The Florida Panthers are building their own international powerhouse.
With the rosters for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off being revealed on Wednesday, the defending Stanley Cup champions led the NHL with eight players being selected to the tournament.
Matthew Tkachuk will represent the United States, Gustav Forsling will suit up for Sweden, Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett will each don the maple leaf for Canada, and Aleksander Barkov, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola will all take the ice for Finland.
“I think it just shows the work ethic of this team," Bennett said. "The commitment to details and the commitment to success is being noticed by a lot of people."
In addition to the players, five Panthers staff members will also be at the tournament.
From an organizational standpoint, being so well represented is a badge of honor.
“(Panthers President of Hockey Operations and General Manager) Bill Zito is probably having a pretty good day,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “So many of those players you’re talking about, he brought in. Then we’ve got five staff members going as well. Thirteen of our group are going. It’s a source of pride. The players have worked themselves. When you look at the guys like Mikkola, Luostarinen and Bennett, these guys worked themselves into being candidates for their country. Barkov has been a perennial, but we’ve got a bit of everything. Some first-timers are going to represent their country. It’s a huge deal.”
The Panthers are also just one of two clubs with at least one player on all four teams.
Of course, no team is sending more Finns.
“I think the team has been doing a very good job,” Luostarinen said. “Everybody is bringing their best effort. The last couple of years we’ve had a lot of success. That’s a big part of it.”
While every player was thrilled to get the call, one almost missed it.
“I got a call from Jim Nill, the GM in Dallas,” Bennett said. “I actually missed his call because I didn’t have his number, but then he texted me. My heart started racing when I got that text. I called him back and he gave me the good news. I was a little bit in shock. I was really just ecstatic. I called my parents right away and my dad was freaking out a little bit.”
With all four nations represented in the locker room, the competition has already started.
“We’ve already been joking around a little bit,” Bennett smiled. “It’s definitely going to be a unique experience playing against your teammates mid-season. It’ll be cool. Every game, we’ll be playing against some of our teammates.”
Will they go easy on each other?
Not a chance.
“It’s hockey,” Mikkola said. “Everyone wants to win.”
With the 4 Nations Face-Off on the horizon and the 2026 Winter Olympics not too far away, every player is excited to get back to trying to bring gold and glory to their home country.
“It’s going to be a really cool experience,” Bennett said. “I can’t wait for that tournament.”
To stay up to date on all things 4 Nations, keep it locked to FloridaPanthers.com/4Nations.
