Mitch Marner to wear red and white Maple Leaf as Canada rounds out 4 Nations roster

Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitch Marner (16) keeps his eye on the puck as Tampa Bay Lightning centre Brayden Point (21) looks on during first period NHL hockey action in Toronto, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Mitch Marner will be sporting a different Maple Leaf in February.

The Toronto Maple Leafs star was one of 17 players named Wednesday to round out Canada's 23-man roster for the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

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Joining the winger as part of an attack that already featured Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand and Brayden Point — all announced back in June — are Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers along with Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Also making the team up front are Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone, Travis Konecny of the Philadelphia Flyers and Seth Jarvis of the Carolina Hurricanes.

The defence corps led by Cale Makar, who was also tabbed in June, will see Colorado Avalanche teammate Devon Toews suit up in red and white, and also include the Vegas duo of Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo, Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets, Colton Parayko of the St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia's Travis Sanheim.

The biggest question mark for Canadian general manager Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins and the rest of the country's hockey brain trust since the selection process began has been in the crease — especially with stud netminders like Carey Price and Roberto Luongo a distant memory.

Canada doesn't have the same goaltending pedigree as at past international events, but head coach Jon Cooper of Tampa will likely lean on Stanley Cup winners Jordan Binnington of the Blues and Adin Hill of the Golden Knights. Sam Montembeault of the Montreal Canadiens rounds out the puck-stopping trio.

"We are thrilled to unveil the group of players who have earned the opportunity to represent Canada," Sweeney said in a statement. "We believe we have assembled a roster that features world-class talent, as well as success at the NHL and international levels.

"We are confident this group will give us the best chance to accomplish our goal on the international stage."

The 4 Nations tournament, which also includes the United States, Sweden and Finland, runs Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston, and will serve as an appetizer for the NHL's Olympic return in 2026.

It's also the closest hockey has got to a best-on-best men's tournament since the 2016 World Cup.

This showcase won't technically meet that threshold with Russia — because of its ongoing war in Ukraine — and reigning world champions Czechia not in the mix. But there should still be plenty of interest with McDavid, Crosby, U.S. star Auston Matthews and a host of other big names finally sharing the ice on the world stage.

The NHL, which went to five straight Olympics between 1998 and 2014, announced at last season's all-star game players would participate at the next two Games after it skipped 2018 for business reasons and missed out in 2022 due to COVID-19.

The goal of the league and NHL Players' Association is hold a World Cup in both 2028 and 2032 to get international events on a schedule of every two years.

Canada opens the 4 Nations on Feb. 12 against Sweden at the Bell Centre in Montreal before facing the U.S. in the same building three nights later.

The tournament then moves to Boston, where the Canadians will meet Finland on Feb 17.

The teams with the two best records after the round-robin will battle in the final Feb. 20 at TD Garden.

"This is an exciting time for the NHL and international hockey," Cooper said. "This event is an important part of the process as we continue to build teams that can be successful on the international stage."