Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews to captain U.S. at 4 Nations Face-Off

By Canadian Press on January 30, 2025.

Auston Matthews will wear the ‘C’ for the red, white and blue.

The Toronto Maple Leafs star has been named captain for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament set for next month in Montreal and Boston.

The 27-year-old is a three-time Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy winner as the NHL’s top goal-scorer. The first pick at the 2016 draft, Matthews also took home the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2021-22. He’s in his first season as Leafs captain.

Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk and Boston Bruins defenceman Charlie McAvoy will serve as alternate captains for the Americans.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman was named Sweden’s captain earlier Thursday. Panthers centre Aleksander Barkov was tabbed to lead Finland. Canada was expected to announce its captain at 2 p.m. ET.

The 4 Nations, which marks the return of NHL players to high-profile international competition, represents the closest hockey has seen to a best-on-best men’s tournament since the 2016 World Cup.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2025.

The Canadian Press