Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) warms up before Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars at T-Mobile arena Monday, April 29, 2024.
Friday, June 28, 2024 | 2:45 p.m.
At least one Vegas Golden Knight will be represented at the National Hockey League's 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Forward Jack Eichel was one of the first six players named to the U.S. roster for the event Feb. 12 to 20 in Boston and Montreal. The event stands in place of the All-Star Game, which won't be held in 2025.
The rest of the rosters will be revealed between Nov. 29 and Dec. 2. The four teams represented will be from the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden.
"I think it's an amazing event for our league, and it's always an honor to wear the red, white and blue," Eichel said in a video posted by the Golden Knights on X. "It's been awhile for me, so I'm really looking forward to it."
This is the first international event the NHL has hosted since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. It is also the first time Eichel has represented the United States since the 2019 IIHF World Championships.
Eichel's teammates include Adam Fox (New York Rangers), Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks), Charlie McAvoy (Boston Bruins), Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers) and Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs).
Eichel played with Hughes and Fox on the 2019 World Championship team and with Matthews on Team North America in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. The team was made up of North American players under the age of 23.
Both Matthews and Hughes were at the league's 4 Nations Face-Off announcement at the Encore. Hughes won the Norris Trophy on Thursday at the NHL Awards, which was hosted at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, and Matthews was nominated for the Ted Lindsay Award.
"I think it's gonna be extremely competitive," Matthews said of the tournament. "Best on best is something that guys have really been wanting for a while. It's just great for the game. There's a lot of pride in playing for your country."
Matthews also addressed the buzz around teammate Mitch Marner. The Maple Leafs forward could be on the move this offseason, and the Golden Knights are one the of the teams that has a chance at landing him.
This season, Marner had 85 points in 69 games and has been a critical piece of Toronto's offense for the past eight seasons. The NHL's free agency period begins on July 1.
"We love Mitch [Marner]," Matthews said. "There's a lot of noise and all that, but we love Mitchy. He's a great person and a great teammate. I can't speak highly enough about him."
