Head coach Sam Hallam has appointed Victor Hedman as the captain of Tre Kronor for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, which will be played in Montreal, Canada, and Boston, USA, from February 12 to 20.
"It is an incredibly great honor to be the captain of this team, which has many strong leaders both on the ice and in the locker room. I have never been the captain of Tre Kronor before, so it will be a special feeling to get the ‘C’ on my jersey. There will be some great hockey played during the 4 Nations Face-Off, and both I and the team are excited to get started," says Victor Hedman.
"We have several strong leaders in this Tre Kronor squad, so the captaincy decision was challenging in some ways. However, in the end, it felt natural to give the role to Victor. Throughout his career, he has proven that he is a winner. He leads on the ice in every practice and every game and carries himself off the ice in a way that embodies the qualities we want to see in our captain," says Sam Hallam, head coach of Tre Kronor.
Assistant Captains:
Sam Hallam has appointed the following assistant captains:
- Mattias Ekholm
- Erik Karlsson
- William Nylander
Tre Kronor Roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off
Goaltenders:
- Samuel Ersson, Philadelphia Flyers
- Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild
- Linus Ullmark, Ottawa Senators
Defensemen:
- Rasmus Andersson, Calgary Flames
- Jonas Brodin, Minnesota Wild
- Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
- Mattias Ekholm, Edmonton Oilers
- Gustav Forsling, Florida Panthers
- Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins
Forwards:
- Viktor Arvidsson, Edmonton Oilers
- Jesper Bratt, New Jersey Devils
- Leo Carlsson, Anaheim Ducks
- Joel Eriksson Ek, Minnesota Wild
- Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators
- William Karlsson, Vegas Golden Knights
- Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles Kings
- Elias Lindholm, Boston Bruins
- Gustav Nyquist, Nashville Predators
- William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
- Lucas Raymond, Detroit Red Wings
- Mika Zibanejad, New York Rangers
About the Captains
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Victor Hedman, 34, has won a Norris Trophy (awarded to the NHL’s best defenseman) and a Conn Smythe Trophy (awarded to the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs). A product of Modo Hockey, Hedman has won two Stanley Cups with Tampa Bay. He has represented Sweden in four World Championships (gold in 2017, bronze in 2010 and 2024), the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, two World Junior Championships (silver in 2008 and 2009), and two U18 World Championships (bronze in 2007). In total, Hedman has recorded 768 points (163 goals, 605 assists) in 1,099 NHL games.
Mattias Ekholm, Edmonton Oilers
Mattias Ekholm, 34, has scored seven goals and 22 points in 50 games for the Edmonton Oilers this season. Born in Borlänge, with IFK Ore as his youth club, he has also played for Mora IK and Brynäs IF in Sweden. He is a 2018 World Champion with Tre Kronor and also has a 2014 World Championship bronze. In his career, Ekholm has totaled 349 points (84 goals, 265 assists) in 869 NHL games.
Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins
Erik Karlsson, 34, is a three-time Norris Trophy winner. In the 2022–23 season, he became the first defenseman in 31 years to score over 100 points in an NHL regular season. Born in Landsbro, with Boro-Vetlanda HC as his youth club, he has also played for Frölunda HC, Södertälje SK, and Borås HC in Sweden. Karlsson captained the Swedish team that won bronze at the 2024 World Championship. He has represented Sweden in two Olympic Games (silver in 2014), the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, three World Championships (bronze in 2010 and 2024), one World Junior Championship (silver in 2009), and one U18 World Championship. In total, Karlsson has recorded 850 points (194 goals, 656 assists) in 1,055 NHL games.
William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs
William Nylander, 28, has recorded 29 goals and 51 points in 51 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season. Before moving to the NHL, Canada-born Nylander played in SDE, Södertälje SK, Modo Hockey, and Rögle BK. He has represented Sweden in three World Championships (gold in 2017), two World Junior Championships, and one U18 World Championship. In total, Nylander has recorded 579 points (246 goals, 333 assists) in 654 NHL games.
