COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Four alumni of National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) teams are set to represent the United States at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, which begins tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 12. The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off runs from Feb. 12-20 and will take place in Boston and Montreal with the U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden competing for the championship.
 
Former Omaha forward Jake Guentzel, former North Dakota forward Brock Nelson, former UND defenseman Jake Sanderson and former Colorado College defenseman Jaccob Slavin will all suit up for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off. The quartet is part of a 23-man roster for the U.S., which was originally announced on Dec. 4 and consists solely of active NHL players. Sanderson was added to Team USA on Feb. 9 to replace the injured Quinn Hughes. Of the 23 players on the U.S. squad, 18 played college hockey at 10 different schools, with North Dakota one of only four schools with multiple alumni on Team USA (Boston University, Michigan and Boston College the others).
 
The United States opens play at the 4 Nations Face-Off on Thursday, Feb. 13 against Finland in Montreal at Bell Centre, with the game televised on ESPN. The U.S. then plays Canada in Montreal on Saturday, Feb. 15 (on ABC) and Sweden in Boston on Monday, Feb. 17 (on TNT). The Championship Game is then set for Thursday, Feb. 20 in Boston at TD Garden and will be televised on ESPN. This will be the first best-on-best hockey tournament since the World Cup of Hockey 2016 in Toronto.
 
Guentzel, who will don the Stars and Stripes jersey for the first time ever, was a three-year standout for the Mavericks from 2013-2016, also collecting NCHC accolades all three seasons. The Woodbury, Minn. native earned All-Rookie Team honors as a freshman in 2013-14, was tabbed Honorable Mention All-NCHC as a sophomore and climbed to Second-Team All-NCHC as a junior in his final year with Omaha, when he recorded career highs of 19 goals and 46 points. The former UNO captain compiled 119 career points in 108 games with the Mavs, including 40 goals and 79 assists, landing a spot on the NCHC’s All-Decade Second Team.
 
Guentzel is currently in his first season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he’s racked up 27 goals and 54 points in 54 games. He played his first seven and a half NHL seasons for the Pittsburgh Penguins, winning the 2017 Stanley Cup and twice being named an NHL All-Star. For his career, Guentzel has 545 points (254g/291a) in 574 NHL games.
 
Nelson was a star at North Dakota for two seasons from 2010-2012, playing in the WCHA before the NCHC existed. The Warroad, Minn. native helped UND win a trio of titles in his time in Grand Forks, including the 2010-11 WCHA regular-season title as a freshman and back-to-back Broadmoor Trophies as WCHA Tournament champions. Nelson tallied 68 points (36g/32a) in 84 career games at North Dakota, including 28 goals and 47 points as a sophomore to earn Third-Team All-WCHA.
 
Nelson has played his entire 13-year NHL career for the New York Islanders, serving as an assistant captain the last five seasons. He’s racked up 566 career points (292g/274a) in 895 career NHL games, including 17 goals and 35 points so far this year. Nelson was named an NHL All-Star in 2023 when he finished with a career-high 75 points. He has sported the Stars and Stripes six times previously, including winning bronze at the 2011 World Junior Championship and 2015 Men’s World Championship.
 
Sanderson dazzled in his two seasons at North Dakota from 2020-2022, while battling through injuries to play in 45 career games. He totaled 41 points on 10 goals and 31 assists, finishing with a +25 plus/minus. The Whitefish, Mont. native was named to the NCHC All-Rookie team in 2020-21 and garnered Second-Team All-NCHC as a sophomore in 2021-22. He was also tabbed a First-Team All-American as a sophomore, when he scored eight goals and tallied 26 points in 23 games from the blue line. Sanderson won a pair of Penrose Cups in his time at UND and was also selected to the NCHC’s All-Decade Second Team.
 
Now a staple on the Ottawa Senators blue line, Sanderson previously represented the U.S. at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in China and won a gold medal with the 2021 U.S. National Junior Team. He’s now in his third season with the Senators where he has played 211 career games with 105 points, including 19 goals and 86 assists. This year Sanderson has 35 points (5g/30a) in 55 games so far.
 
Slavin was a two-year standout for the Tigers from 2013-2015, earning inaugural NCHC Rookie of the Year honors in 2014, as well as Second-Team All-NCHC. The Erie, Colo. native served as an assistant captain at Colorado College as a sophomore when he picked up First-Team All-NCHC accolades. In 66 career games with the Tigers, Slavin racked up 42 points from the blue line on 10 goals and 32 assists, which earned him NCHC All-Decade Team Honorable Mention.
 
Slavin is now in his 10th season with the Carolina Hurricanes, where he’s worn an ‘A’ for the past six years. The NHL veteran was tabbed an All-Star in 2020 and has twice won the Lady Byng Trophy, recognizing his skill and sportsmanship. He has 292 career NHL points (53g/239a) in 721 games with the Hurricanes, including 20 points (4g/16a) in 56 games this season. Slavin’s only other experience with Team USA came at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship.
 
All games in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off will be played in accordance with NHL rules using the following points system: 3 points for a win in regulation time; 2 points for a win in overtime/shootout; 1 point for a loss in overtime/shootout; and 0 points for a loss in regulation time. The two teams with the best tournament record (most points) will then advance to the championship on Feb. 20.
 
The overtime format for round-robin games will be three-on-three sudden death for a 10-minute period, followed by a three-round shootout. The overtime format for the championship will be full strength sudden death through successive 20-minute periods until one team scores.
 
For more information on the 4 Nations Face-Off, click here.