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The NHL’s Four Nations Face-Off features some the biggest names in hockey today. The championship game Thursday between USA and Canada features two star-studded lineups full of some of the league’s best talent.
Between the two teams, there are 21 former DI NCAA hockey players. Here’s a breakdown of how college hockey helped shape these two all-star lineups.
There are three former NCAA players on Team Canada’s Four Nations roster:
Cale Makar’s college resume is about as stacked as it gets. In his sophomore season at UMass-Amherst, Makar was named Hockey East Player of the Year after leading the league in scoring with 49 points in 41 games. Makar was also selected for the Hockey East First All-Star team and was announced as the winner of the 2019 Hobey Baker award as the top NCAA men’s ice hockey player.
Makar’s Minutemen advanced to the Frozen Four final that season, where they lost 3-0 to the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The next day, Makar signed his entry-level contract with the Colorado Avalanche, who drafted him fourth-overall in 2017. He made his NHL debut for Colorado in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and he recorded six points in 10 games that postseason. The following season Makar went on to win the NHL’s Calder Memorial trophy as the league’s best rookie in 2020.
The third former NCAA defenseman to suit up for Canada in the Four Nations Face-Off is Quinnipiac alumnus Devon Toews. As a freshman, Toews recorded 17 points in 37 games for the Bobcats, catching the attention of the New York Islanders, who drafted him 108th overall in 2014. Toews played two more seasons at Quinnipiac, where he appeared in the 2016 National Championship game against North Dakota. Toews was also a finalist for the ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Defenseman award that season after going +27 and recording 30 points in 40 games.
There are 18 former NCAA players on Team USA’s Four Nations Roster:
Despite only playing one year for Boston University, Jack Eichel put together an impressive college hockey resume in the 2014-15 season. Eichel recorded 71 points in 40 games and became the second player to win the Hobey Baker Award as a freshman after Paul Kariya did it in 1993. His other awards from that season include:
Eichel’s Terriers defeated Northeastern in the Beanpot that season, and Eichel recorded an assist on Matt Grzelcyk’s overtime goal. BU also made the NCAA Frozen Four, losing 4-3 to Providence in the championship game. Eichel left college after one season when he was drafted second overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2015 NHL draft.
Kyle Connor only played one season for Michigan, recording 71 points in 38 games. The freshman phenom was named National Rookie of the year, Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He was the Big Ten scoring champion that season, finishing with 61 points in 34 regular-season games. Connor was runner-up for the Hobey Baker award, losing to Harvard’s Jimmy Vesey.
Connor scored four goals in the 2016 Big Ten quarterfinals, breaking the record for the most goals in a single Big Ten tournament game. He also holds the record for the most goals in a single Big Ten tournament with five. He was named the 2016 Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player and selected to the Big Ten All-Tournament team before turning pro for the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets.
In his freshman season, Fox helped the Crimson win their first Beanpot championship since 1993, recording a goal and an assist in the 6-3 win over Boston University. He also helped Harvard reach the Frozen Four that season, its first since 1994, though the Crimson lost in the semifinals to Minnesota-Duluth, 2-1.
As a junior, Fox had 48 points (9 goals, 39 assists) in 33 games, leading the NCAA in assists and finishing fourth in points. He also set Harvard single-season records for assists and points by a defenseman and was named a finalist for the Hobey Baker award, which he lost to Cale Makar. Fox was named to the NCAA First All-American Team and ECAC First All-Star team in each of his three seasons for Harvard.
Massachusetts native Chris Kreider played three seasons for the Eagles during one of the most dominant stretches in program history. As an Eagle, he won three consecutive Beanpot championships and two NCAA National Championships in three years.
Kreider was a force for the Eagles in his junior season, scoring 45 points in 44 games and leading Boston College to its second National Championship in three seasons before turning pro for the NHL’s New York Rangers.
Werenski had an outstanding freshman season for the Wolverines, posting nine goals and 16 assists and earning Big Ten All-Freshman Team and All-Big Ten First Team honors.
But his sophomore season was even better, as he was the top-scoring defenseman in the Big Ten with 36 points in 36 games. During the 2016 Big Ten tournament, Werenski and his Michigan teammate Kyle Connor each tied the tournament record for most assists in the Big Ten championship game with three. The two also tied the record for points in a championship game with four, and Werenski was given Big Ten All-Tournament Team honors.
In Guentzel’s sophomore season at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, he helped the Mavericks make their first Frozen Four appearance in program history and scored Nebraska’s lone goal in a 4-1 loss to Providence. As a freshman he was named to the NCHC All-Conference Rookie team and was a finalist for NCHC rookie of the year.
Brock Faber played three seasons at Minnesota and was named team captain in his junior year. He recorded 27 points in 38 games that season, leading the Gophers to the NCAA Championship game, which they lost in overtime to Quinnipiac.
Hanifin graduated high school early and matriculated at Boston College as a 17-year-old, making him the second-youngest player in program history. He finished his only collegiate season with 23 points in 37 games before leaving for the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, who picked him fifth overall in 2015.
One of three American goaltenders on this list, Team USA’s starter is a product of UMass-Lowell, where he spent two seasons and racked up several honors for the River Hawks. In his second season, he received the Mike Richter Award as the most outstanding goalie in DI NCAA men’s ice hockey during the regular season.
Larkin, a Michigan native, had an outstanding rookie season with his hometown team, earning him several honors including Big Ten Freshman of the Year, All-Big Ten First Team and All-Big Ten Freshman Team. Larkin recorded four points (1G, 3A) in the 2015 Big Ten tournament quarterfinals, breaking a tournament single-game point record.
Charlie McAvoy led all BU defensemen in points as a freshman with 25 and was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie team. He followed up his impressive rookie season with a 26-point campaign in 2016-17 before turning pro for the Boston Bruins, who picked him 14th overall in the 2016 NHL draft.
Oettinger had an outstanding rookie season for the Terriers, posting a 2.11 GAA and .927 SV% in 35 games, earning him All-Hockey East Rookie Team honors in 2017. In his sophomore season, he led BU to its ninth Hockey East tournament title and earned the William Flynn Tournament Most Valuable Player award.
Swayman played three seasons with the Black Bears, but he saved his best for last, posting three shutouts, a 2.07 GAA and a .939 SV% in his junior season. Swayman finished as the runner-up for the 2020 Hobey Baker award and won the Mike Richter award as the top NCAA DI men’s goaltender of the year. He finished his Maine career as the program’s all-time saves leader with 3,130 and second in career SV% with .927.
The Millis, Massachusetts native recorded 31 points in 22 games for his childhood team Boston College in his sophomore season. He was named a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker award in 2021 before signing an entry-level contract with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, who picked him 12th overall in the 2019 draft.
Here are some other players on the team with NCAA experience:
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