BUFFALO — One day after capping one of the best comebacks in Colorado Avalanche history with the game-winning goal, Artturi Lehkonen learned he’ll have the opportunity to play for his country in the first best-on-best men’s international event in nine years.
Lehkonen joined Mikko Rantanen on Finland’s roster Wednesday for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, which will be held in February in Montreal and Boston. Rantanen was one of the six original players named to Finland’s roster back in June ahead of the 2024 NHL draft.
The rest of the rosters for Finland and Sweden were announced Wednesday afternoon, while the finalized squads for Canada and the United States will be announced later in the day. Lehkonen has been one of Colorado’s best players since arriving in a trade from Montreal ahead of the 2022 trade deadline.
The two-way Finnish wing has five goals and 10 points in 14 games this season. He missed the start of the year while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Lehkonen captained Finland’s gold-medal winning entry in the 2015 world junior championships, but hasn’t played for his country since breaking into the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens in 2016.
Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar were two of Canada’s first six selections in June. Makar’s defenseman partner, Devon Toews, is expected to join them when the rest of the roster is revealed during the TNT pregame show ahead of the Boston-Chicago game.
The 4 Nations Face-Off is the first best-on-best hockey tournament featuring NHL players since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. MacKinnon played in that event for Team North America, which consisted of the best young American and Canadian players. Avs captain Gabe Landeskog also played for Sweden.
This event starts with two round-robin games in Montreal before third-place and championship games in Boston. Canada-Finland will be Feb. 17 at TD Garden with the title match three days later. It is considered an appetizer for the NHL’s return to the Winter Olympics the following year in Italy.
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