planet despite his injury history. He’s still only 23 years old, and he’ll be even closer to his prime at the Olympics.

Defensemen Fox and McAvoy are virtual locks for the U.S. squad, but Team USA should give a different look with the first six players after the 4 Nations loss. The Americans aren’t satisfied with second place in best-on-best tournaments, and these first six players show a squad with lots of offensive firepower.

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Team Sweden

First 4 Nations Players Revealed: William Nylander, Filip Forsberg, Victor Hedman, Erik Karlsson, Mika Zibanejad, Gustav Forsling

Projected First Six Olympics Players: William Nylander, Filip Forsberg, Victor Hedman, Lucas Raymond, Elias Pettersson, Gustav Forsling

It’s difficult to remove Karlsson from the first six players for Sweden, as he had a very effective 4 Nations tournament. However, Karlsson will be closing in on 36 years old at the next Olympics, so it makes sense to give the first-six honors to long-term Sweden stars Pettersson and Raymond.

Raymond had three assists at the 4 Nations Face-Off and is a key driver for the Detroit Red Wings, with 23 goals and 46 assists for 69 points in 68 games. He’s the real deal, and Sweden should acknowledge that.

The other change is removing Zibanejad. Although he has 49 points in 69 games this season, compared to Pettersson’s 43 points in 62 games, the latter has a higher ceiling and should be entering his prime years.

Team Finland

First 4 Nations Players Revealed: Sebastian Aho, Aleksander Barkov, Miro Heiskanen, Mikko Rantanen, Juuse Saros, Esa Lindell

Projected First Six Olympics Players: Sebastian Aho, Aleksander Barkov, Miro Heiskanen, Mikko Rantanen, Juuse Saros, Esa Lindell

Finland got it right last year, and it should be the same this time around.

Only the Finns included a goalie in their top six players for the 4 Nations Face-Off, and while Saros didn’t have an ideal tournament, he will still be an integral part of their team at the Olympics.

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Finland suffered a massive blow when star blueliner Heiskanen was ruled out for the 4 Nations with an injury, but his being healthy for the Olympics will be a terrific boost to the team’s chances of being on the podium. But otherwise, the Finns’ core players haven’t changed.

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